Box Score
MARSHALL, Minn. – The University of Sioux Falls shot 58 percent and scored 51 points in the second half to earn an 84-69 victory over Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday night in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference men's basketball inside the R/A Facility.
USF, which defeated SMSU earlier this season, improves to 9-3 overall, 5-1 NSIC. SMSU drops to 4-8 overall, 1-5 NSIC.
Jack Thompson led four Cougars in double figures with 18 points with three 3-pointers. The Cougars finished the game making 27 of 36 free throws and shot 45 percent (25 of 56) from the field. USF held a 14-0 advantage in points off of turnovers, forcing SMSU into 16 turnovers.
The Mustangs were led by
Kenny Byers, who scored a game-high 23 points on 8 of 14 shooting with three 3-pointers.
Nick Dufault (16) and
Cliff McCray (11) both reached double figure scoring for the Mustangs. SMSU closed the game shooting 52 percent (26 of 50) from the field, but shot just 43 percent in the second half.
USF, which outrebound SMSU 41-19 in the first meeting in November, held a 34-25 advantage tonight with 16 offensive rebounds.
SMSU held a 42-37 advantage with 16:37 left in the second half, but USF forced SMSU into four turnovers in the next three minutes to spark a game-changing run. USF regained the lead with a 24-8 over a seven-minute span to blow the game wide open and earn its second straight victory in Marshall.
SMSU held several four-point leads in the first 11 minutes of the game, including 21-17 following a field goal from McCray.
USF would rally back and limit SMSU to just four points for more than four minutes to regain the lead at 28-27 with 3:27 left in the half. The Cougars would later push the lead to 33-29, but McCray drilled a 3-pointer to close the half to cut the deficit to 33-32 at halftime.
SMSU shot 65 percent (13 of 20) in the first half with four 3-pointers. USF shot just 34 percent (11 of 32) in the opening half, but drilled five 3-pointers and committed just two turnovers.
Southwest Minnesota State will now be off for nearly two weeks before returning to action on Jan. 3 at Augustana starting at 7:30 p.m.
