WAYNE, NEB. – The University of Sioux Falls men's basketball team struggled on offense in a 73-50 loss to Wayne State before 764 in attendance at Rice Auditorium on Friday night.
USF, which dropped to 8-17 overall and 5-14 in the NSIC, led early 5-4 but were victimized by a 14-0 run late in the first half by the Wildcats, which built a 37-20 halftime lead. In the second half, USF crawled within 12 points at 47-35 with 13:02 to play but were foiled by turnover problems. After just committing 19 combined turnovers last weekend, USF had 23 against Wayne State, which improved to 6-19 and 3-16 in the NSIC.
For the first time this season, USF did not have a double figure scorer as freshman guard Zach Wessels scored a career-high nine points to lead the Cougars. Wessels hit 4-of-5 from the floor, including his only three-point field goal attempt. He also had five rebounds, including a career-high four offensive boards. Senior center Bryan Kielpinski had eight points and six rebounds while sophomore Mack Johnson added seven points and point rebounds.
The Cougars hit just 16-of-48 shots from the floor for 33.3 percent, including 3-of-11 from three-point range. USF was 15-of-25 from the foul line for 60 percent. For just the sixth time this season, the Cougars lost the rebound battle, 40-39. USF, the league's second best shot-blocking outfit held the advantage again, 6-3.
Wayne State hit 28-of-65 shots from the floor for 43.1 percent, including 16-of-35 for 45.7 percent in the first half. They were just 4-of-16 from three-point range and 13-of-23 at the foul stripe. The Wildcats placed four players in double digits, led by Kendall Jacks with 13 while Jordan Cornelius and Jordan Holdsworth each had 12 points. Trae Vandeberg added 11 points. Joel Heesch had a game-high nine rebounds along with six points and five assists.
Wessels opened the scoring as USF took a 2-0 lead. When Jordan Stotts hit a three-pointer with 15:16 left in the first half, USF had a 5-4 lead. Unfortunately, it was the final lead of the night for USF, which defeated Wayne State, 80-77, at the Stewart Center on Jan. 3. Wayne State had a 7-2 run for a 17-10 advantage with 10:36 left in the half. USF rallied within, 19-16, after a jumper from Kebu Johnson at the 6:19 mark. When, Mack Johnson had a lay-up with 4:56 left in the half, USF trailed just 21-18. However, the Wildcats closed the half on a 16-2 run, including a 14-0 burst, to end the half and take control of the game.
In the second half, the teams traded baskets early on which meant trouble for the Cougars, which was seeking a quick run to get back into the game. At the 15:01 mark, USF had a mini-run, pulling within 47-35 on another Wessels' basket at the 13:02 mark. But, that rally was short-lived as Wayne State built the lead back to 20 points at 55-35 on a three-pointer from Cornelius at the 11:29 mark. From that point, the Cougars cut the lead under 20 on various occasions but were unable to sustain offense and a comeback.
On Saturday, USF will face #2 Augustana at 6 p.m. in the Sioux Falls Arena.
