Following a loss in Sioux Falls to Florida Gulf Coast University, the SDSU men’s basketball team (3-3, 0-0 Summit) came home to Brookings and hammered D-II opponent Wayne State (2-5) 89-55 on Wednesday night.  

Cody Larson led the Jacks with 16 points and 6 rebounds in just 20 minutes to lead all scorers. Deondre Parks and Reed Tellinghuisen both reached double figures in scoring with 14 and 10, respectively.

Jordan Cornelius led the Wildcats with 10 points, while Wayne State shot 31.1 percent from the field for the game.

The Rabbits started the game hot, shooting 58.6 percent from the field while going 7-12 from three in the first half, but head coach Scott Nagy still saw room for improvement from his team.

“I told the guys at halftime, shooting well like we did in the first half is a little like make-up, it covers up blemishes,” Nagy said. “The same things that cost us games at Buffalo and Idaho were going on in the first half, were gave up eight offensive rebounds in the half, 15 on the game. We’re still not blocking out, we’re still not getting bodies on people, and those are the things that are costing us games.”

Keaton Moffitt got his second straight start at point guard for the Jacks, finishing the night with six points, three boards and one assist in 20 minutes. Though he didn’t have a tremendous impact in the box score, Nagy appreciated what having Moffitt on the floor can do for the team.

“I think it helps Deondre, its one less guy on the floor hunting shots and trying to get other guys shots,” Nagy said.

The assumption is that Moffitt is keeping the seat warm at the point until Wisconsin transfer George Marshall becomes eligible at the completion of this semester. According to Nagy, Marshall will be eligible once all the grades are in tor the semester. SDSU has three games between now and the end of finals week, but professors are not required to have final grades in until Dec. 22. If forced to wait until that point, Marshall would miss not only those three games, but also the three games scheduled for the World Vision Classic in Logan, Utah, which runs Dec. 18-20.

The game had something a little extra for coach Nagy, as his son Tyler started at point guard for Wayne State as a true freshman.

“It was a surreal,” Nagy said. “When they came out on the floor, it was weird for me, I wasn’t sure what I should do, and I don’t think he was either. But once the game started I was so focused on our team, I actually had to ask [assistant coach] Rob Klinkefus how Tyler played. I guess was focused too, because he didn’t know either.”

Up next for the Jacks is a somewhat familiar foe in the University of Missouri – Kansas City Kangaroos, who left the Summit League in 2013 for the WAC. The Roos (3-5, 0-0 WAC) already boast a win over the University of Missouri Tigers, and are led by reigning WAC freshman of the year Martez Harrison, who is averaging 17.8 points-per-game.  Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday in Frost Arena.