By Brett Rump (@BrettRumpSports)

The Fort Wayne Mastodons had a good night in Summit League action Wednesday night.

What’s nice is they didn’t have to play a game to have it.

Two of the three teams they are chasing for the regular season championship did play…and both lost. The third team, Denver, will be the ‘Dons next opponent Saturday in the mile-high city.

North Dakota State forced overtime with a second-half comeback at IUPUI (4-6), but the Jaguars finished off the Bison (7-2) in the final seconds of overtime in an 86-81 win over the league leaders.

South Dakota was bolstered by the return of forward Tyler Flack, but the Omaha Mavericks (5-5) were too much to overcome on their home floor as the Mavs claimed a 91-83 win over the Coyotes.

The Mastodons (5-4) are now tied in the loss column with South Dakota (6-4) and just two-games behind North Dakota State, and have both at the Memorial Coliseum in the next two weeks.

If anything, Wednesday’s results show the parity in this year’s Summit League.

In the other game, South Dakota State (4-6), after starting 1-5 in the league, won their third game in the last four by dominating Western Illinois (4-6) on the road, 98-65.

The current standings have no one with less than 2 losses and no one with less than three wins. Seven of the nine teams in the league are within two games of one another with just over three weeks left in the season.

Follow this page for updates and photos from the trip to Denver. You can follow the men’s basketball team on Twitter @FortWayneMBB.