VERMILLION, S.D. – A shorthanded South Dakota men's basketball team fell 79-61 to South Dakota State Sunday inside a sold-out Sanford Coyote Sports Center as part of the South Dakota Showdown Series presented by South Dakota Corn.
 
The Coyotes, with just eight players available, jumped on the scoreboard first when Triston Simpson found Cody Kelley open for a corner 3-point basket. However, a 7-0 run from SDSU propelled the Jackrabbits to a 10-3 advantage.
 
South Dakota State (12-6, 2-1 Summit) built a lead as large as 13 points in the first half before entering the intermission ahead 37-25.
 
South Dakota (7-9, 1-2 Summit) cut the deficit down to eight points in the opening minutes of the second half. However, the eight-point deficit, first at 39-31, then at 41-33, was the closest USD would get as SDSU went on an 18-5 run to open a 59-36 lead.
 
Skyler Flatten led South Dakota State with 20 points while Alex Arians totaled 19 points. The Coyote defense held Mike Daum, the reigning Summit League Player of the Year, to just four points on 1-of-5 shooting. The four points are a career-low for the senior.
 
Sophomore Stanley Umude totaled 26 points and nine rebounds to lead South Dakota who was without the services of Trey Burch-Manning. The senior missed the game with a foot injury. Kelley reached double-digit scoring with 11 points and matched a season-high with seven assists.
 
South Dakota totaled a season-high seven blocks, led by Umude with a career-best three swatted shots.
 
The 6,014 fans in attendance is a facility record for the three-year-old Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
 
South Dakota returns to action on Sunday, Jan. 13, against Purdue Fort Wayne. Tip-off from the Sanford Coyote Sports Center is slated for 1 p.m.