KANSAS CITY, MO. – Sometimes in sports when things aren't running smoothly, players have to will their team to victory. In a 73-70 overtime victory over the University of Central Missouri on Monday at the Municipal Auditorium, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (4-0) and all-league guard Trevon Evans stayed unbeaten by finding a way to the winner's circle.

After leading by six at 51-45 with 4:54 to play, the Cougars had the cards turned on them by the Mules, who had a 12-0 run to take a 57-51 lead and just 30 seconds to play. Then, Evans, who scored a game-high 28 points, made his presence known by knocking down a pair of three-pointers to draw USF within one point with 15 seconds to play. UCM made a free throw before redshirt Chase Grinde grabbed an offensive rebound and converted inside to tie the game at 59 and force overtime.

In the extra session, Evans hit a three-pointer with 47 seconds left for a 71-70 lead and USF held off UCM in a game in which there were nine tie scores and 15 lead changes. As a result, USF emerged with the 73-70 overtime win and a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2012-13 season.

"I thought we handled adversity pretty well," said USF Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Johnson, who picked up his 196^th career win at the MIAA Challenge. "We had three starters out with fouls and guys like Trevon (Evans) and Chase (Grinde) stepped up and made plays down the stretch. Of course, Trevon had those big threes and made big plays down the stretch and Chase had that huge put back at the end of regulation," said Johnson, whose team will play in the Dacotah Bank Classic on Nov. 23-24 in Aberdeen, S.D. They will face Chadron State on Nov. 23 at 5 p.m., and Truman State on Nov. 24 at 4 p.m.

Against UCM, the Cougars faced second-half foul trouble as starters Drew Guebert, who had 15 points and seven rebounds; and guards Aaron Rothermund and Milan Surlic all fouled out.

Yet, USF was able to pick up a third straight win this season – fifth over the last two years – over a team from MIAA. Part of it came from USF's standout senior guard Evans, who found a way to make clutch shots late on a night when the entire team struggled from the field. Evans hit 7-of-19 field goals which included 4-of-10 three-pointers and 10-of-13 free throws while grabbing five rebounds and dishing three assists.  

USF also received a strong outing from redshirt sophomore Teathloach Pal, who had a double double with 10 points and 14 rebounds while blocking four shots in 23 minutes of work. And, as Johnson noted, players like Justin Taylor and Troy Houghton also shined in y moments.

Despite playing just three minutes, freshman guard Troy Houston had a free throw in overtime and a steal. Taylor, a senior forward, had six points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots as he continued to play well for USF.

"Those guys (Troy and Justin) were huge for us in moments when we needed them. Troy had a big steal while Justin came up with a few huge offensive rebounds and scores. I thought he and Drew (Guebert) showed great leadership all night. I am really proud of our entire team for staying together and finding a way to win a game when we weren't great offensively," said Johnson.

Playing for the first time at the Municipal Auditorium, the Cougars made just 23-of-71 field goals for 32.4 percent. They also converted just 8-of-35 shots from three-point range for 22.9 percent and were 19-of-27 from the foul line.

Led by Pal, USF held a 54-43 rebound edge and that included a 21-to-13 margin in boards off the offensive glass. As a result the Cougars had a major edge of 23-to-6 in second chance points. USF's defense was strong as well with seven blocks and six steals.
They also held UCM to 36.7 percent shooting (22-of-60) and 8-of-27 from three point range. However, UCM hurt themselves by making just 62.1 percent at the foul line on 18-of-29 shooting. Daniel Farris led UCM with 15 points.

Game Breakdown
The Cougars led 24-23 at halftime but were outscored, 36-35 in the second 20 minutes. In overtime USF had a 14-11 edge to pick up the three-point win.

Early on UCM took the lead as Blake Spellman, who had 12 points, knocked down a three-pointer for a 7-0 lead with 15:48 to play in the first half.

A 10-3 run by USF, keyed by a three-pointer from Guebert, tied the game at 10 with 8:50 left in the first half.  The Cougars followed that run with another 10-0 burst as a three-pointer by Evans helped USF build a 20-10 lead with 4:28 to play. Then, UCM answered with a 13-4 run to draw within 24-23 at the break.

Early in the second half, the teams exchanged baskets for the opening five minutes. Two foul shots and a dunk by Pal started an 8-0 USF run and enabled the Cougars to take a 41-34 lead with 12 minutes to play. USF was able to maintain an advantage for the next seven minutes and two foul shots from Evans put USF up 51-45 with 4:54 to play. 

At that point, UCM took control with a 12-0 run with the two foul shots from Farris with 30 seconds to play providing the Mules with a seemingly insurmountable 57-51 advantage. Yet, all that run by UCM did was set the stage for late game heroics from Evans and Grinde as USF remained unbeaten.