SIOUX FALLS – With four wins in five games to open the 2019-20 season, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (4-1) will welcome a familiar foe – University of Minnesota Crookston (4-2) – to the Stewart Center on Tuesday, Nov. 26. While USF and UMC are both members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the matchup Tuesday will be of nonconference variety with game time set for 7 p.m.   

After playing UMC, the Cougars will host travel partner Southwest Minnesota State in USF's home NSIC opener at 7 pm on Saturday, Nov. 30.

Fans can watch USF Men's Basketball live with veteran play-by-play announcer Tom Frederick providing commentary, clicking here for live stats or follow along on Twitter at USF_Athletics.
 
The Cougars, directed by the all-time wins leader Chris Johnson (199 wins at USF), had a 2-0 weekend at the Dacotah Bank Classic, hosted by Northern State, on Nov. 22-23 in Aberdeen. The next win for Johnson will be No. 200 for the 12^th year head coach at USF (13 overall years coaching).

With 16 points and 13 rebounds from Austin Slater, the Cougars turned back Chadron State, 62-59, in the first game at the Dacotah Bank Classic. In game two, junior guard William Lybaek had 15 points, including a trio of threes, and Teathloach Pal added 14 points and eight rebounds as USF captured its third straight victory with a 77-70 decision over CSU-Pueblo, also at the Dacotah Bank Classic.

In winning their 10^th straight home opener, the Cougars handed Dakota State a 72-51 nonconference setback on Nov. 16 at the Stewart Center.  Earlier USF was 1-1 at the Central Region Challenge in Kansas City. USF defeated Lincoln University, 64-63, as Austin Slater had a career-high 22 points on Nov. 8. They also took a 62-55 loss to Pittsburgh State on Nov. 9 at the Central Region Challenge.

Inside look at Minnesota Crookston
On Tuesday, UMC (4-2) faces USF with two straight wins. Most recently the Golden Eagles picked up their second straight win as senior forward Javier Nicolau and senior guard Harrison Cleary had double doubles in a 92-63 win over NAIA foe Waldorf at Lysaker Gym in Crookston, Minn. Cleary led the way with 25 points and 10 assists on 10-14 shooting, with three makes from behind the arc. Nicolau also finished with a double-double, which was first career double-double with a career-high 18 points with 10 rebounds. Cleary is one of the NSIC best with 2,236 career points and ranks second all-time in points in the NSIC. Through six games, he is averaging a league-high 26.7 points and has 21 made threes this season as he is hitting 40 percent from the floor. Brian Sitzman is adding 12 points per game for UMC which is averaging 74.8 points per game as a team and allowing 70.5. UMC is a veteran unit directed by head coach Dan Weisse, who is in his sixth season at UMC.

Series - USF leads, 8-2
The Cougars have an 8-2 decision over UMC with an 82-74 decision a year ago.

Breaking down USF through five games
With three double doubles in five games this season, junior forward Teathloach Pal is one-half of a strong front court combo with junior Austin Slater. Pal was named the NSIC Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Nov. 18 after scoring a career-high 26 points and grabbing 16 rebounds in the win over Dakota State at the Stewart Center. Pal, a junior forward from Fridley, Minn., is leading USF and averaging a double double with 13.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, which ranks third in the NSIC.

Through five games, Pal has produced four double digit scoring games and eight in his career.  Pal had a career-high 17 boards against Pitt State and registered double doubles in three straight games to open season. 

Junior forward Austin Slater is averaging 13.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. He has reached double digits four times in five games. Slater has seven career double digit scoring games and three doubles doubles with seven games of double figure rebounds. He scored a career-high 22 points to lead USF to a 64-63 win against Lincoln and then had a team-high 14 points in a 62-55 loss to Pittsburg State. He had his first double double of the season against Chadron State on Nov. 22 after scoring 16 and grabbing 13 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Chase Grinde is also nearly scoring double digits for USF with 9.4 points per game while adding 5.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He had a season-high 12 points against Pittsburg State and has scored eight against Lincoln and DSU. He had his second double digit scoring game with 11 points against Chadron State and added eight points and five rebounds against CSU Pueblo. Grinde has nine double digit career scoring games.

Also for USF, William Lybaek had a career-high 15 points with a career-high three triples against DSU on Nov. 16 and also had 15 points with three treys against CSU Pueblo on Nov. 23. He also had 10 points and a triple against CSC. Lybaek has reached double digits for a third straight game and has hit 7-of-16 from three for 43.8 percent. He is 14-of-28 for 50 percent from the field.
 
As a team, USF is averaging 66.0 points and allowing 61.0 per game, which ranks second in the NSIC. The Cougars own a 38.6-to-30.2 rebound edge and have 330 total points with 150-to-126 first half edge and 180-to-179 margin in the second half. To this point, USF is shooting 41.9 percent (116-of-277) from the field and 24-of-101 from three-point range for 23.8 percent. They have made 70.5 percent mark on 74-of-105 free throw conversions. Defensively, they have held opponents to 38.5 percent (99-of-257), from the field which ranks fourth in the NSIC. Opponents hit 31.1 percent (5^th in the NSIC) from three on 33-of-106 shooting.

Teathloach Pal named  NSIC Men's Player of the Week for the first time
Junior forward Teathloach Pal, who set a career-highs with 26 points and also grabbed 16 rebounds in a 72-51 win over Dakota State Saturday, Nov. 16, was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week, according to an announcement Nov. 19 by the league office. Pal of Fridley, Minn., earned his first-ever NSIC Men's Player of the Week honor after a dominating performance against Dakota State.  In 31:33 on the floor, Pal, who registered his third straight double double and now has eight in his career, was 12-of-16 from the field and made 2-of-3 free throws as he established a career-best point total. He also had 16 rebounds as he had eight offensive boards while also dishing three assists.  

Cougars picked to finish fourth in the NSIC South
USF has been picked to finish fourth in the South Division and tied for 10th overall in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, according to the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll released earlier this fall.15. USF, The Cougars officially opened practice on Oct. 15 and returned three starters & seven letter winners from a team that was 19-11 overall and 13-9 in league play as they advanced to the NSIC Quarterfinals for a fourth straight year.

Minnesota State was selected by the league coaches as the preseason favorites in the NSIC for the 2019-20 season. The Mavericks received 214 points with seven first place votes and six points ahead of Augustana with 208 points and six first place votes. Minnesota Duluth was third with 196 points and three first place votes. USF was 10th overall, and tied with Wayne State for 10th with 96 points. In the South Division, USF was fourth with 25 points. They sit behind favorite MSU, 47 points, five first place votes; Augustana, 44 points, three first place votes and Winona State with 37 points.

USF gets 15 from Lybaek and 14 from Pal in 77-70 win over CSU-Pueblo
USF Men's BB 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 on Nov. 23. 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, who was 5-for-9 and made 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.

USF turns back Chadron State as Slater has double double
USF started their travels to Aberdeen for the Dacotah Bank Classic with a closely-contested, 62-59 victory over the Chadron State Eagles (0-4) on Nov. 22. Leading the way for the Cougars were the trio of Austin Slater, Chase Grinde, and William Lybaek, all of whom eclipsed double-digits in scoring with 16, 11, and 10, respectively. Slater rounded out the night with a double-double, recording 13 rebounds in addition to his 16 points. The Cougars fell behind 9-4 early but used a 19-0 run to take a 29-17 lead at halftime. CSC outscored USF, 42-33, in the second half to tighten things up. On the night, USF hit 21-of-52 field goals for 40.4 percent and made 5-of-13 from three-point range for 38.5 percent. USF, which hit 15-of-24 shots from the charity stripe, held a 36-to-27 rebound advantage. Slater, who reached double digits for the third time this season with his first double double of the campaign, made 5-of-9 field goals and his only three-point shot. He also had 13 boards  with six on the offensive glass while handing out an assist and blocking a shot. Lybaek had his second straight double digit scoring game with 10 points as he made 4-of-8 field goals and hit 1-of-2 from three-point range.

USF cruises to 72-51 win over Dakota State in home opener
Teathloach Pal set a career-high with 26 points and grabbed 16 rebounds to lead the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (2-1) to a 72-51 nonconference win over Dakota State in the home season opener on Nov. 16 at the Stewart Center. After leading just 25-24 at the halftime break, the Cougars shot a blistering 63.6 percent in the second half on 21-of-33 shooting to build a 23-point lead and cruise to the victory. In 31:33 on the floor, Pal, who registered his third straight double double and now has eight in his career, was 12-of-16 from the field and made 2-of-3 free throws as he established a career-best point total. He just missed tying his career high of 17 rebounds as he had eight offensive boards while also dishing three assists. William Lybaek also had a career-night with 15 points as he knocked down 6-of-9 field goals and made 3-of-5 three-pointers. The six field goals, nine attempts and the trio of treys also set career-bests for the redshirt junior from Trondheim, Norway. USF also had eight points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals from sophomore Chase Grinde, who continues to fill up the stat sheet. For the game, USF hit 31-of-63 shots for 49.2 percent and knocked in a season high 7-of-24 from three-point range for 29.2 percent. USF, which held a significant 41-22 rebound edge, made 3-of-7 free throws, four shots and had 18 assists on the 31 made baskets.

Recap – USF goes 1-1 at Central Region Challenge in KC –
 Cougars edge Lincoln, 64-63: With a career-high 22 points from Austin Slater and Teathloach Pal's sixth career double (13 points, 13 rebounds), USF successfully opened the season with a 64-63 come-from-behind win over Lincoln University in nonconference play at the Central Region Challenge at the Municipal Auditorium. The Cougars trailed by 10 points in the first half (16-6, 9:54, 1^st half), but rallied to within a point at halftime (29-28) and then outscored LU, 36-34, in the second half to record the win. USF, which led 62-57 with 1:50 to play, received a pair of free throws from Slater with under five seconds to play to ice the game (64-60). Slater, a junior forward who made a career-best 16-of-20 free throws, hit 3-of-5 field goals and grabbed eight rebounds with three assists and a steal in 29 minutes. In his 32 minutes on the floor, junior forward Teathloach Pal had 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and 5-of-6 at the foul line while grabbing 13 rebounds for his fifth career double. In addition, Pal had two assists, two blocks and a steal. Sophomore guard Chase Grinde added eight points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals before fouling out. Freshman guard Jack Thompson, who gave USF its first second half lead with a three-ball, added eight points on 3-of-3 shooting from the floor. Thompson knocked down both of his three-point field goals. USF hit 18-of-48 field goals for 37.5 percent but converted 10-of-24 in the second half for 41.7 percent. The Cougars struggled from three-point range on 4-of-21 shooting for 19 percent. However, the Cougars had a solid performance at the foul line by hitting 24-of-31 for 77.4 percent. One of the nation's top rebounding units a year ago, USF outboarded Lincoln, 38-37. While USF committed 14 turnovers, they forced 13 by Lincoln and held the Blue Tigers to 32.1 percent shooting (18-of-56) from the floor. LU was just 8-of-29 for 27.6 percent in the second half when USF's defense came through. At the three-point line, LU was 8-of-27 for 29.6 percent and 19-of-24 at the foul line for 79.2 percent.
 
Coo fall to Pitt State, 62-55: Despite Teathloach Pal's seventh career double double  (12 points, 17 rebounds), USF dropped a 62-55 nonconference decision to Pittsburg State (1-1) at the Central Region Challenge at Municipal Auditorium. Pal scored 12 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds. USF was led in scoring for a second straight night by junior forward Austin Slater, who had 14 points and five rebounds before fouling out. He hit 4-of-6 field goals and 2-of-3 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Chase Grinde supplied 12 points and five rebounds while senior Devin Green had 10 points and three rebounds. USF had a rebounding advantage as they had 36 boards to 32 for Pitt State. USF made 20-of-51 field goals for 39.2 percent but converted just 4-of-17 shots from three-point range for 23.5 percent. That proved to be a big difference as Pitt State knocked in 10-of-23 for 43.5 percent from three-point range. In that three-point breakdown, they were 7-of-15 for 47 percent in the second half.  Overall PSU was 20-of-52 for 38.5 percent and 12-of-17 at the foul line. The Cougars, which trailed by eight points with 8:22 to play, made 11-of-17 free throws for 64.7 percent. USF held a 27-22 lead at halftime and led by as many as 13 points (20-7, 7:15; 22-9, 6:38, 1^st half) in the opening half. However, Pitt State outscored USF, 40-28 in the second half to grab a 62-55 win in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.  

USF directed by all-time wins leader HC Chris Johnson
University of Sioux Falls head men's basketball coach Chris Johnson, who was named the school's 22nd head coach in 2008 begins his 12th season at the helm of the program. Since taking over, Johnson has guided the Cougars to five 20-win seasons, three post-season appearances, two conference tournament championships and one regular season conference crown. Just twice in his run have the Cougars finished below .500. In fact, he has led the team to 15 wins 10 times and recorded five 20-win seasons with the 25-10 campaign in 2009-10 the best finish. At the NCAA DII level, USF's mark of 20-10 in 2017-18 is a program-best. The 2017-18 team also finished 14-8 (5th overall) in league play and that is also the top mark for league wins. A year ago, he directed USF to a 19-11 mark (13-9 in the NSIC) and USF has 39 wins in past two seasons. After a 4-1 start this year, he is 199-144 (.580) at USF. The program's career wins leader, he passed Shane Murphy (154, 2001-08) two years ago. Johnson, who is 215-159 (.575) and will coach his 375^th career game on Tuesday against UMC overall, has compiled a 109-42 mark at home and a 56-80 road record with a 17-13 mark on a neutral floor. In NSIC play, he has a 70-84 record, including a 56-30 mark in home league games.