Box score

GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS – South Dakota State (6-2) thundered out to a colossal early lead and withstood every Missouri State charge with stalwart defense to capture a 75-55 victory Tuesday evening in the third-place game of the sixth annual Cayman Islands Classic.
 
Senior center Oscar Cluff was the key cog in the early South Dakota State machine, pumping in 11 of the first 19 points as the Jackrabbits blazed to a 19-3 lead in the first eight minutes.
 
Missouri State (4-3) put together a 21-9 stretch to scratch its way into the contest following that early landslide, pulling to within 28-24 at the 3:52 mark of the first half. The Jackrabbits recovered and rebuilt a double-figure lead before the break, a 3-pointer by Jaden Jackson beating the buzzer to make it 36-24
 
The Bears couldn’t maintain that comeback intensity in the second half as the Jackrabbits re-opened their sizeable lead. Missouri State got the margin down to eight once, but SDSU stitched together a 10-3 run to regain its distance. The largest margin came at 25 points with 2:14 to play. 
 
Cluff, a senior from Australia, posted his sixth double-double of the year, finishing with 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting. He added 12 rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Kalen Garry
Added nine points while freshman Owen Larson posted a career-high of seven assists along with his eight points. Matthew Mors also scored eight.
 
Sophomore guard Dez White was the lone Bear to reach double figures on the scoreboard, netting 15 points. Junior Michael Osei-Bonsu continued nine points and seven rebounds while junior guard Jalen Hampton supplied six points and a team-best 11 rebounds. 
 
Missouri State finished the night shooting 32.5 percent overall (18-for-59) while SDSU fired 51.9 percent (28-for-54). The Jackrabbits also held a 39-32 advantage on the boards and a 20-8 difference in assists.