RAPID CITY, S.D. -- Any college student knows the value of cramming for an exam.
South Dakota Tech did that little extra bit of homework and aced their first test of the Dakota Athletic Conference playoffs with a 100-82 victory over Dickinson State at the King Center on Tuesday night.
Tech took advantage of a snow day to prepare for the Blue Hawks, and the Hardrockers lit up the scoreboard with 67 percent shooting from the field and went 21 of 25 from the free-throw line.
The taller Tech front line also dominated the boards, outrebounding Dickinson State 32-23.
"We had a great week of practice, and when we practice good, we play good," said senior Brandon Fredrickson, who led Tech with 19 points. "Fortunately we had school off on Friday, so we could work on a bunch of things that Dickinson does. It was just teamwork, moving the ball around and getting the posts working early."
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Tech clicked from the outset.
Blake Tideman found Casey Schmitz in the paint and Schmitz converted for an 11-2 lead.
Another Tech run put the hosts up 20-9, and from there the Hardrockers continued to pad their cushion in spurts.
Fredrickson said not having a women's game prior to his game also helped.
"I tried to get in a little more shooting today, since we didn't have a girls game right before," he said. "If I can get in a bunch of free throws right before a game it helps my form a lot."
The Hardrockers' lead was never threatened, but the Blue Hawks managed to hang around for most of the second half.
"We knew we had to be patient and attack their pressure. That's where you get a lot of easy looks is if you attack it," Tech coach Jason Henry said.
Donny English led the Blue Hawks with a game-high 21 points. DSU shot 49 percent from the field on 34 of 69 shooting.
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"They shot it well, but they got too many open looks too," said Blue Hawks head coach Scott Berry, whose career at DSU ended with the loss. "There's always a reason why they shoot well, and if you're open, good shooters are going to make those shots."
Berry said Monday he would resign at the end of the season. The Blue Hawks wrapped up their season at 9-19.
Roger Russaw scored 13 points for DSU, with Josh McLeod and Cam Rowland each adding 12. Those three and Dan Barraclough (5 points) finished their careers with the sixth-seeded Blue Hawks.
"I'm proud of the guys," Berry said. "They played it through to the end. We made a couple little runs here and there, but could never get it below 12."
The third-seeded Hardrockers (15-14) move on to their next test, this time on the road against second-seeded Jamestown College, a team Tech hasn't had much success against on the road.
"We hadn't won at Minot (State) either and we did that a couple of weeks ago," Henry said. "(Jamestown) is the one team we need to beat at their place with this senior group."
