No. 5 seed North Dakota State did not make it as far as usual in the Summit League Tournament, losing to No. 4 seed St. Thomas by 10 on Sunday night in Sioux Falls. They finished the season with an overall record of 15-17.

Jacari White led the Bison with 16 points and was 4-of-5 behind the arc. Boden Skunberg had eight rebounds and four assists. Noah Fedderson collected 11 points with two blocks and two steals. Tajavis Miller added eight points. Kendall Blue led the Tommies with 15 points, shooting 6-of-7 from the field and went 3-of-3 from behind the arc.

The half started with a three from Fedderson and a jumper from Skunberg, with a three from Skunberg following shortly after. NDSU’s biggest lead in the game was five at the 16-minute mark, and the last time they led was at 13:06 before halftime. St. Thomas got ahead by as much as 22 points in the first half with 27 seconds until halftime. After Fedderson made a dunk, the half ended with a score of 42-22 with the Tommies up. The Bison had 11 turnovers in the first half alone, resulting in 21 points scored by the Tommies. NDSU ended up having 13 turnovers in total.

NDSU started the second half strong with a 12-0 run with the help of a pair of threes by White. This allowed them to get within eight points of St. Thomas at 42-34. The Tommies then went on a 7-0 run right after, extending their lead to 15. The Tommies’ biggest lead was 25 at 5:08. Although NDSU outscored St. Thomas in the second half by 10, it would not secure them the win, with a final score of 68-58. NDSU is now 18-7 at the Summit League Tournament in the last 10 years.

NDSU shot 50 percent from the field, 42 percent from behind the arc, and 66 percent at the free throw line. St. Thomas shot 51 percent from the field, 50 percent from the three, and 45 percent at the free throw line. The game consisted of just two ties and two lead changes.

St. Thomas moved on in the tournament, but only for one more day after South Dakota State defeated them 59-49 in the semifinals (Monday, March 11). South Dakota State went on to the Summit League championship against Denver (Tuesday, March 12) with the Jackrabbits taking it home 76-68. SDSU has now clinched a spot in the NCAA tournament which will start on Tuesday, March 19.