DULUTH, Minn. – On a night when he won his 200^th career game with a 73-66 road Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) win over Minnesota Duluth on Friday, University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Coach Chris Johnson called on two of his best-ever to help him get to the milestone and his team to rebound from a tough home overtime loss.

"You know you win games because good players go out and do pretty neat things," said Johnson, who is now 200-149 (.573) all-time and 184-134 (.579) at USF. "This is a pretty cool feeling. I am proud of it because of the men I have coached and the assistants and others I have worked with along the way," said Johnson, who will coach in his 350^th career game on Saturday at St. Cloud State.

Johnson's milestone win was aided by a 26-point performance from senior guard Trevon Evans, who led USF (8-2, 3-1 NSIC) to their eighth victory in 10 outings this season. With fellow All-NSIC performer Drew Guebert in foul trouble, Evans made 9-of-18 field goals, including 3-of-5 from three-point range to lift USF to the victory. Evans, who scored 20 points in the first half, added seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 39 minutes.

A senior from Wichita, Kan., Evans had his 14^th straight double-digit scoring game, including 10 in a row this year, with 26 points. He now has 36 double-digit games in his career with his 23^rd 20-point game. Of note, Evans now has scored 20 points in four straight games and for the seventh time this year.

Guebert, who played just 18 minutes, finished with 11 points – all in the second half as he played just six minutes in the first half. Guebert, who hit 5-of-10 from the field and his 225^th career three-pointer, also collected two rebounds but made two big shots down the stretch to ensure a USF win. Guebert, who increased his career point total to 1,616 points, now has 75 career double-digit scoring games.

On this night, it was a "team win," as coined by Johnson in his post-game interview with USF play-by-play announcer Tom Frederick.

"Here is the thing, I hope our guys understand how good a win this is. I told them in the locker room that they did some pretty good work tonight against a really good team. We had so many contributions – beginning with Trevon (Evans), who kept us alive in the first half," said Johnson. "Tessy (Teathloach Pal) did so many things. Drew (Guebert) stepped up in the second half in limited time, and Milan (Surlic), Aaron (Rothermund), among others, who stepped up with big plays. I am really proud of these guys," he said.
 
Pal finished with four points, four assists, three blocks, two steals and a team-high eight rebounds. Rothermund made 3-of-4 field goals and had nine points and six rebounds in 23 minutes. USF also had six points and eight rebounds from senior forward Justin Taylor while junior guard Milan Serlic added nine points, three rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal.

USF, which shot 50 percent for the game (30-of-60 field goals), opened the game by shooting 56.7 percent in the first half on 17-of-30 shooting as they took a 38-30 lead. In the second half, they made just 13-of-30 field goals for 43.3 percent but held off UMD which charged into the lead with a 14-4 run to open the second stanza.  From three-point range, USF was 5-of-12 for 41.7 percent and added 8-of-11 from the foul line.

Coming into the game, USF led the league in rebounding. They showcased their work on the boards with a 45-to-26 rebound margin, including 14-to-9 on the offensive glass. UMD, which had 20 points from Logan Rohrscheib, shot 39.7 percent from the field on 25-of-63 shooting. The Bulldogs, which received five three-pointers from Rohrscheib, made 11-of-30 from three-point range for 36.7 percent.

Game Breakdown - 
After USF jumped to a 6-3 lead at the 17:52 mark of the first half, UMD responded with an 8-5 run for an 11-8 advantage (15:09, 1^st H). UMD still led 16-14 (12:30, 1^st H), before USF put together a 10-0 run, keyed by six points from Evans, for a 24-16 advantage with 8:30 left on the block.

UMD fought back to tie the game at 26 on a three-pointer from Rohrscheib (3:47, 1^st H) but a lay-up from Austin Slater, three-ball from Evans and a basket by Surlic was part of a 7-0 run as USF again took control for a 33-26 lead. In a half that included four tie scores and four lead changes, UMD closed within five but Evans knocked down a three at the buzzer as USF led, 38-30, at the break.

In the second half, UMD opened the second half on a 14-4 run for a 44-42 lead at the 15:46 mark when Brandon Myer, who had 12 points, scored on a jumper.  USF answered with a 5-0 run as Rothermund's three-pointer at the 13:34 mark gave USF a 47-44 advantage.

After that sequence, the teams battled back and forth with neither team gaining much of an advantage, until USF took control late in the game. When Evans made a free throw and then finished off a drive with a dunk at the 4:36 mark, the Cougars led, 62-57. The Bulldogs closed within 64-63 (3:05, 2^nd H) before Guebert converted a pair of baskets for a 68-64 lead at the 1:19 mark. After that, Surlic came up big with a jumper and a foul shot as the Cougars led, 71-66, with 26 seconds to play and the issue was decided.

On Saturday, USF will face St. Cloud State (8-2, 3-1) in a North-South match up of two of the league's preseason favorites. The Cougars, picked third overall, and the Huskies, the NSIC preseason favorites, will tip at 5:30 p.m. at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn.