NAU Men’s Basketball Forces Overtime, Falls Short to South Dakota, 76-71

VERMILLION, S.D. (December 11, 2021) – Sophomore Jalen Cone sent Saturday's matchup between the Northern Arizona men's basketball team and South Dakota into overtime with a game-tying three before the Coyotes survived on their home floor with a 76-71 victory. South Dakota (6-4) overcame 33 points by Cone to remain undefeated at home while sending NAU to 4-6.
 
"There comes a time when we need more consistency where we know what we're getting every single night," said head coach Shane Burcar. "Our guys are winners. We had some opportunities to go up three or four points with some good shots and maybe be one stop and a make away from icing the game at the end, but unfortunately that didn't happen."
 
Down 60-57, NAU went to Cone, who drilled his seventh three with 2.5 seconds left to send the game into overtime. In the extra period, the Coyotes scored the first four points and ultimately started with a 9-1 run before the Lumberjacks finally connected on their first field goal with 28 seconds left.
 
Redshirt junior Nik Mains hit a pair of threes late, the latter in which brought NAU within 73-69, but South Dakota held on for the victory.
 
Cone shot 7-of-15 from three-point range on his way to a career-high output, which was the highest single-game total by a Lumberjack in nearly four years since Torry Johnson also scored 33 points in an overtime road loss to North Dakota on Feb. 17, 2018.
 
"The thing that Jalen does so well is that he can make shots," Burcar said. "He made a big shot at the end of the game. Carson (Towt) was marvelous on the boards tonight with 18 rebounds. As a team, we had so many opportunities, but we couldn't make enough shots."
 
Mains was second in scoring with 13 points to go with eight rebounds with sophomore Isaiah Lewis recording a season-high nine points off the bench. Redshirt freshman Carson Towt grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds – the most by a Lumberjack in two seasons – in addition to seven points and a team-high five assists.
 
For the second straight game, NAU was involved in a low scoring first half as South Dakota claimed a 24-22 halftime lead. After a quick start in which NAU scored on its first three possessions, the Lumberjacks were held scoreless over an eight-minute stretch that saw the Coyotes go on a 12-0 run and take a 14-6 advantage.
 
The 'Jacks got back-to-back buckets by Cone and Lewis to tie the score at 22-22 with 2:43 remaining in the first half prior to the Coyotes scoring the final points of the period.
 
After both teams shot under 36 percent in the first half, both found their offensive footing in the second half as NAU shot 44.8 percent and South Dakota shot 48 percent. Of NAU's 38 points, Cone accounted for 26 of them as he shot 7-for-10 behind the arc.
 
The Lumberjacks' biggest surge came courtesy of a 9-0 personal scoring run by Cone that turned a 52-46 deficit into a 55-52 lead with 4:25 remaining in regulation. Following Cone's triple that put the 'Jacks in front, NAU was held to just two field goals the rest of the period, but the last would be pivotal in extending the game.
 
South Dakota's Xavier Fuller, who led the Coyotes with 20 points, gave his team a 60-57 lead with 16 seconds left before Cone misfired on a corner three. However, Towt pulled in one of his five offensive boards on the afternoon to give NAU a second look, and Cone buried his equalizer to force the extra period.
 
Prior to Saturday's loss, NAU had won four consecutive overtime games dating back to that 2018 defeat to North Dakota.
 
South Dakota shot 41 percent compared to NAU's final clip of 37.5 percent. While NAU hit 11 threes to six by South Dakota, the Coyotes took advantage of a sizeable free throw disparity. The Coyotes shot 20-of-25 while the 'Jacks were just 6-for-11 at the line.
 
Both teams were even on the glass at 42-42 and South Dakota was +4 in the turnover column leading to a small, but important, 11-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
The Lumberjacks will return to action next Saturday, Dec. 18 when they head south to the Footprint Center, home of the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury, for the Jerry Colangelo Classic. Tickets for NAU's game in the Basketball Hall of Fame event versus San Diego at 8 p.m. are available for purchase at this link.
 
To stay up to date with the NAU men's basketball team, follow the Lumberjacks on Twitter and Instagram.