NDSU Bison Fend Off SDSU Jackrabbits to Claim Summit League
Lawrence Alexander made six 3-pointers to help lead North Dakota State back to the NCAA Tournament, but not without some late-game controversy.
The North Dakota State Bison held off their rival South Dakota State Jackrabbits 57-56 on Tuesday night to claim the Summit League Championship and the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
NDSU led the Jackrabbits 57-49, before SDSU made a furious rally to climb to within 57-56 with 41 seconds to go. By that time, the brand-new Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls was rocking and swaying, as the crowd tried to get the Jackrabbits across the finish line.
“That was a nerve-wracking experience,” said Bison guard A.J. Jacobson, watching a midcourt celebration after the win.
Kory Brown missed the front end of the one-and-one with 27 seconds left, but George Marshall’s driving shot didn’t hit iron and went out of bounds off his hands. The ball was initially awarded to SDSU, but a video review overturned the call. That left 8.7 seconds to go and the place was going at a fever pitch. A lifetime if you were a Bison or Jackrabbit coach, player, or fan. “You just play like you practice,” Jacobson said of the noise. “That’s the thing about our culture. You play how you practice.”
After a quick foul by SDSU sent NDSU’s Alexander to the line, he missed the front end of the bonus. However, SDSU were out of sync bringing the ball up the court, and Deondre Parks’ 3-point attempt from out front went crying off the backboard.
A lot will be made of the officials review at the end of the game, a review that saw the ball go off the fingertips of Marshall. The referees reversed a call that originally gave the ball to the Jackrabbits after amazing North Dakota State defense prevented Marshall from finding a lane to the basket. But that controversial call will overshadow the game plan that the Bison executed to get the win.
The NDSU Bison are now back in the NCAA Tournament after upsetting Oklahoma last year, and hopefully Alexander has at least one more show left. This isn’t the same lock of an upset pick that they were last season, but if the Bison can get the right matchup and slow the tempo…….maybe the Bison can run wild again!