On Saturday, January 6th, 6-8 Montana St., visited 7-8 South Dakota State in what looked to be, an even college basketball matchup. It turned out to be anything but, South Dakota State dominated from start to finish. SDSU came out firing, building to a 49-26 lead at halftime. Sophomore William Kyle III and Junior guard Zeke Mayo lead the charge for the Jackrabbits. William Kyle III did not miss a shot all game, going 9 for 9 from the field for 21 points, also pulling down 6 rebounds. Mayo was an all-around threat, scoring 19 points, dishing 7 assists, and grabbing 6 boards in the win. Much like Kyle III, Luke Appel did not miss a shot from the field, contributing 11 points, on 5 for 5 shooting. Brian Goracke had 13 points to lead the Bobcats (6-9, 1-1 Big Sky Conference). South Dakota State moved to 8-8 on the season with the win, (1-0 Summit League).
The second game of the week for South Dakota State ended a lot closer than the first, MUCH CLOSER. The Jackrabbits traveled to St. Paul, MN to take on 12-5 St. Thomas on January 11th. St. Thomas came in hot, winning their last 7 games at home. South Dakota State did not let that get in their heads, leading 39-30 at half. SDSU maintained a slim lead throughout the start of the second half. Viewers did not have to look at the box score to know the star of the game, especially in the final 6 minutes of regulation. Zeke Mayo scored 13 points and added a steal. He made plays all game long, but none better than the one he made at the end of this back-and-forth matchup. With 6.1 seconds left, Zeke Mayo had the ball at the top of the key. He drove right, picked up his dribble, jump-stopped, and created just enough separation to rise up for a tough runner on the baseline. This proved to be the winning shot, as St. Thomas could not convert on a last second effort. Raheem Anthony scored 21 points for the Tommies (12-6, 2-1). Drake Dobbs added 18 points and 4 rebounds. Finishing with 25 points, 9 boards and 3 steals, Mayo’s performance resulted in a huge win for SDSU, which improved to 9-8 on the season, (2-0 Summit League).
The third game of the week for South Dakota State did not go like the first two. On Saturday, January 13th, SDSU took on the leading scorer in the nation, Tommy Bruner and Denver University. Leading the nation at 25.4 points per game, Tommy Bruner did what he does. South Dakota State kept it close at end of the first half, the deficit was only 4 points. SDSU finally took the lead at the 15:24 mark of the second half on a Zeke Mayo made jumper. That lead did not last long though, as the Pioneers stayed ahead the rest of the game. Tommy Bruner led Denver with 26 points, on 11-17 shooting, having his way on offense all game. Denver was able to capitalize on SDSU’s mistakes, with 21 points coming after turnovers. Mayo and Kyle III combined to score 45 points, but it was not enough for South Dakota State. With the loss SDSU dropped to 9-9 on the season, (2-1 Summit League). The Pioneers improved to 11-7, (2-1 Summit League).