With South Dakota State having picked up a pair of wins over power conference foes in the previous week, a sizable contingent of Jackrabbit fans in Sioux Falls came to the Sanford Pentagon anxious to get a glimpse of one of the hottest teams in mid-major basketball on Saturday night.
Turns out the timing for that wasn’t so good, as the Jacks laid an egg in front of more than 2,000 fans, ending up on the wrong end of a 73-53 stomping at the hands of Missouri State, the preseason favorite in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Bears big man Alize Johnson had 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead the way, as MSU led the game front to back, outshooting, outrebounding and outworking the Jacks.