A late second-half surge propelled the South Dakota State men’s basketball team to a Senior Day victory on Sunday, stunning the Kansas City Roos 70-65.

The Jacks improved to 19-10 on the season and 10-4 in the Summit League, but the last home regular season game wasn’t an easy out for the Yellow and Blue.

SDSU shot over 52% from the field in the opening 20 minutes, but the Roos kept it close with a 6-for-13 half from three-point range, while the Jacks shot 20% (2-10) from three.

Despite going into the half with a 34-32 lead, disaster struck the Jacks on the last possession before halftime when true freshman point guard Owen Larson went down with a knee injury that kept the facilitator out the rest of the game.

“It’s kind of classified as a knee sprain right now,” SDSU Head Coach Eric Henderson said about Larson’s injury. “It’s so early to tell. Who knows right now, but we’re optimistic. Until we do some further testing, we’re not going to know for sure.”

The Jacks’ backcourt just recently dealt with an ankle injury involving Kalen Garry, who returned after a one-game absence, but anything more than a minor tweak could see the Jacks could be without Larson for the Summit League tournament.

With 5:25 to play in the second half, UMKC guard Jamar Brown hit his fifth three-pointer of the game, pushing the Roo’s lead to seven. A late-season upset was beginning to brew in Brookings.

The Jacks lacked energy and consistent shooting throughout the second half, but true freshman Jaden Jackson continues to show his talent down the stretch. The Bellevue, Nebraska native scored 11 points in 21 minutes off the bench, hitting two big threes in the final four minutes of the game.

“I think we’ve been seeing this coming for a long time,” Henderson said about Jackson. “It was just a matter of time. He’s been more than a capable shooter for his whole life, but it’s nice to see him get rewarded too and make those shots.”

A layup by UMKC guard Davontae Hall tied things up at 64 with under a minute to play while over 3,400 Jackrabbit fans inside First Bank & Trust Arena came alive. Senior center Oscar Cluff put in a huge go-ahead basket, followed by a steal on the defensive end that helped seal the victory.

“We stayed composed; we held it together,” Cluff said of the final few minutes of the game. “We didn’t lose our minds or go crazy or start stressing out that we were down. We just stayed solid for those minutes, and I think we were the tougher team.”

Cluff led all Jackrabbit scorers with his 20^th double-double of the season, logging 17 points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Kalen Garry and Jackson each ended with 11 points, Stoney Hadnot tallied 10 points and four rebounds, shooting 4-for-5 from the field, while Joe Sayler added eight points in the win.

The Jacks also recognized Cluff, Isaac Lindsey, and Nate Barnhart for Senior Day, as they played their final home game as members of the Jackrabbit men’s basketball team.

“Thankful for our seniors Oscar, Isaac, Nate. They haven’t been here a long time, but the impact they’ve had is pretty special,” Henderson said. “Just to be able to have the opportunity to coach those guys, I’m a pretty lucky guy.”

UMKC’s Brown led all scorers with 21 points, while Babacar Diallo had 17 points and seven assists in the loss.

Up Next

The Jackrabbit men’s basketball team will head down south to take on Oral Roberts on Thursday. Tipoff inside the Mabee Center is set for 7 p.m. and can be watched on the Summit League Network.