SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Brett Olson made four 3-pointers on his way to 20 points as fourth-seeded Denver routed No. 5 South Dakota 71-55 on Sunday in the Summit League Tournament quarterfinals.
Denver led 38-32 at halftime, then held South Dakota to 23 second-half points on 35 percent shooting. Olson’s 3-pointer to start the second half gave Denver a nine-point lead on the neutral court. (USD is located in Vermillion.)
Bryant Rucker had 14 points for Denver (16-14), and Jalen Love added 12. The Pioneers forced 11 turnovers, leading to 20 points.
South Dakota (12-18) was led by Brandon Bos with 13 and Trevor Gruis’ 12. The Coyotes made five 3-pointers in the first half but made just 1-of-7 in the second.
The Coyotes trailed 60-50 with 3:46 left, then made only one more field goal the rest of the game, a Tavian Pomlee 3-pointer with 40 seconds left.
Denver shot 52.1 percent (25-of-48) from the field and 45.5 percent (10-of-22) from 3-point range, while South Dakota (12-18) shot 46.2 percent (18-of-39) from the floor and 37.5 percent (6-of-16) from beyond the arc.
Denver faces top-seeded North Dakota State in the semifinals Monday at 5 p.m.
