SDSU, MVSU meet Sunday at Frost Arena

Sunday, November 24

Brookings, S.D.

2 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Mississippi Valley State

Tickets

Photo by: Dave Eggen/Inertia

11/22/2019 10:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball

GAME 8: South Dakota State (4-3) vs. Mississippi Valley State (0-5)

When	Sunday, Nov. 24 \| 2 p.m.
Where	Frost Arena \| Brookings, S.D.
Live Audio / Radio	Jackrabbits All-Access \| Jackrabbit Sports Network I WNAX 570 AM \| Tyler Merriam
Live Video	Jackrabbits All-Access
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Game Notes	South Dakota State
Social Media	Twitter I Facebook

Previewing the Game
South Dakota State men's basketball returns to Frost Arena this weekend to open a two-game homestand, hosting Mississippi Valley State Sunday. Tipoff is 2 p.m. from Frost Arena.

Today's game is sponsored by Sanford and is Epilepsy Awareness Day at Frost Arena.

The Jackrabbits, under the direction of first-year head coach Eric Henderson, topped North Alabama at home Tuesday, 78-73, and battled No. 14 Arizona Thursday on the road. SDSU is 3-0 in home games this year.

Mississippi Valley State comes to town winless on the year, holding an 0-5 mark. The Delta Devils dropped a 76-43 game at Louisiana Tech last Tuesday.

This is the first-ever meeting between the schools.

About South Dakota State
The two-time defending Summit League regular season champions bring a new look to the court in 2019-20 with Eric Henderson patrolling the sidelines and seven newcomers (including two redshirt freshman) making their Jackrabbit debut this year. The fresh start has yielded positive results through seven games, as SDSU is averaging 75.7 points per game with a plus-4.9 rebounding margin (42.3 boards per game).

The Jackrabbits are shooting 44.8 percent from the field and have found their way to the line 168 times, burying 118 from the charity stripe overall.

Douglas Wilson is off to a fast start in his first year at SDSU, reaching double figures in all seven games with a team-leading 17.3 scoring average. The two-time NJCAA All-American and 2018-19 NJCAA Player of the Year has two double-doubles for the Jackrabbits, adding 8.0 rebounds per game alongside a 59.0 field goal percentage.

Brandon Key (12.9 points per game) has been electric at the point, posting five double-digit scoring performances on the season with 29 assists (4.3 per game). He has a 1.21 assist-to-turnover ratio through seven games. Key is back for the Jackrabbits after redshirting a year ago. The Milwaukee, Wisconsin native had 112 assists in 2017-18.

Matt Dentlinger has turned in a pair of double-doubles in the opening month of the year, most recently in a 17-point, 11-rebound performance against North Alabama. Dentlinger is averaging 10.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, sinking 26-of-44 (59.1 percent) from the field while adding 12 offensive rebounds.

Alex Arians is the most experienced Jackrabbit as a sophomore after starting 33 games a year ago. Arians has logged 25 minutes per game in 2019-20 and has 37 points (5.3 per game) and 38 rebounds (5.4 average) for State.

Noah Freidel, the 2019 Argus Leader Class A Player of the Year, has started the first seven games of career and is playing 23.4 minutes per game. Freidel has reached double figures in two of the last four games, burying three 3-pointers in the win over North Alabama with an 11-point effort. He has seven total 3-pointers for the year, just behind David Wingett (11) for the team lead.

Wingett and Baylor Scheierman have been the top two options off the bench for SDSU, sitting fourth and fifth, respectively, in scoring average for the Jacks. Scheierman has averaged 7.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, while Wingett is posting 7.4 points per game with five steals and a team-high five blocks.

Scheierman is a two-time Class B All-State, All-Area and All-Conference selection from Aurora, Nebraska, and as a senior averaged 22.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while helping his team to a state tournament berth.

Wingett joined the Jackrabbit squad in late May as a transfer from Memphis and received an NCAA waiver for immediate eligibility. The Winnebago, Nebraska product scored over 2,200 points in his high school career and spent a season at Bull City Prep Academy.

About Mississippi Valley State
The Delta Devils are 0-5 on the season, but have seen bright spots on the offensive end with Michael Green's 19.0 points per game average. Green leads the attack with a 43.5 field goal percentage, hitting six 3-pointers while adding four steals and 11 assists.

Caleb Hunter has matched Green with 11 assists, sitting second among Delta Devils with 10.2 points per game and eight 3-pointers. Quinton Alston's eight points per game is third among MVSU scorers, while Jordan Lyons leads the team with 7.2 boards per game.

Lindsey Hunter is in his first season leading Mississippi Valley State.

A South Dakota State Win Would ...
Give SDSU a 5-3 record on the year ... extend SDSU's home-winning streak to 12 games ... give the Jacks a 1,540-1,043-1 program mark.

A South Dakota State Loss Would ...
Snap an 11-game home winning streak and put the Jackrabbits at 4-4 on the year … make SDSU 3-1 at home and 0-1 all-time against Mississippi Valley State … give the Jacks a 1,539-1,044-1 program mark.

Wilson Honored by Summit League
Douglas Wilson was selected as the Summit League's Men's Basketball Athlete of the Week, announced Nov. 11.

Wilson is coming off a monster debut week for the Jackrabbits, averaging 21 points and 8.7 rebounds per contest with a trio of double-figure scoring performances. Wilson helped SDSU to a 3-0 record to begin the year, scoring 24, 13 and 26 against UTRGV, Peru State and CSU Bakersfield, respectively. Wilson tallied his first-career double-double in the win over CSU Bakersfield with a game-high 13 rebounds.

New Faces, New Roles
South Dakota State's lineup will feature new roles and new faces throughout the season, as the Jackrabbits return only 16.9 percent of their scoring from 2018-19, and 10.7 percent of their 3-point makes. SDSU's 15.8 points per game returning ranks sixth-lowest nationally, and the 16.9 percent back is the third-lowest margin (according to available records).

#FearFrost

The Jacks own a 106-6 record at Frost Arena over the last seven seasons dating back to 2011-12, which includes perfect home records in five of the last seven years. That span includes two home winning streaks of 30 or more games and three of 25 or more.
Since 2011-12, South Dakota State has won 94.6 percent of its home games, a mark that top all Division I programs in that span. South Dakota State won 34 consecutive games from Jan. 30, 2014 to Dec. 28, 2016. It ended as the nation's second-longest active streak.
The Jackrabbits won 30 consecutive home games from Jan. 29, 2011 to Nov. 14, 2013.
SDSU won 26 consecutive home games from Dec. 31, 2016 to Dec. 22, 2018.
South Dakota State won 34 consecutive home nonconference games inside Frost Arena from Dec. 31, 2016 to Dec. 22, 2018. That mark was the fourth-longest active streak when it ended.
SDSU put together undefeated seasons inside Frost Arena the following years: 1984-85 (18-0), 2002-03 (17-0), 2011-12 (14-0), 2012-13 (13-0), 2014-15 (13-0), 2015-16 (12-0) and 2017-18 (15-0).

Quick Hits

SDSU's 93-91 victory over CSU Bakersfield saw five Jackrabbits reach double figures for the first time in 2019-20. The feat last happened Jan. 31, 2019 against Oral Roberts.
State posted back-to-back 50-rebound games to open the season. The last time an SDSU program had 50-plus rebounds in consecutive games was Dec. 15 and 27, 2002 against Finlandia (60) and Fort Lewis (58). The Jacks also had three-straight games with 50-plus rebounds that season: Nov. 23, 29 and 30.
Douglas Wilson's 24 points on Nov. 5 are the most in a Jackrabbit debut dating back to 2000-01, when game-by-game statistics were readily available.
South Dakota State has not lost three consecutive games since January 2017.
SDSU went 13-0 when holding opponents under 70 points last season (11-9 when not) and scored 70-plus points in 32 of 33 contests. The Jackrabbits were 12-0 when holding opponents under 70 points in 2017-18. The Jacks have accomplished the feat twice this year.
At least one Jackrabbit has scored in double figures over the last 381 games dating back to Jan. 12, 2008 at IUPUI when Anthony Cordova had nine points to lead the Jacks.
State has made at least one 3-pointer in 411 consecutive games. The last time the Jackrabbits did not make a 3-point field goal was Jan. 25, 2007
SDSU is 94-18 all-time in home openers (where records available). Dating back to 2004-05, SDSU's first year of DI transition, SDSU is 12-4 in those games.
SDSU is 75-39 in season-openers all-time. The Jacks are 8-8 in season-opening games at the Division I level.

State Adds Two on National Signing Day
South Dakota State men's basketball announced a pair of signees on National Signing Day, with William Mfum and Noah King set to join the Jackrabbits in fall 2020.

William Mfum enters his senior campaign at Spring Creek Academy (Plano, Texas) on a high note, earning All-Texas Christian Athletic League and All-City First Team honors as a junior. Mfum averaged 19.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game in 2018-19, burying 34 3-pointers and hitting 47 percent from the field. The 6-2 guard scored 20 or more points in nine games a year ago and had one double-double. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Mfum is the son of Stella Nyarko and Seth Adjei and plans to major in business management.

Noah King averaged 19 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game as a junior, helping his team reach the section 1AA semifinals. The 6-2 guard has scored over 1,900 points in his prep career and is closing in on the school's all-time scoring record. King also led Caledonia's football team to a state championship in 2018 and will compete in the 2019 Class 2A Minnesota State Football Semifinals next week. The younger brother of current Jackrabbit Owen King, Noah hails from Caledonia, Minnesota and is the son of Brad and Susan King. He is undecided on his major.

Jackrabbits in Two Scheduling Agreements
Summit League teams are in year two of scheduling agreements with the Western Athletic Conference and Big Sky.

The Jackrabbits took on Grand Canyon last year in the first year of the Summit League/WAC challenge, defeating the Lopes in the 2018-19 season opener. Year two of the challenge sent SDSU to face CSU Bakersfield Nov. 9, where the Jacks claimed a 93-91 double-overtime win.

The scheduling agreement with the Big Sky is a four-year contract. The Jackrabbits will play the following games as part of the deal:

2018-19: Montana (home), Eastern Washington (away)
2019-20: Idaho (home), Montana State (away)
2020-21: Eastern Washington (home), Montana (away)
2021-22: Montana State (home), Idaho (away)

Jacks Picked Fifth in Preseason Poll
South Dakota State men's basketball earned two first-place votes and was tabbed fifth in the 2019-20 Summit League men's basketball preseason poll, released in October.
The poll is voted on by league coaches, sports information directors and select media.

Tough Tests
South Dakota State has four Power Five (ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big Ten, PAC-12) opponents on the 2019-20 schedule, facing USC, Nebraska, Arizona and Indiana this season.

South Dakota State has seven wins over Power Five programs since joining The Summit League in 2007, picking up victories over Iowa State (2008), Iowa (2010 and 2017), Washington (2011), TCU (2015), Minnesota (2015) and Ole Miss (2017).

SDSU's wins over Iowa and Ole Miss in 2017-18 came in the shortest time frame of any Summit League team since 1998 (seven days). The Jackrabbits are the fifth league team to post a win over separate Power Five conferences in the same regular season, and the first to do it since 2009.

Jackrabbits' Last Time Out
TUCSON, Ariz. -- South Dakota State men's basketball went toe-to-toe with No. 14 Arizona Thursday night at the McKale Center, but ultimately fell 71-64 to the Wildcats.

The Jackrabbits (4-3) led for over 20 minutes of game action and shot 46.8 percent as a team, but Arizona outscored SDSU by 10 in the second half to defend home court.

Douglas Wilson led the offensive attack with 15 points, hitting 5-of-7 from the field with another 5-of-7 effort at the charity stripe. Brandon Key added 13 points from the point, dishing a game-high six assists over 36 minutes.

Matt Dentlinger matched Wilson with a 5-of-7 effort on field goals to finish with 11 points, while Noah Freidel had a team-high seven rebounds, just ahead of Arians' six boards and Dentlinger's five.

Josh Green (15 points), Nico Mannion (14 points) and Zeke Nnaji (12 points) led Arizona in scoring.

Down four early on, Freidel hit a 3-pointer at 16:58 to bring the Jackrabbit offense to life, as State took a 9-8 lead at the under-16 media then pushed its advantage to double figures (24-14) after a run of nine unanswered near the 10-minute mark.

State endured a nearly-four minute scoreless drought from there, breaking out of a brief slump with a Baylor Scheierman jumper and Wilson dunk. Leading 28-18 with 5:59 on the clock, SDSU saw Arizona cut into the deficit before halftime but took a 32-29 lead into the locker room.

The Jackrabbits were plus-five on the boards in the first half, turning five offensive rebounds into eight second-chance points.

Arizona continued to push in the second half, and though a brief rally saw SDSU grow its lead to five (39-34) early in the period, the Wildcats responded with 12 unanswered to go in front, 46-39, with 11:33 to play.

The teams settled into a back-and-forth game from there, as the Jackrabbits' deficit fluctuated between three and seven until the final five minutes, when a stretch of six consecutive free throws gave Arizona the separation it needed to hold on for the win.

Opponent Last Time Out
RUSTON, La. - Two players reached double-figure scoring led by freshman Caleb Hunter as the Mississippi Valley State men's basketball team dropped a 76-43 decision to Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night. The Delta Devils fall to 0-5 on the year while the Bulldogs improve to 3-1.

MVSU recorded a season-best 49 rebounds, but were held to season-lows of 17 made field goals and two three-pointers against LA Tech.

LA Tech finished the game shooting 41.8 percent (14-32) from the field, 13.6 percent (3-22) from three-point range, and 58.6 percent (17-29) on free-throw attempts.

MVSU shot 23.9 percent (17-71) from the field, 8.7 percent (2-23) on three-point attempts, and 58.3 percent (7-12) at the charity stripe.

Caleb Hunter led the Delta Devils with 12 points and eight rebounds. Hunter made five field goals on the road including one three-pointer. In back-to-back games, he has scored in double-figures.

Michael Green reached double-figure scoring for the fifth consecutive game with 10 points. Green went a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line.

Jordan Lyons recorded a season-high 12 rebounds while scoring six points. This was his second game with double-digit rebounds.

Richard Rivers Jr. and Quinton Alston paced the bench scoring. Rivers had seven points hitting a three-pointer. Alston chipped in six points and five rebounds.

La Tech's Jacolby Pemberton and Isaiah Crawford both scored 12 points while Mo Muhammed and Amorie Archibald each had 10 points.

The Delta Devils had a difficult second half with only seven made field goals. MVSU went 0-for-10 from long range and were held to 10 free throw attempts.
The Bulldogs led by 12 at halftime (36-24) and then outscored MVSU 40-19 in the final 20 minutes of action.

Throughout the contest, LA Tech developed a double-digit lead at the 3:54 mark of the first half.

MVSU went cold from the field late in the second half. Alston's dunk at the 7:17 mark made it a 67-39 contest. The Delta Devils went scoreless for six minutes on a second dunk by Alston with 1:17 left in regulation.

-GoJacks.com-