South Dakota

16-2-18 IPFW MBB vs SDSU FORT WAYNE, Ind. -- Redshirt-senior Max Landis/Indianapolis and redshirt-freshman John Konchar/Chicago, Ill. each scored 22 points to lead IPFW to a thrilling 91-79 men's college basketball Summit League home win past South Dakota State University Thursday night at the Hilliard Gates Sports Center in Fort Wayne. Senior Michael Calder/Fort Lauderdale, Fla. added 20 points for the host Mastodons (21-7, 10-3 Summit League), who outscored SDSU 47-35 in the second half to take over sole possession of first place in the league standings. George Marshall scored a game-high 27 points for the visiting Jackrabbits (20-7, 9-7 Summit League), now alone in second place in the standings. IPFW will remain in Fort Wayne for its final regular season home game against Omaha this Saturday, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. at the Gates Sports Center for Homecoming and Senior Night. SDSU, ranked No. 13 in this week's The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, took an early 18-8 at 12:33 behind seven quick points from Marshall. IPFW used an 8-2 run to close to within 20-16 at 11:06 after consecutive three-point field goals by Calder and Landis, and the Mastodons were within 25-22 at 8:48 following a free throw from redshirt-sophomore Racine Talla/Dakar, Senegal, who had three points and four rebounds off the bench in the first half. IPFW took its first lead of the contest at 31-29 with 5:02 on the first-half clock after the third three-pointer of the night by Landis. It was tied at halftime, 44-44, with Landis (16) and Calder (13) leading the hosts, while Marshall (14) led the Jackrabbits in the opening 20 minutes. IPFW, ranked No. 16 in this week's Mid-Major Top 25, outscored SDSU 14-4 to start the second half for a 58-48 lead at 16:06, getting four quick three-pointers, including two from junior DeAngelo Stewart/Detroit, Mich. along with one each by Konchar and senior Joe Reed/Greenwood. The Jackrabbits battled to within 69-65 at 9:20 on basket from Mike Daum, but the Mastodons answered with a conventional three-point play by Konchar to lead 72-65 at 8:59. SDSU again fought back and closed the margin to 78-76 with 3:11 remaining on another basket by Daum; however, IPFW once-again displayed its resilience and scored seven unanswered points to lead 85-76 with 1:05 left to play – getting two free throws from Konchar, a three-pointer from Calder and a fast break layup from Stewart, assisted by Calder. The Mastodons secured the win with 6-6 free throws over the final 53-seconds, including two each by Landis, Konchar and Calder. Landis and Konchar each led IPFW with their respective 22 points. Konchar also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for his 10th collegiate double-double, adding three assists and a game-high two steals. Calder matched his career-high for the third time in seven games with 20 points, including 4-6 from three-point territory, adding a game-high four assists. Stewart finished with 12 points, off the bench, adding five rebounds and matching his career-high with three assists. IPFW shot 47% (31-66) from the field, including 38% (11-29) on three-pointers and 75% (18-24) at the free throw line. The Mastodons out-rebounded SDSU, 41-32, which led to a 19-5 advantage in second-chance points. Marshall led SDSU with his game-high 27 points, including 4-8 three-pointers. Daum and Ian Theisen each had 13 points for the Jackrabbits, while Reed Tellinghuisen contributed 10 points. SDSU shot 49% (29-59) from the field, including 35% (7-20) on three-pointers and 70% (14-20) at the line. IPFW was playing South Dakota State for the 26th time overall since 2005-06, though the Jackrabbits still lead the closely-played series, 14-12. The two teams have split four games (2-2) in the league tournament since 2010 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. IPFW continues its finest start to a season as a Division I program (2001-02) with its 21-7 record. It's the second 20-win season for the Mastodons since moving up to Division I, along with the 2013-14 team that finished 25-11 ... the program's best Division I season to date.

• published: 19 Feb 2016
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