GEORGE TOWN, Grand Cayman – South Dakota State shot 54 percent from the field and tallied 20 assists on 28 field goals to capture the Cayman Islands Classic third-place game over Missouri State, 75-55, here Tuesday afternoon.
The Bears (4-3) matched a season-high with 9 three-pointers and were led by Dez White’s 16 points.
White was named to the all-tournament team after posting 17.7 points per game in the three-day event.
The first 10 minutes of the game belonged exclusively to the Jackrabbits who jumped out to a 23-8 lead just 10 minutes into the contest before the Bears ended the stanza on a 16-13 surge.
Missouri State overcame a 2-for-11 start from the field with a quick 7-0 run powered by a triple from White and layups from Zaxton King and Michael Osei-Bonsu.
Later, a 9-2 Bears run that included two triples from King and another one from Jalen Hampton, closed the deficit to 28-24 with 3:50 to play before halftime. However, the Bears would get no closer the rest of the way. The final four minutes of the opening period saw SDSU go on an 8-0 run to lead 36-24 at the game’s midway point.
In the second half, Chase Martin’s free throw, just before the 17-minute mark, drew the Bears back within 41-33. But SDSU (6-2) continued to give the Bears fits and extended its lead to 15 before the under-12 media timeout and 19 with just over eight minutes to play.
The Jackrabbits, who were led by Oscar Cluff’s 20 points and 12 rebounds, would lead by as many as 25 late in the game before Makhai Valentine and Sam Murray II combined to post the last five points of the game for Missouri State.
MSU also got 9 points from Osei-Bonsu, 8 from King and 7 from Martin in his first collegiate start. Hampton snagged 11 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, and grabbed a pair of steals.
The Bears finished 18-of-59 (.305) from the field, 9-of-22 (.409) from three and 10-for-16 (.625) from the foul line with 32 rebounds and 7 steals.
South Dakota State was 28-of-54 (.519) overall from the field, 7-for-20 (.350) from long range and 12-of-14 (.857) at the line with 39 total rebounds. The Jackrabbits also tallied 38 points in the paint and got 25 points from their reserves.
The Bears will resume non-conference play at Oral Roberts on Sunday with a 3 p.m. matchup from the Mabee Center in Tulsa. MoState is back at home on Saturday, Dec. 7 to square off with Indiana State in the Missouri Valley Conference opener at Great Southern Bank Arena.
