SD State meets Ft. Wayne in Summit League quarters
No. 7 seed Purdue Fort Wayne (13-18, 6-10) vs. No. 2 seed South Dakota State (22-9, 13-3)
Summit League Conference Tourney Quarterfinals, Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Saturday, 9:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: A spot in the Summit League semifinals is on the line as Purdue Fort Wayne matches up against South Dakota State. South Dakota State swept the two-game regular season series. The teams last faced each other on Feb. 16, when the Jackrabbits shot 50 percent from the field while limiting Purdue Fort Wayne to just 37.5 percent on the way to a 75-64 victory.
BIG MEN ON CAMPUS: South Dakota State’s Matt Dentlinger has averaged 12.4 points and six rebounds while Noah Freidel has put up 11.4 points and 4.1 rebounds. For the Mastodons, Jarred Godfrey has averaged 15.8 points and 4.5 rebounds while Brian Patrick has put up 11.3 points.
OFFENSIVE THREAT: Godfrey has either made or assisted on 42 percent of all Purdue Fort Wayne field goals over the last three games. Godfrey has 18 field goals and 10 assists in those games.
UNBEATEN WHEN: Purdue Fort Wayne is a perfect 7-0 when it holds an opponent to 60 points or fewer. The Mastodons are 6-18 when opponents score more than 60.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Jackrabbits have recently created baskets via assists more often than the Mastodons. South Dakota State has an assist on 47 of 94 field goals (50 percent) over its previous three matchups while Purdue Fort Wayne has assists on 30 of 67 field goals (44.8 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The South Dakota State offense is ranked 26th overall by scoring 78 points per game this season. Purdue Fort Wayne has only averaged 68.6 points per game, which ranks 222nd.