South Dakota State knocks off Bison to win Summit title, earn a spot in the Big Dance

Senior forward Douglas Wilson scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to help lift the Jackrabbits to a 75-69 victory against North Dakota State to win the Summit League tournament championship before 10,072 fans, earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

“We’re happy to be dancing," said SDSU head coach Eric Henderson, who was a former assistant coach at NDSU for Richman.

“Unbelievable moment," Wilson added. "Words can’t explain it.”

SDSU (30-4) has won 21 consecutive games, defeating the Bison (23-10) for a third time this season. The Jackrabbits didn't lose to a Summit League team this season in 21 games, including three victories in the Summit tournament.

“They had an historic year," Bison head coach Dave Richman said.

“These games are hard because somebody’s got to go home," Henderson added. "I have so much respect for them and how they do it."

The Jackrabbits took the lead for good after sophomore guard Charlie Easley sank a 15-foot jumper for a 62-61 edge with 2 minutes, 48 seconds remaining. Moments earlier, the Bison had taken their first lead of the game after point guard Sam Griesel sank a 3-pointer for a 61-60 advantage with 3:04 remaining. That was NDSU's lone lead of the game that Easley quickly erased.

Griesel paced the Bison with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Griesel, forward Rocky Kreuser and Tyree Eady each played their final game for NDSU. The Bison played in four consecutive Summit League tournament championship games, winning the first two before losing the past two during that stretch.

“They have simply raised the standard of Bison basketball to an all-time high. They left a legacy," Richman said. "It’s hard, because it mattered. ... It’s OK that it’s hard because it’s supposed to be hard when you pour this much into it.”

Wilson was one of five SDSU players who reached double digits in scoring. Easley added 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, including three 3-point shots. The 6-foot-2 Easley added six rebounds.

“Charlie Easley is a warrior," Eady said. "He made a lot of big shots late.”

NDSU chased the lead for most of the game in a contest that saw four ties and just two lead changes. SDSU played from the lead for 36-plus minutes, while the Bison led for only 16 seconds.

“I think at the end of the day I’m going to remember celebrating with all my teammates," Easley said.

After Easley's go-ahead basket sophomore guard Baylor Scheierman added a clutch step-back 3-pointer that gave the Jackrabbits a 65-61 lead with 1:54 remaining. That cushion proved enough for SDSU to hold off the Bison in the closing moments. Freshman guard Zeke Mayo added a baseline floater that gave the Jackrabbits a 68-65 lead with 51 seconds to play after Griesel had trimmed the SDSU lead to one point less than 25 seconds earlier.

“We trust him to make the right play and down the stretch that is what he did," Scheierman said of Mayo.

NDSU used a 7-0 run with less than nine minutes to play in the second half to claw back into the game. Griesel capped that run with a 3-pointer that tied the score at 53-53 with 6:50 to play in the second half.

SDSU took a 42-35 lead after Mayo scored on a reverse layup with 16:44 to play in the second half. The Bison countered with a 10-4 surge. Griesel capped that rally with a free throw that cut the SDSU lead to 46-45 with 12:11 remaining.

"It's been the most fun four years of my life," Griesel said. "Every time I looked to my left and I see Tyree Eady and look to my right and I see Rocky Kreuser, I always loved our chances."

SDSU got off to a strong start, building a double-digit lead less than six minutes into the game. Scheierman scored five points during an opening surge that Douglas Wilson capped with an inside basket that gave the Jackrabbits a 14-4 lead with 14:36 to play in the first half. That 10-point lead was the largest of the game.

The Bison clawed back into the game behind Maleeck Harden-Hayes, who scored eight quick points off the bench, including two 3-pointers. NDSU later scored seven consecutive points to draw even at 22-22 after freshman forward Grant Nelson scored from close range with 7:04 to play until halftime.

SDSU countered with a 9-0 run to forge back into the lead. Junior forward Matt Dentlinger capped the run with a basket that gave the Jackrabbits a 33-24 lead with 2:46 remaining in the half.

The Bison scored the final four points before halftime to tighten the score. Nelson capped that mini surge with a layup that cut the SDSU lead to 33-28 with four seconds to play in the opening half.

Harden-Hayes had eight points on 3-for-3 shooting from the floor to lead the Bison through 20 minutes. Bison guard Jarius Cook also had eight points in the first half. Cook finished with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the floor, including three 3-point shots.

"It's been a dream come true," Griesel said of his career. "I'm kind of speechless. It's just been a really fun ride."

NDSU (23-10): Eady 2-4 2-2 7, Nelson 5-11 1-3 11, Griesel 10-16 2-4 24, Cook 5-7 0-0 13, Kreuser 1-9 2-2 4, Guy 0-0 0-0 0, Skunberg 0-6 0-0 0, Harden-Hayes 3-4 0-0 8, Morgan 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 27-58 7-11 69.

SDSU (30-4): Mayo 4-10 4-4 12, Scheierman 4-15 1-1 11, Easley 5-6 2-2 15, Arians 3-8 3-4 10, Wilson 9-18 3-5 21, Mims 0-0 0-0 0, Appel 2-3 0-0 4, Dentlinger 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 28-64 13-16 75.

Half: SDSU 33, NDSU 28. 3-point goals: NDSU 8-23 (Eady 1-3, Nelson 0-3, Griesel 2-4, Cook 3-3, Kreuser 0-4, Skunberg 0-4, Harden-Hayes 2-2), SDSU 6-15 (Mayo 0-4, Scheierman 2-5, Easley 3-4, Arians 1-2). Total fouls: NDSU 19, SDSU 15. Rebounds: NDSU 34 (Nelson 8, Griesel 8), SDSU 36 (Wilson 11). Assists: NDSU 10 (Griesel 5), SDSU 9 (Scheierman 4, Wilson 4). Turnovers: NDSU 10, SDSU 5.