Lions Tame Jacks In San Diego

SAN DIEGO – South Dakota State got a double-double from Jordan Dykstra and a total of four Jackrabbits scored in double figures, but three Loyola Marymount players scored at least 20 points and two more added nine, as the Lions sent the Jacks to 0-2 on the season with a 98-89 win at the USD Classic.

The Jacks and Lions played a close, back-and-forth game early, as the first half saw a total of six lead changes and five tie scores, with both teams owning a four point lead at various times the half, before LMU took a 45-44 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Loyola, which evens its record at 1-1, scored the first six points of the second half to open up a seven point lead at 53-46 with just under 18 minutes left to play, only to see the Jacks battle back to tie the score at 57-all less than three minutes later, the game’s sixth and final tie.

LMU got its lead back to seven points at 67-60 at the under 12 media timeout, and then capitalized on four straight SDSU turnovers to push the lead to 73-60 with 10:26 left on the clock.

SDSU would cut the lead to single digits multiple times down the stretch, but could get no closer than seven points, which happened with just 24 seconds left in the game.

Dykstra tied for game-high honors with 22 points and led all players with 11 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and 12th of his career before fouling out with 17 seconds left. Brayden Carlson scored 19 points, Chad White 18 and Jake Bittle 10 points in the loss.

LMU’s Ben Dickinson tied for game-high honors with 22 points, while both Gabe Levin and Anthony Ireland finished with 20 points. All three players grabbed six rebounds, with Ireland adding a game-high 12 assists for the game’s only other double-double.

Both Ayodeji Egbeyemi and Evan Payne finished with nine points for the Lions.

The Jackrabbits look to break the season-opening skid on Thursday, when they put their school, conference and the nation’s longest home winning streak on the line against Montana. The Jacks and Grizzlies tip at 7 p.m., from Frost Arena.

Courtesy:  South Dakota State University