James Rader tallied 16 points and 10 rebounds in only 23 minutes of action to lead the USF men's basketball team to a 66-44 home win against Black Hills State on Saturday night.
The Cougars have won seven straight and improved to 10-7 overall, while the Yellow Jackets fell to 4-10.
A stingy defense, led by A.J. Holland's two steals, forced Black Hills State to shoot 32.2% from the field (19-of-59). Holland and company also forced eight turnovers. The Cougars dominated the Yellow Jackets on the glass, 45-31.
USF started slow and trailed BHSU 9-5 at the 13:28 mark before a trey by Derek Brown and a Keith Cutler lay-up put USF on top, 10-9. The Cougars continued to pull away from the Yellow Jackets for a 29-19 halftime lead.
The second half was much of the same for the hosts. After an early BHSU basket cut the deficit to eight, 29-21, USF went on a 16-6 run to open up an 18 point margin.
The Cougars led by as many as 26 points en route to the lopsided victory.
Rader's 16 points was a game-high and Skyler Bloch had 13 points and nine rebounds. Derek Brown chipped in 12 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc. Freshman Bretson McNeal led the reserves with nine points. Holland added three points and nine defensive boards.
USF shot 43 percent from the floor and made more free throws (9) than the Yellow Jackets attempted (8).
USF will travel to Minot State next weekend for a double-header against the Beavers (Jan. 27-28).
