SIOUX FALLS - With a stout defensive effort and timely scoring from sharpshooter Clint Thomas and freshman big man Devin Green, University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball closed out their non-conference schedule with an 84-50 win over Mt. Marty College on Tuesday night. The Cougars improve their overall record to 6-7 and they return to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition this weekend by hosting Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m.
 
Thomas carried the Cougar offense in the first half, hitting five 3-pointers and connecting on seven shots from the field for 19 points in the opening 20 minutes of action. A senior from McCall, Idaho, Thomas added three more points early in the second half to tie his career-high of 22 points (Concordia-St. Paul, 1-22-2016) before being relegated to the bench as the Cougars had pushed their lead beyond 20 points.
 
A 6-foot-7 freshman from Cascade, Iowa, Green took advantage of his extended playing time and turned in an efficient 12 points and six rebounds, trailing just Thomas and Kebu Johnson in rebounds, who finished with eight and seven, respectively. Green was the benefactor of a pair of passes from Mack Johnson and Tyler Thielges that found him alone in the paint and he converted each with a one-handed dunk.
 
USF forced 17 turnovers and held the Lancers (3-9) to 36.5 percent shooting on the night, including a 30.0 percent mark in the first half. Opening the game on a 13-0 run, the Cougars relied on defense to build their early lead. Thomas scored the first five points of the game, Daniel Hurtt and Mack Johnson added lay-ups then Hurtt and Kebu Johnson combined for lay-ups to build their 13-point lead with 13:52 left on the first-half clock.
 
The Lancers would never come within double digits again for the rest of the night. Thomas pushed the USF lead to 16 just past the halfway point and his next three, 3-pointers came in the closing minutes of the first half. He answered both of MMC's Zach Telles's triples with treys of his own, both off Mack Johnson assists. On the final possession of the half, Thomas received a Kebu Johnson pass and knocked it down for the Cougars' 40-22 advantage at the break.
 
Sioux Falls came out of the break and wasted no time pushing their lead beyond 20 points. Drew Guebert converted a layup on the opening possession for two of his 11 points, and steals prefaced two Tom Aase buckets, which forced Mount Marty into a timeout. The Lancers managed to cut the deficit to 20 points, but Thomas pushed USF's lead back up with a three-point play that tied his career-high for points.
 
After two Hurtt baskets, the first of which led to one of Mack Johnson's eight assists, Guebert hit a three from the wing and pushed the Cougars' lead into the 30s, a 61-29 lead with 13:24 still to play. From that point the Cougars cruised and Green was the catalyst for much of USF's second half offense as he would finish with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in the second period.
 
For the game, the Cougars shot 45.3 percent from the field, including a 51.4 percent mark in the second half. USF held a 47-29 edge in rebounding, including 16 offensive rebounds that turned into 18 second chance points, and turned MMC's 17 turnovers into 21 points.
 
The Cougars handed out 23 assists, led by Mack Johnson's eight and Kebu Johnson's seven, assisting on all but nine of their 34 field goals. With 12 from Green and Hurtt, Kebu Johnson, and Tristan Teichmeier all scoring five or more as reserves, the Cougars held a 31-15 edge in bench scoring.