ABERDEEN, S.D.— The University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball team had a battle on hands for their final game of the Dacotah Bank Classic in Aberdeen on Saturday, edging out the Thunderwolves of CSU-Pueblo 77-70.
"Really proud of how competed again tonight," said Head Coach Chris Johnson. "We held the lead for most of the game, but handled their runs with solid poise. We got great contributions from everyone this weekend and that is what has allowed us to get off to a solid start at 4-1. We have a lot of things we still need to get better with, but this group likes to work and likes competing together."
The Cougars did not lead for only 2:19 of the game, leading the rest of the way, with resistance from CSUP.
Senior
William Lybaek led the way on offense, scoring 15 points on 4-for-11 shooting (3-for-9 from three) and a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe. Lybaek also recorded four of the Cougars' 42 rebounds.
Redshirt junior
Teathloach Pal also had a strong night with 14 points (6-for-10), as well as eight rebounds, six of which were on offense.
Rounding out the double-digit scorers for the Cougars was redshirt junior
Austin Slater. Slater went 5-for-9 and a free throw to conclude the night with 11 points. He came just one rebound short of the double-double, recording all nine rebounds on defense.
The Cougars were a threat in the paint, scoring 38 of their 77 points from the paint. Of the 38 points, 14 came in the final 20 minutes to help seal the victory for USF.
Game Notes-
The Thunderwolves' only lead of the game came in the opening minutes, getting their first three points from an and-one opportunity. Lybaek got the next four points, followed by a basket from Pal to make it a 6-4 Cougar lead.
The teams went back-and-forth to two ties at 20-20 and 22-22. At the 22-22 tie with 8:52 left in the first half, the Cougars broke away with a 10-0 run and ended the half on a 19-10 run to go ahead 41-34 at halftime.
The Cougars continued their hot streak into the second half, opening up the final 20 minutes on an 11-5 run to go ahead 52-39 off the Lybaek trey.
The Thunderwolves' Brandon McGhee hit a crucial layup for CSUP with 4:52 left in the game to make it a two-point, 59-57 Cougar lead.
USF did not fret with the newfound life from CSUP, with Slater and
Jack Thompson hitting jumpers, along with a dunk from Pal and a Lybaek three-pointer for a 9-0 run to put the Cougars ahead 68-57 with 2:30 left in the contest. With the game still within 10, CSUP attempted the foul game to get within reach of the Cougars late, but it was for naught as the Cougar defense anchored down for the 77-70 win.
What's Next:
The Cougars will be back at the Stewart Center on Tuesday when they look to defend Ron Eiesland Court in their Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) opener against Minnesota Crookston. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
