Oscar Cluff goes off as South Dakota State hammers Denver in Summit opener

BROOKINGS — In 15 non-conference games, Oscar Cluff made clear he’ll be a handful this year for South Dakota State’s opponents.

In Thursday’s Summit League opener against the Denver Pioneers, Cluff sent a definitive message to the conference. He’ll be more than a handful. He’ll likely be one of the most unstoppable big men the league has ever seen.

Cluff had 30 points and 19 rebounds to lead the Jacks to a 91-70 rout of the Pioneers, going 11-of-14 from the floor and 7-of-8 at the line, even hitting his only 3-point attempt of the night.

That offensive dominance from the 6-foot-11 Australian helped the Jacks put this one on ice early, as a 21-4 run helped SDSU take a 42-19 lead into the break. Denver briefly got hot in the second half to cut a 27-point deficit to 12, but it was too little too late as the Jackrabbits start their conference slate at 1-0.

“There’s a lot of talk around the Summit League — what teams are gonna be good or bad,” Cluff said. “I think today was a statement game for us. We’re trying to let everyone know who we are.”

Owen Larson added 12 points and Matthew Mors and Stony Hadnot 11, as the Jacks outshot Denver 52 percent to 35 and had a gargantuan 53-24 edge on the glass.

The Pioneers were just 6-of-30 from the floor in the first half, shooting themselves out of it. The Jacks defense certainly had a hand in the bricklaying.

“We kept ’em out of the paint and we were challenging them on the arc,” said Jacks coach Eric Henderson. “Their guards are dynamic and we did a great job of keeping them out of the pint and making them shoot challenged shots. And then we got first-shot rebounds, which enabled us to play with great pace.”

Meanwhile SDSU’s offense faced little resistance as Cluff controlled the middle.

“He was incredible,” Larson said of Cluff. “We knew we had a height advantage and they had a couple bigs out, so he really got after it and right from the get-go he was terrific. When you’ve got him down low you can go to him and if they double him he’ll share it, because he’s very unselfish. And if it’s 1-on-1 he’s gonna get a bucket.”

The supporting cast was strong as well. Larson was 4-of-6 from 3-point range and had five rebound and four assists, while Joe Sayler had eight points and 10 rebounds and Kalen Garry had nine points and four assists. In 13 minutes off the bench, Damon Wilkinson had eight points and five boards.

Nicholos Shogbonyo had 18 points for Denver while Sebastian Akins had 17.

The Jacks (10-6, 1-0) are off this weekend, with their next game set for Wednesday at St. Thomas. The Tommies defeated North Dakota State on Thursday in Fargo. A big win for them, but Cluff will certainly present them with a unique challenge.

“His efficiency is off the charts,” Henderson said of Cluff. “He didn’t even play 25 minutes and did what he did. He impacts the game in big ways. He’s a physical presence, obviously, but the skill he has is very much underrated. He makes everyone around him better, he’s unselfish and tonight he was amazing.”

Matt Zimmer is a Sioux Falls native and longtime sports writer. He graduated from Washington High School where he played football, legion baseball and developed his lifelong love of the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. After graduating from St. Cloud State University, he returned to Sioux Falls, and began a long career in amateur baseball and sports reporting. Email Matt at mzimmer@siouxfallslive.com.