Alexander went 6-of-9 from 3-point range for North Dakota
State (23-9), which won its second straight Summit League title
and will head to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first
time in school history. A.J. Jacobson added 12 points and eight
rebounds for the Bison, who upset Oklahoma in the first round of
the NCAA Tournament last year.
Cody Larson scored 19 points to lead South Dakota State (23-10),
which shot 31.6 percent from the floor. Deondre Parks added 13
points but was off the mark at the buzzer for the Jackrabbits.
Alexander scored eight points in a 17-4 burst that left North
Dakota State on top 51-42 with 6 1/2 minutes to play. The Bison
were in front 57-49 after Alexander’s free throws before South
Dakota State scored the next seven points, and North Dakota
State missed the front end of a one-and-one twice but the
Jackrabbits missed both opportunities to take the lead in the
final 10 seconds.
Both team shot less than 31 percent from the field in the first
half and went into the locker room knotted at 23. The Bison
found their form first after the break and scored the first five
points before South Dakota recovered and went in front 38-34 on
George Marshall’s 3-pointer with 12 minutes to play.
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