Summit League Basketball: Conference Tournament: Day two reactions

The 2018 Summit League tournament semi-finals are set! Let’s look at how we got to that point by looking back on day two’s games.

Unlike other conference tournaments, the Summit League gives the advantage to a few teams. South Dakota State and South Dakota are given a day off before playing in Monday’s semi-finals. However, the two winners from today’s games will turn around and play 24 hours (or less) later. This is a stark contrast as almost every other conference plays back-to-back games. Granted, some teams are granted bye games, but never the less, it seems odd.

Anyway, Monday’s semi-finals are now set thanks to two teams winning on Sunday evening. On the other hand, two more teams saw their seasons brought to a screeching halt. So, we are left with four teams: South Dakota State, South Dakota, North Dakota State, and .

The first game of the night showcased the four and the five seed. Fort Wayne took on North Dakota State as the Mastodons looked to vanquish the Bison for the third time this season. However, North Dakota State came out of the gates charging in this game.

Thanks to some incredibly efficient and diverse shooting, the Bison were able to go into halftime with an 18 point lead. At one point in the second half the Bison led by 23 points. Fort Wayne looked utterly confused and uninterested throughout most of the game too. Their defense was downright lethargic all night.

Yet, their streaky offense was able to gain some momentum with under 10 minutes left in the game. That stellar offensive play, led by Bryson Scott and John Konchar, brought the Mastodons within one basket. However, they were unable to take a lead over the Bison. This was due in large part to the clutch play of Paul Miller, who made three long-range shots late in the game.

North Dakota State had its blood pressure rise a bit, but they ended up winning 86-82. Miller finished the game with 29 points. For the Mastodons, Scott and Konchar scored 29 points as well. Unfortunately, there was not one other Mastodon who scored in double figures in the game. To their detriment, Fort Wayne’s poor play through the first 30 minutes was too much to overcome in the end.

If you are North Dakota State you have to be breathing a sigh of relief. Obviously, you cannot be pleased with the fact that Fort Wayne was able to work their way back into the game. That shows some complacency on the Bison’s part, and there certainly was some of that. However, you have to be satisfied with the numerous players who contributed offensively. Sure, Paul Miller did his usual amount of scoring, but one thing the Bison have consistently lacked is supplemental resources. They had that in this game.

Jared Samuelson, Tyson Ward, and Spencer Eliason all played a huge role in the victory. Not to mention the performance by A.J. Jacobson. Now, being from North Dakota, I have watched Jacobson played since he was in high school. In the eight seasons I have seen the Fargo native play, I have never seen him more aggressive than in this game. Whether or not that is a good thing is a different discussion. Anyway, though he only scored 12 points, he was in attack mode all game.

More from Busting Brackets

My only worry is that North Dakota State expended all their energy on this game. If that is the case, they may be in trouble on Monday as they take on South Dakota State. With that being said, there are more positives than negatives that can be taken away for the Bison.

In the last game of the evening, third seeded Denver faced off with sixth seeded Oral Roberts. As was the case with Fort Wayne, the Pioneers eyed a season sweep of the Golden Eagles in this game. As was the case with their last meeting, this tilt came down to the wire.

Both teams were relatively sluggish early in the game. Denver was the first team to heat up offensively, going on a 17-3 run late in the first half. By the end of the first 20 minutes, the Pioneers held a 10 point lead over Oral Roberts. Despite this cushion, Oral Roberts played a sharp final 20 minutes. The Golden Eagles made six of eight three-point shots in the second half to give them a one point lead with 17 seconds remaining.

Even though Oral Roberts held a three-point lead with 10 seconds remaining, it was Joe Rosga who banked in a three-pointer with three seconds left. That shot ultimately led the game to overtime with the teams tied at 70.

A real back and forth ensued over the course of the five-minute overtime period. Emmanuel Nzekwesi led the way for Oral Roberts after Denver’s Daniel Amigo fouled out. His effort was not enough though, as the teams went into double overtime with a score of 78-78. After another contentious double overtime, it was the Pioneers who outlasted the Golden Eagles 90-88. It took one stout defensive effort from Denver on the final play to clinch the outcome.

Though he fouled out, Amigo led the game in scoring with 22 points while also having 11 rebounds. Joe Rosga, Jake Pemberton, and Ade Murkey combined to score 52 points for the Pioneers as well. For Oral Roberts, Nzekwesi led the way with 20 points while Austin Ruder made six three-pointers and finished with 20 points.

Denver now has to match-up with South Dakota tomorrow evening. One immediately worries about the fatigue factor for Denver having played a double overtime game on Sunday. Given how fast South Dakota likes to play, that may cause some problems for the Pioneers. However, keep in mind that Denver defeated the Coyotes by 16 points on January 27th. The Pioneers also have a level of grit that other Summit League teams do not possess. That alone may outweigh how tired Denver is tomorrow evening.

Next: Bracketology a week before Selection Sunday

North Dakota State and South Dakota State will lead off the men’s games tomorrow as they will tip at 7 pm Eastern. As for Denver and South Dakota, they will play at roughly 9:30 pm Eastern in Sioux Falls. Be sure to keep tabs on these games as all the previous match-ups in this tournament have been dandies to this point!