- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,170,861
- Reaction score
- 59
The No. 7 South Dakota State men's basketball team ran into a buzzsaw in No. 2 St. Thomas on Thursday, March 5 in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament, with the Tommies winning 80-67.
St. Thomas will face either No. 3 North Dakota or No. 6 Denver on Saturday, March 7, at around 9:30 p.m.
Here's a few trends that determined how the Jackrabbits' final game of the season went.
South Dakota State spent much of the first half trying to get downhill, whether that was getting paint touches for Damon Wilkinson and Alec Squires, getting Joe Sayler and Jaden Jackson driving to the rim off ball screens or hitting a cutting Matthew Mors and Kalen Garry.
Sayler had the ball in his hands early and often and made a lot of correct decisions with it. The offense was a little more methodical than normal in a game involving St. Thomas, but the Tommies couldn't force South Dakota State to play at an uncomfortable speed.
Wilkinson was a force in the lane on both ends of the floor, crashing the glass hard both offensively and defensively. He also impacted his fair share of St. Thomas' shots and forced them to work for what they got at the rim.
South Dakota State got away from this as the game wore on, instead relying on kick-out triples that didn't quite fall at a winning pace.
The Jackrabbits played with energy, intensity and discipline the entire first half, but they couldn't pull ahead too much due to Nolan Minessale's brilliance.
The First Team All-Summit League performer lived up to that billing with 15 first-half points to go into halftime up 39-37. He scored nine points off catch-and-shoot threes and dribble penetrated when needed, often finishing through contact.
Minessale also drew two early fouls on Garry, and battled through some hard defense from Jackson, Sayler and Luke Haertle. Garry came back in the game for stretches, but he had to be careful and was kept off the Tommies' star sophomore.
South Dakota State struggled to put together extended runs to build a lead because of the methodical pace they were playing at. The Jackrabbits kept the Tommies out of their usual offensive flow with it for most of the first half, but it's hard to beat a team as efficient as St. Thomas when you're limiting yourself offensively.
Now, it worked for a half. But St. Thomas felt inevitable in this one.
The Tommies are tough to hold scoreless for extended periods of time, and that showed. South Dakota State got the sea of blue rocking on multiple occasions in the first half, but led by seven at most.
St. Thomas went on a 12-4 run to end the half and never looked back after finally getting some easy buckets in transition.
That continued into the second half, with St. Thomas forcing a lot more possessions by both teams with the Jackrabbits needing to play with some urgency while behind and their season on the line.
As the game got faster, the Tommies got more open looks from deep and finished the game 12-for-27 from three, good for 44.4%.
South Dakota State played with an immense amount of energy, heart and passion in a tough and gritty first half, but that last run by the Tommies heading into the half felt like it took the wind right out of the Jackrabbits' sails.
Wilkinson picked up a frustration foul late in the half, the Jackrabbits' offense got a little less efficient and more sped up and the kick-out 3-pointers stopped falling.
The South Dakota State that came out of the locker room looked nothing like the one that led for 15:18 in the first half. They were starting every action later in the shot clock and further up on the floor, and they turned into isolation basketball a lot easier. The ball was also forced out of Sayler's hands, with Jackson being the lead ball handler.
The defensive possessions also got a little more sloppy, letting St. Thomas dribble penetrate easier and get cleaner looks near the rim.
Ultimately, this game was South Dakota State's season as a whole — full of potential but just inconsistent enough to fall short.
Year One for Bryan Peterson isn't necessarily a total failure, but Jackrabbit fans aren't accustomed to 14-18 seasons.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 4 trends in South Dakota State men's basketball's loss to St. Thomas
Continue reading...
St. Thomas will face either No. 3 North Dakota or No. 6 Denver on Saturday, March 7, at around 9:30 p.m.
Here's a few trends that determined how the Jackrabbits' final game of the season went.
Emphasis on the paint
South Dakota State spent much of the first half trying to get downhill, whether that was getting paint touches for Damon Wilkinson and Alec Squires, getting Joe Sayler and Jaden Jackson driving to the rim off ball screens or hitting a cutting Matthew Mors and Kalen Garry.
Sayler had the ball in his hands early and often and made a lot of correct decisions with it. The offense was a little more methodical than normal in a game involving St. Thomas, but the Tommies couldn't force South Dakota State to play at an uncomfortable speed.
Wilkinson was a force in the lane on both ends of the floor, crashing the glass hard both offensively and defensively. He also impacted his fair share of St. Thomas' shots and forced them to work for what they got at the rim.
South Dakota State got away from this as the game wore on, instead relying on kick-out triples that didn't quite fall at a winning pace.
Minessale proves to be a problem
The Jackrabbits played with energy, intensity and discipline the entire first half, but they couldn't pull ahead too much due to Nolan Minessale's brilliance.
The First Team All-Summit League performer lived up to that billing with 15 first-half points to go into halftime up 39-37. He scored nine points off catch-and-shoot threes and dribble penetrated when needed, often finishing through contact.
Minessale also drew two early fouls on Garry, and battled through some hard defense from Jackson, Sayler and Luke Haertle. Garry came back in the game for stretches, but he had to be careful and was kept off the Tommies' star sophomore.
Speed favored St. Thomas
South Dakota State struggled to put together extended runs to build a lead because of the methodical pace they were playing at. The Jackrabbits kept the Tommies out of their usual offensive flow with it for most of the first half, but it's hard to beat a team as efficient as St. Thomas when you're limiting yourself offensively.
Now, it worked for a half. But St. Thomas felt inevitable in this one.
The Tommies are tough to hold scoreless for extended periods of time, and that showed. South Dakota State got the sea of blue rocking on multiple occasions in the first half, but led by seven at most.
St. Thomas went on a 12-4 run to end the half and never looked back after finally getting some easy buckets in transition.
That continued into the second half, with St. Thomas forcing a lot more possessions by both teams with the Jackrabbits needing to play with some urgency while behind and their season on the line.
As the game got faster, the Tommies got more open looks from deep and finished the game 12-for-27 from three, good for 44.4%.
Jackrabbits run out of steam
South Dakota State played with an immense amount of energy, heart and passion in a tough and gritty first half, but that last run by the Tommies heading into the half felt like it took the wind right out of the Jackrabbits' sails.
Wilkinson picked up a frustration foul late in the half, the Jackrabbits' offense got a little less efficient and more sped up and the kick-out 3-pointers stopped falling.
The South Dakota State that came out of the locker room looked nothing like the one that led for 15:18 in the first half. They were starting every action later in the shot clock and further up on the floor, and they turned into isolation basketball a lot easier. The ball was also forced out of Sayler's hands, with Jackson being the lead ball handler.
The defensive possessions also got a little more sloppy, letting St. Thomas dribble penetrate easier and get cleaner looks near the rim.
Ultimately, this game was South Dakota State's season as a whole — full of potential but just inconsistent enough to fall short.
Year One for Bryan Peterson isn't necessarily a total failure, but Jackrabbit fans aren't accustomed to 14-18 seasons.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 4 trends in South Dakota State men's basketball's loss to St. Thomas
Continue reading...
