For the third straight season the University of Sioux Falls men's basketball team (22-8 overall) advanced to at least the semifinal round of the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament by defeating Morningside College 78-71 at the Stewart Center tonight.

Senior Ronnell Grant (Tucson, Ariz.) led USF with 18 points, 12 off a perfect performance from the free throw stripe, with six rebounds. Fellow senior Kelly Hubbard (Carson, Calif.) had 10 rebounds to lead the Cougars and with 15 points, had a double-double.

It was a close first half until freshman Keith Cutler (Platte, S.D.) and senior Jacob Sittig (Baltic, S.D.) hit back-to-back three pointers to trigger a 12-0 run that gave the Cougars a commanding 28-18 lead with 5:12 left in the half. Cutler finished with 13 points for the second time in the previous three games, and Sittig had 10 points on the night. The Mustangs (15-17 overall) moved their way back into the game and cut the deficit to 35-31 at half. Hubbard had 10 points at half as USF out-shot the Mustangs 46.2% to 42.3%.

The lead was exchanged three times in the first 10 minutes of the second half and the Cougars clung to a 57-56 advantage with 7:47 remaining in the contest. A jumper by Mustang Trent Miller and two free throws by Danny Rudeen earned MC their largest lead of the second period with a 69-65 lead with 2:03 left in the game.

Sittig hit a three to close the gap to 69-68 and a jumper by Maxwell gave USF a lead they would not surrender the rest over the 1:07 left on the scoreboard. USF hit seven of eight free throws, four by Grant, to increase the score to 78-71.

USF will face the winner of the Dakota Wesleyan University and Midland Lutheran University, which is still in progress, at the Stewart Center, this Saturday, Feb. 26 with a 3:00 p.m. tipoff.