SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The reigning national champion Central Missouri Mules clamped down defensively on the University of Sioux Falls to hand the Cougars a 67-47 loss in their season-opening game as part of Sanford Pentagon Showcase on Sunday.

Sioux Falls (1-0) raced out to an early lead, sparked by Charles Ward's aggressive play. The senior guard scored eight points in the first half and finished the game with a team-high 13, but it was his attacking style that earned him his third foul in the first period as the Cougars' offense began to struggle.

After leading 9-2, the USF offense struggled to score on the length of Central Missouri. The Mules would force 16 USF turnovers in the game and converted those into 17 points. One of Kyle Wolf's 3-pointers drew UCM within two points and a second triple just a minute later gave the Mules a lead they would not relinquish.

Wolf finished with a game-high 14 points, but Central Missouri featured a balanced attack with seven players with at least six points. After Cutler Finneman hit a jumper and Mack Johnson converted a pair of free throws to tie the game with 9:15 left in the first half, the Cougars were victims of poor shooting and would enter intermission down, 33-19, making just 21.7 percent of their field goal attempts in the opening half.

Finneman and Jordan Stotts each hit three-point field goals at the start of the second half, helping to keep the Mules within striking distance. Answering the early surge by USF, Wolf would hit a pair of three-point field goals and extend the UCM lead. Behind Wolf's 4-for-5 performance, Central Missouri shot 9-20 from behind the arc and 48.1 percent from the field.

With Ward forced to play cautiously with three fouls, Johnson would take his turn as the aggressor and sank all six of his free throws earned on drives to the basket. The attacking wouldn't be enough as the Cougars were stymied by the UCM defense and were again limited to 30.8 percent shooting in the second half, turning the ball over 11 times.

Ward converted and and-one to reach double figures scoring late in the game, but the Mules were out of reach, up 16 after his three-point play. Finneman equaled his first-half output with five points in the second half, finishing as the only other Cougar to reach double digits with 10 points.

The Cougars now face Missouri Southern State as part of the Sanford Pentagon Showcase, tomorrow, Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon.