Hot shooting and a solid contribution from the bench guided the University of Sioux Falls to a nail biting finish Sunday afternoon when they defeated William Jewell College 65-57 in their final game of the 2012 D2 Vegas Showdown. The win marks their sixth straight and moves them to 18-8 on the year. The Cardinals dropped to 9-17.

The teams began the game trading baskets, most of which coming on the block as both committed to getting their big's touches early. Rader and Bloch collaborated for three of USF's first four baskets, while William Jewel's Nick Larson tallied four quick scores, making for an 8-8 tie near the 15 minute mark.

Both the Cougars and the Cardinals continued to attack the paint and for USF it paid off when Skyler Bloch nailed a jumper with 3:45 left in period to give USF their largest lead at five points. However the game was tied 36-36 at the half.

USF had no answer for Larson, who helped William Jewell to a 20-12 advantage in points scored in the paint through 20 minutes of play. He owned the lane, scoring 22 points on 10 of 12 shooting, which contributed to the Cardinals 48% first half shooting performance. However, the Cougars were pretty hot themselves in the opening period, where they connected at a 54% rate.

After a quiet first half, Bretson McNeal went on his own five point scoring run to open the second half, putting USF ahead 43-38 near the 18 minute mark.

In the second half each team made an effort to limit the scoring opportunities in the paint. USF slowed down Larson, but the Cardinals struggled to defend the Cougar back court in the post. Three consecutive crafty moves down low by Bloch and Bryan Kielpinski extended USF's lead to 8 with just under eleven to play.

However, USF's success with Larson down low was short lived. He reestablished himself on the blocks, scoring on three consecutive possessions in the waning minutes. His third basket pulled William Jewell within six points with four minutes to go.

Turnovers, which had been an achilles heel for the Cougars all season, gave the Cardinals life, as they converted back-to-back USF turnovers into points, making it a 67-63, USF lead, with two and a half to play.

The game became even more interesting with just under one minute to play, when the Cougars were called for a controversial foul, which resulted in two Bryan Adams free throws, cutting USF's advantage to one.

That swung the momentum William Jewell's way but ultimately it came down to defense and free throws. USF made got two huge stops on defense and converted their free throws to grind out a 74-69 win.

USF's hot shooting was carried over into the second half. They finished the game shooting 52% from the field. The Cardinals converted 49% of their attempts on the game.

The Cougars received a solid contribution from their bench, which outscored William Jewells 19-11.

Nick Larson was the only player in double digits for William Jewell. He finished with a game-high 34 points and eight rebounds. His effort gave the Cardinals a 32-26 advantage in points scored within the paint.

Bloch led all Cougars in scoring with 19 points today. USF also saw two other players score in double figures in David Maxwell and Derek Brown.

USF returns to the court next Thursday when they will participate in the Black Hills Transitional Tournament.