JACKRABBITS HOST DENVER IN KEY LEAGUE CLASH

Thursday, February 22

Brookings, S.D.

7 p.m.

South Dakota State University

Denver

Tickets

Photo by: Joclyn Haven

2/21/2024 9:05:00 AM | Men's Basketball

By: Andrew Pedersen

Game 28: South Dakota State (15-12, 8-4) vs. Denver (15-13, 6-7)
Date and Time	Thursday, Feb. 22 - 7 p.m. CT
Location	Brookings, South Dakota
Site	Frost Arena
Television	Midco Sports Two
Stream	Summit League Network Powered by Midco Sports
Audio	GoJacks.com
Live Stats	GoJacksLive.com
Tickets	JackrabbitTickets.com
South Dakota State	Game Notes \| Home Page
Denver	Home Page

BROOKINGS, S.D. — The South Dakota State men's basketball team hosts its final two games ever in Frost Arena this week. The Jackrabbits take on Denver as part of their Military Appreciation game at 7 p.m. Thursday. SDSU says 'Farewell Frost' and pays tribute to its seniors ahead of its 2 p.m. matchup Saturday against St. Thomas.

The Jacks are coming off an overtime thriller at Omaha last Saturday. SDSU scored the contest's first 10 points but eventually saw the lead end by halftime with a 35-all score. The Jacks trailed 73-67 before a Matt Mims 3-pointer cut the deficit to 73-70 with 43 seconds left. A turnover on the inbounds gave the ball back to SDSU. Zeke Mayo made a layup and converted on a three-point play to tie the score and send the game to overtime. Mayo scored 10 of the Jackrabbits' 12 points in overtime to lead SDSU to an 85-77 victory.

SDSU is in contention for the Summit League regular season championship. The Jacks are 15-12 overall and 8-4 in league action. Their conference record is a half game behind North Dakota's 9-4 mark. Denver is tied for sixth in the standings with a 6-7 league mark. The Pioneers are 15-13 overall and have the lone game in Brookings this week.

Denver most recently came back from a 20-point second half deficit to defeat NDSU at home, 77-71, last Saturday. The Pioneers were led by a 41-point effort from senior guard Tommy Bruner who paces the nation in scoring at 25.3 points per game. He also scored 26 points in the two sides' last meeting that saw the Pios earn a 99-80 win over the Jacks in Denver on Jan. 13.

SDSU's loss against Denver last month ended a 12-game winning streak for the Jacks over the Pioneers. The Jackrabbits have won 16 of the last 18 matchups between the two sides. In Brookings, SDSU owns a 12-2 record over Denver and has won eight straight in Frost Arena.

Last time out for the Jackrabbits saw Mayo, Charlie Easley and William Kyle III all record double-doubles. Mayo continues to be among Summit leaders in conference play including fourth in scoring (20.8), third in minutes (38.0), as well as fourth in assists (4.1) and free throws (64). Kyle III ranks 13th in the country in field goal percentage (62.8) and in league play is among the top eight players in points (15.8) and rebounds (7.8). Easley is 15th in the nation in steals per game (2.3)

How to Keep up
The matchup between the Jackrabbits and Pioneers will be televised on Midco Sports Two and streamed on The Summit League Network Powered by Midco Sports. Fans can watch on summitleaguenetwork.tv or on The Midco Sports Plus app with a subscription. Every SDSU men's basketball game can be heard on the Jackrabbit Sports Network, at GoJacks.com.watch or on the Varsity App. To keep up with the Jackrabbits, follow along with the program on their social media accounts @GoJacksMBB or visit GoJacks.com.

-GoJacks.com-