MACOMB, Ill. – The South Dakota State men’s basketball team was able to hang on and win their third game in-a-row after topping Western Illinois 71-61 Saturday night.
SDSU was firing on all cylinders in the first half and took a 42-24 lead into halftime. They shot 54.8% from the field in the first half and were 5-11 from three.
The Jacks were able to maintain a big lead for the first 10 minutes of the second half, but Western Illinois chipped away and cut the lead to 56-46 with 7:42 left in game. The Leathernecks then went on a 11-2 run to cut the lead to 58-57 with 3:07 left.
SDSU answered WIU’s big run with a run of their own to end the game. The Jacks outscored the Leathernecks 13-4 in the final three minutes to get the win and improve to 17-8 overall and 8-2 in the Summit League.
The Jacks were led by Douglas Wilson who had 18 points and five rebounds. Alex Arians had 14 points and six rebounds. Noah Friedel had 11 points and five rebounds and Matt Dentlinger had nine points and five rebounds.
Wilson has now scored in double figures in his last 14 games and has scored in double figures in all but two games this season. He is averaging 17.6 points per game which is fourth in the Summit League.
Wilson leads the Summit League in shooting percentage as he is shooting 61.4% from the field. Dentlinger is second in the conference in shooting percentage, shooting 61.3% from the field.
SDSU shot 52% from the field and was 8-17 from three. They held the Leathernecks to 36.9% shooting from the field and WIU was 8-30 from three. The Jacks dominated the glass as they outrebounded the Leathernecks 41-25.
WIU (5-12, 2-8) was led by Ben Pyle who had 15 points and six rebounds. Zion Young had 16 points and Kobe Webster had 12. Kyle Arrington had 10 points and seven rebounds.
Up next, SDSU will return home for a three game home stand. The first of the three games is Saturday and they face Omaha at 4:15 p.m. The Jacks lost to the Mavericks 81-78 in the first game of Summit League play on Dec. 29th.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE 71, WESTERN ILLINOIS 61
South Dakota State (17-8, 8-2)
Douglas Wilson 7-12 4-6 18, Alex Arians 5-10 0-0 14, Noah Freidel 3-7 4-5 11, Matt Dentlinger 3-6 3-3 9, Baylor Scheierman 3-4 0-0 7, Matt Mims 2-3 0-0 6, David Wingett 2-2 0-0 4, Alou Dillon 1-2 0-0 2, Brandon Key 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 26-50 11-14 71.
Western Illinois (5-12, 2-8)
Zion Young 6-17 1-1 16, Ben Pyle 6-10 0-0 15, Kobe Webster 4-17 2-4 12, Kyle Arrington 4-7 2-2 10, C.J. Duff 3-10 0-0 6, James Claar 1-1 0-0 2, Anthony Jones 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 24-65 5-7 61.
Halftime – 42-24 SDSU. 3-point field goals – SDSU 8-17 (Scheierman 1-1, Mims 2-3, Arians 4-7, Freidel 1-3, Dillon 0-1, Key 0-2), WIU 8-30 (Pyle 3-6, Young 3-9, Webster 2-11, Jones 0-1, Duff 0-3). Rebounds – SDSU 41 (Arians 6), WIU 25 (Pyle 6). Assists – SDSU 11 (Dentlinger 3), WIU 11 (Webster 5). Steals – SDSU 1 (Scheierman), WIU 10 (Webster 3). Blocks – SDSU 5 (Wilson, Dentlinger 2), WIU 5 (Arringtonm Claar 2). Turnovers – SDSU 18, WIU 5. Total fouls – SDSU 15, WIU 15. Fouled out – WIU Arrington. Technical fouls – none. A – 772.
