National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
South Dakota State 67, North Dakota State 59
When: 9:00 PM ET, Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Where: Sanford Pentagon, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Officials: # Kelly Pfeifer, # Lamont Simpson, # Paul Szelc
Attendance: 10188
By The Sports Xchange

Freshman forward Mike Daum had 18 points and nine rebounds, helping South Dakota State earn a 67-59 victory over North Dakota State that sealed the Summit League's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in Tuesday's tourney championship game at Sioux Falls, S.D.

Senior guard Deondre Parks added 14 points for the second-seeded Jackrabbits (26-7), who won their sixth consecutive contest. Senior guard Keaton Moffitt had 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting as South Dakota State qualified for the NCAA field for the third time in school history.

Junior guard Carlin Dupree scored 19 points and freshman guard Khy Kabellis added 17 for the fifth-seeded Bison (20-13). North Dakota State had trouble on the boards, as South Dakota State held a 39-26 rebounding edge.

The Bison trailed by two after a basket by Kabellis with 13 minutes remaining before the Jackrabbits scored the next six points. The Bison were within six after two free throws from Dupree with 6:18 left before South Dakota State scored the next five, with Parks' 3-pointer making it 59-48 with 4:08 to play.

Dupree's jumper pulled North Dakota State within 59-54 with 2:41 left, but the Bison could get no closer. Senior guard George Marshall sank two free throws to make it a three-possession game with 13 seconds left as the Jackrabbits closed it out.

The victory allowed the Jackrabbits to avenge last year's loss to the Bison in the Summit title game.

Early on, South Dakota State rattled off seven consecutive points to hold a 17-12 lead with 8:38 left in the first half. The Bison recovered to take a one-point lead nearly four minutes later. Dupree ended the half with two 3-pointers to get North Dakota State within 30-29 at the break.
Top Game Performances
 
North Dakota State   South Dakota State
Carlin Dupree 19 Scoring Mike Daum 18
Carlin Dupree 2 Assists Jake Bittle 3
Dexter Werner 6 Rebounds Mike Daum 9
Carlin Dupree 5 Free Throws Made Mike Daum 7
Kory Brown 1 Steals Jake Bittle 2
Kory Brown 2 Blocks Ian Theisen 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
North Dakota State 59 42.9 4-12 13-15 2 26 4 2 9
South Dakota State 67 40.0 6-17 17-22 9 37 4 4 7