SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Jakob Braaten scored a game-high 22 points, while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out six assists to lead the Southwest Minnesota State men's basketball team to a 79-71 victory over Sioux Falls in the NSIC opener for both teams on Tuesday night inside the Stewart Center.
 
SMSU, 1-2 overall, 1-0 NSIC, shot 54 percent (32 of 59) from the field, while making 6 of 14 from 3-point range. USF, 1-4 overall, 0-1 NSIC, closed the night making 27 of 64 shots (42 percent) with nine 3-pointers.
 
The Cougars were led by Taylen Ashley's 20 points on 7 of 19 shooting.
 
Aeron Stevens connected on a team-high three 3-pointers for the Mustangs and finished with 15 points and five rebounds with teammate Mason Lund chipping in with 10 points and five rebounds.
 
The 20-plus point game for Braaten was the seventh of his career.  
 
SMSU started the game strong with seven different players scoring in the opening eight minutes to build a 21-8 advantage.
 
USF countered with nine straight points to pull within 21-17 before eventually tying the game at 26 with 4:20 remaining in the half. Braaten ended the USF run with back-to-back field goals to spark a 9-3 run capped by a Mekhi Shaw tip-in to give the Mustangs a 35-29 lead.
 
USF hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the half but Stevens answered with a 3-pointer of his own before the final buzzer to give SMSU a 38-32 halftime edge.
 
Stevens started the scoring in the second half and was followed by field goals by Braaten and Brayson Boike to give SMSU a 45-36 lead with 17:41 remaining.
 
USF would rally and trim the deficit to 55-52 with 12 minutes left but a layup by Micah Schlaak and a three-point play Braaten pushed the margin to 60-52.
 
SMSU held a 64-60 lead with just over nine minutes left in the game before Shaw sparked an 8-0 run with a layup, followed by a free throw by Braaten, a layup by Calvin Buss and capped by a 3-pointer by Landon Pokorski to give the Mustangs a 72-60 lead with six minutes left.
 
SMSU was able to fend off each USF comeback attempt in the final minutes to earn its sixth straight victory in the series.
 
Shaw and Pokorski each scored eight points to help in the victory with Boike adding seven points and four rebounds.
 
SMSU will now step back into non-conference play this weekend at the Concordia-St. Paul Thanksgiving Tournament. The Mustangs play MSU Moorhead on Saturday at 2 p.m. before taking on Jamestown on Sunday at 2 p.m.