MINOT, N.D. – The University of Sioux Falls men's basketball team received 18 points from Charles Ward but dropped a heartbreaking 60-58 loss to Minot State in NSIC action before 1,231 in attendance at the Minot State Dome on Friday night.
USF, which led 42-33 with 12 minutes to play, fell to 3-6 overall and 1-3 in the NSIC while MSU improved to 6-3 overall and 2-2 in league play. After Ward made a basket with 26 seconds left in the game, MSU's Dominque McDonald, who had just five points, scored on a floater with four seconds left to give the Beavers the lead and the game. USF's sophomore point guard Freddie Young tried a long three-pointer at the buzzer but the shot was short. MSU closed the game on a 27-to-16 run to grab the win.
“I thought we did some good things tonight but inconsistency continues to hurt us,” USF head men's basketball coach Chris Johnson said in a post-game interview with USF play-by-play announcer Tom Frederick. “We are getting better with some things but we seem to have spurts in games in which we don't make the right decision. We just didn't do enough to win a game in the NSIC,” he said.
Ward, who made 5-of-8 field goals while battling foul trouble, had double digit points for the 26th time in his career and the ninth straight time this season. Sophomore guard Mack Johnson added 11 points while Young and senior center Brian Kielpinski had 10 points each. Freshman forward Tom Aase had a team-high four blocks along with four rebounds and four points. The Cougars had a better overall field goal percentage than Minot State but the Beavers had a 10-to-2 edge in three-point baskets.
From the field, USF was 21-of-47 for 45 percent while MSU was 21-of-49 for 42.9 percent. MSU hit 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from three-point range, including 5-of-7 in the second half, while USF was 2-of-15 for 13.3 percent. USF offset the difference in three-pointers with a 14-to-8 edge at the foul line. For the eighth time in nine games, the Cougars outrebounded its opponent with a 33-30 margin over MSU.
The Beavers were led by Everett Robinson with 20 points (6-of-9 from the field) and eight rebounds while reserve guard Michael Pelo had 15 points, including 5-of-6 from three-point range.
Early on, MSU was hot from long distance, knocking down their first four attempts as they opened a 16-9 lead with 13:58 to play in the first half. The Cougars rebounded with a 14-0 run as Young had six points and junior forward Jordan Stotts added four as the Cougars took a 23-16 lead with 5:42 to play in the half. A free throw by Stotts, who had five points and four rebounds on the night, gave the Cougars its largest lead of the half at 25-17 with 4:04 to play. MSU responded with a 5-0 run before the Cougars had the final four points of the half, including a jumper by Johnson in the closing seconds for a 29-24 halftime lead. USF, which was 12-of-25 in the first half for 47 percent, missed all seven of its three-point shots. Meanwhile, the Beavers were 5-of-11 from distance.
After MSU cut the lead to 31-29 early in the second half, Ward ended USF's three-point drought with back-to-back 3's for a 37-29 lead with 15:09 to play. Pelo answered with his own back-to-back run of 3's to key an 11-0 run as the Beavers took a 44-42 lead with 8:54 to play in the game. Later, the Beavers built a 52-49 lead with 4:52 left after Nate Mertens converted a three-point play. Three straight points by Ward tied the game at 52-52 with 3:41 left on the clock. In the final minutes, the teams traded leads three times. Robinson's three-point play at 2:02 provided MSU with a 55-54 lead. Then, Ward answered with a drive and after being fouled hit two free throws for a 56-55 lead, which set up a dramatic final 26 seconds when McDonald hit the game-winning shot. The win was the first by Minot State over USF, which had won the previous six in the series.
The Cougars will now face U-Mary at 4 p.m. on Saturday at the McDowell Activity Center in Bismarck, N.D.
