Memorable victory

What a way to finish off our opportunities in Frost Arena. What a special place it is at the end of the day. It was rocking and [the crowd] helped us through some tough times.”

SDSU head coach Eric Henderson

BROOKINGS — South Dakota State pulled off a comeback victory in the final men’s game at Frost Arena on Saturday as the Jackrabbits beat St. Thomas 77-72.

SDSU (17-12, 10-4) trailed by nine points with just over 14 minutes to play and outscored the Tommies 37-23 the rest of the way. 

“What a way to finish off our opportunities in Frost Arena,” said SDSU head coach Eric Henderson. “What a special place it is at the end of the day. It was rocking and [the crowd] helped us through some tough times.”

Henderson said his team felt a little bit of pressure with it being senior day and the final game in the building with it being named Frost Arena.

“There was a little [pressure] on us today. We didn’t talk a lot about [senior day and the last game at Frost]. We certainly wanted to celebrate our guys that have meant so much to our program, so you didn’t want to ignore it either, but you don’t want to magnify it for them at the same time. I know this, I think it was important that we played a certain way and I was really proud of how we played, especially in the second half,” Henderson said.

It was a game of runs. SDSU jumped out to a 9-2 lead. UST (17-12, 7-7) then went on a 13-5 run to take a 15-14 lead with just under 11 minutes remaining in the first half. The Jacks answered with a 10-3 run of their own to go up 25-18 but the Tommies closed the half with a 16-2 run and took a 39-32 lead into the locker room.

The Tommies extended their lead to 49-40 with 14:07 left in the game. Seniors Luke Appel, Charlie Easley and Matt Mims all had and-one’s and that cut the lead to one. Zeke Mayo then put the Jacks up 50-49 with a shot in the lane with 13:09 left.

Henderson said it was special to have the three seniors have a run like that on senior day.

“It was pretty cool to see our three seniors make three baskets and get fouled three possessions in a row. When [the game] gets turned by those guys that have meant so much to our program, that’s pretty cool,” Henderson said.

SDSU’s run extended to 20-2 and the Jacks led 60-51 with 8:50 to play. Easley said the crowd at Frost fueled that run and that’s part of why he’s loved playing at SDSU for the past four years.

“I’ve loved [playing at Frost Arena]. I loved it for all four years I’ve been here. Everything is kind of all on top of you and I like how compact it is. It gets loud in there when you go on runs and that’s why I love playing basketball. The energy of the crowd and having fun with your teammates out there,” Easley said.

The Tommies cut the lead to 65-63 but a 7-0 run fueled by Mayo and Easley put the Jacks up 71-63 with just over two minutes left and that was enough of a cushion to get SDSU the win.

SDSU shot 59% from the field and was 7-of-17 from three. Mayo led the Jacks with 23 points and five rebounds. 

The three seniors all scored in double figures. Easley had 15 points and four steals. Mims had 11 points and six rebounds and Appel had 11 points.

Easley and Mims have been known throughout their careers at SDSU as guys who make the hustle plays that sometimes show up in the box score. Henderson said he hopes that the way they have carried themselves throughout their career is rubbing off on the younger players.

“They’re great examples and I tell our young people to watch those guys and cherish every moment you get to play with them because that’s who they are,” Henderson said. “One of our five characteristic traits that we talk about is selflessness. 

“I think about how they put themselves in difficult situations for their teammates and that’s selfless play. The energy that they’ve brought is incredible. I hope it’s rubbing off on other guys because I want other guys to be like that. I know that.”

St. Thomas shot 49% from the field and was 9-of-24 from beyond the arc. Drake Dobbs and Carter Bjerke led the Tommies as they each had 16 points. Raheem Anthony had 13 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Renovations on Frost Arena will be completed this summer and the building will be named First Bank and Trust Arena. Frost opened in 1973 and both the Jackrabbit men and women have seen a ton of success in the building over the past 50 years.

Henderson said what made Frost Arena so special was the fans.

“You hope you can keep the energy and atmosphere and stuff [in the renovated arena]. I think obviously there’s an aura about a building and some coolness, but at the end of the day I’m a relationship guy and a people guy, so what makes this place special, as important as the building is, is the people inside of it. I know that they’re not going anywhere,” Henderson said.

SDSU is now alone in first place in the Summit League after North Dakota lost to North Dakota State on Saturday. The Jacks will play both UND and NDSU next week and they are a game ahead of the Fighting Hawks and two games ahead of the Bison. A win on Thursday against UND would lock up the regular season conference championship and the No.1 seed in the Summit League Tournament.

Easley said the Jacks know what’s at stake but they have to treat these games like any other games.

“We have to approach [these games] like we’ve approached every game and that’s just with a ton of focus. We can’t overlook any of these games. We’re going to play our butts off these [last two games]. The whole season we’ve been preparing for the [conference] tournament, but we have to be playing our best right now. So we’re going to come out and be focused and play together and have a good game,” Easley said.