Wolters ties SDSU record in win at UMKC

Thursday, January 7

Kansas City, Mo.

7:05 p.m.

South Dakota State University

UMKC (Municipal Auditorium)

1/7/2010 11:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: SDSU Sports Info

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Nate Wolters tied a South Dakota State single-game record by making all 12 of his free throws and got plenty of help as the Jackrabbits downed UMKC 74-69 on Thursday in Kansas City. The win marks the Jacks fourth straight Summit League win and gives them their first three-game winning streak at the Division I level.

Kai Williams led the Jacks, who improve to 8-8 overall and 4-1 in league play, with a season-high 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the win. Clint Sargent sat for most of the first half with foul trouble, and even though he said it felt cold in Municipal Auditorium at halftime, he quickly warmed it up by scoring all 18 of his points in the second half.

"After I saw the ball go in a couple of times, I kind of got into a rhythm and kept going from there," said Sargent after the game.

Wolters struggled from the field, but made all 12 of his free throws to tie an SDSU single-game record, tying a mark set by Jim Sutton against St. Thomas (Minn.) in 1957 and equaled by Garrett Callahan, in a win over Southern Utah on Feb. 12, 2009. In addition to his 12 points, Wolters added five of the Jacks 12 assists.

Trey McKinney-Jones led four Kangaroos in double figures with 18 points, Bakari Lewis scored 1d, Jay Couisnard 14 and La Treze Mushatt 12 points in the loss, which drops UMKC to 8-7 overall, 2-2 in The Summit League.

The Jackrabbits led by as many as seven points in the first half, but with both teams struggling from the floor, the Jacks carried a small 28-26 lead into the lockerroom at halftime.

Trailing by four with 14:46 to play, the Jacks rattled off a 10-0 run in less than two minutes to go up 47-41, only to see the Kangaroos come back and take a short-lived 51-50 lead with just under nine minutes left in the game.

Wolters gave the Jacks the lead back for good at 52-51with a pair of free throws with 8:40 on the clock and Sargent put the game, fittingly, on ice with four straight free throws down the stretch.

The Jackrabbits look to extend their winning streak on Saturday, when they take on Southern Utah in Cedar City. The Thunderbirds enter the game with a 5-10 overall record, 1-3 in league play, after a come-from-behind overtime win over North Dakota State on Thursday.