SIOUX FALS – Saint Mary’s defeated South Dakota State 72-59 in the fifth-place game of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic on Friday at the Sanford Pentagon.
Alex Ducas scored 25 points, Jabe Mullins 15 and Matthias Tass 10.
The Gaels shot 43.9 percent from the field and hit 10 3-pointers. They were plus-12 on the glass.
Saint Mary’s raced out to a 31-9 lead and was up 38-24 at halftime. The margin never dipped below 12 after the break.
Noah Friedel paced the Jackrabbits with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting.
Alex Arians added 11 points and seven rebounds before fouling out. Douglas Wilson (3-of-12) and Baylor Scheierman (3-of-10) had nine and six points, respectively.
SDSU shot 36.2 percent (21-of-58) from the field, including a 2-of-12 clip from deep.
South Dakota State (1-2) plays at Iowa State on Wednesday at 6 p.m. and at Bradley on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. to close regular-season play.
