SIOUX FALLS – For the second night in the row, rock-solid defense did the trick as the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (10-8, 6-4 NSIC) ran their winning streak to four games with a 58-55 victory over Winona State (7-7, 4-6 NSIC) on Saturday at the Stewart Center. USF now has won six-of-seven games with only a one-point loss to NSIC South Leader SMSU.

The Cougars, led by 13 points from Clint Thomas, built a 13-point lead in the second half and held off a rally by the Warriors in the final six minutes. USF led, 35-29, at halftime but were outscored, 26-23 in the second half.

USF, which has the league's top scoring defense (67.6 ppg), held a fourth straight opponent under 63 points and has limited three of the past four teams to less than 60. USF recorded eight steals and forced WSU into 14 turnovers in the strong defensive performance.

"I always say it, winning, whether by three or 10, counts the same. This was a really resilient effort by these guys tonight, especially on the defensive end," said USF head coach Chris Johnson, who recorded his 151st win at USF. "When we couldn't find any offense late, we stuck to our defensive principles and really forced WSU into some tough shots late. Plus, I think we had some really fine efforts, including Clint (Thomas), who made some big shots. I thought Tom Aase and Drew Guebert did great work on the boards, which was really important at the end."

The Warriors pulled within two points late, including 55-53 with a minute to play. However, Mack Johnson, who had 10 points, converted a driving jumper and then hit a free throw with 17 seconds left to give USF a 58-55 lead. WSU put up two late three point attempts from Corey Jeffs and Riley Bambanek, but the shots did not fall as the Cougars swept WSU in the season series.

Aside from Johnson and Thomas, USF received 10 points from Daniel Hurtt, who added three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Zach Wessels had nine points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. In addition, two players had double digit rebounds as the Cougars outboarded WSU, 37-30. Sophomore forward Drew Guebert had eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds while junior forward Tom Aase supplied 10 boards, including five off the offensive glass. He also had four points and a block in 23 minutes of work.

While the Cougars won the battle of the boards, WSU (22-of-51, 43.1 percent from floor) outshot USF, which was 22-of-55 for 40 percent for the game. USF, which hit 14-of-27 shots for 51.9 percent in building a six-point half-time lead, were just 8-of-28 from the field in the second half for 28.6 percent.USF was 7-of-21 from three-point range with Thomas hitting 3-of-4 with Guebert and Hurtt added a pair from distance. Meanwhile, WSU hit just 6-of-22 from three point range for 27.3 percent.

The first half was a tale of runs as the Warriors opened fast, jumping ahead 8-0 after a three from Josh Mongan with 18:03 to play. But the Cougars responded with a 20-4 run and led 20-12 after a Thomas three-pointer at the 10:45 mark. WSU rallied back, cutting USF's lead to 24-22 with 7:32 to play when Jeffs, who had 13 points, hit his second three of the night and Isaiah Gray converted a drive inside. Then, it was the Cougars' time for a run, ripping off a 7-0 spurt with Aase's lay-up with 4:23 to play giving USF a 31-22 advantage.

The Warriors cut the lead to four before two free throws from Kebu Johnson pushed the lead to eight with 1:51 to go. WSU's Tommy Gathje, who had nine points and eight rebounds on the night, finished scoring in the half with a jumper (:55) as USF took a 35-29 lead to the break.

The second half had a back-and-forth feel early as the Cougars took a 41-33 lead at the 16:57 mark on a free throw by Wessels. Then, WSU rallied back with Connor Flack, who led WSU with 14 points, connecting on a lay-up to trim the deficit to 43-38 (15:09).

The Cougars were able to assert control when Thomas (13:57) and Hurtt (13:29) connected on back-to-back threes for a 49-39 advantage. A layup by Thomas with 10:16 to play, pushed the advantage to 13 (51-38). With seven minutes to play, WSU began their rally back as Flack's three-pointer cut the deficit to 53-44 (7:23). Three foul shots by Riley Bambenek (5:00) and a lay-up by Flack reduced the deficit to just a basket at 53-51 with 3:14 to play.

Neither team was able to score until Hurtt converted a pair of free throws for a 55-51 advantage with 1:11 to play. Gray answered WSU to draw to 55-53 with one minute to play. USF returned the favor as M. Johnson drove to the right side of the basket and banked in a short jumper with 41 seconds to play. With 19 seconds to play, Gathje scored inside and was fouled but missed the "and 1" opportunity.

With 17 seconds left, M. Johnson hit 1-of-2 free throws and the Cougars employed tough defense to hold off WSU. As a result, USF won for the second straight time at home, improving their season mark to 6-5 at the Stewart Center.

Next up for the Cougars will be a road trip north to face Bemidji State on Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. and Minnesota Crookston at 6 p.m. on Jan. 14.