The final score wasn’t a good indicator of the hard-fought struggle that was waged Saturday afternoon at Magness Arena before South Dakota State stormed past the Denver Pioneers.
The Jackrabbits (18-5, 7-2), tied for first in the Summit League heading into Saturday, pulled away down the stretch for a 67-56 victory. But for most of the second half, a two-point lead seemed monumental, with six ties and seven lead changes.
Nate Engesser’s three-point play had DU (11-11, 3-6) ahead 47-46 with 9:30 left. But South Dakota State pulled away with consecutive 3-point field goals by guard George Marshall. As the Jackrabbits hit their stride, the Pioneers went cold from the floor, hitting only three field goals in the last 4:16.
“The second half started with great offense by both teams,” said South Dakota State coach Scott Nagy. “Then we finally started to get some stops. We made some key plays and we rebounded the ball well.”
The Jackrabbits had a 36-22 advantage in rebounding.
“I loved the way we competed,” DU coach Joe Scott said. “They had a little more wherewithal than we have. They’re a veteran team.”
One of the issues for the Pioneers was foul trouble, and South Dakota State held a 17-9 advantage in free throws made. DU’s C.J. Bobbitt, who along with Joe Rosga paced the Pioneers with 12 points, fouled out.
The Pioneers led by as many as 11 points in the first half. But South Dakota State cut it to 25-24 at the half and gained its first lead at 27-25 on Reed Tellinghuisen’s 3-pointer in the first minute of the second half.
Mike Daum led South Dakota State with 15 points.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com or @irvmoss
