MINOT, N.D. – Despite 21 points from junior forward Teathloach Pal, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (14-4, 10-2 NSIC) drop a heartbreaker at Minot State (7-11, 1-11), 69-66 in Northern Sun Conference cross division play at the Minot Dome on Saturday (Jan. 18).

In a game with 22 lead changes, the Cougars had a seven-game winning streak end but remained tied for the overall NSIC lead (Northern State, 14-4, 10-2, North Division leaders) at 10-2. With the setback, USF drops to 14-4 overall, which is still the program's top mark through 18 games while in NCAA DII. USF, which will host Upper Iowa (Friday, Jan. 24, 7:30 pm) and Winona State (Saturday, Jan. 25, 5:30 pm) next weekend at the Stewart Center, lead the NSIC South by two games.

USF, which trailed by seven (26-19) in the first half, took a 52-46 lead with 10:22 to play. However, Max Cody, who had 11 points for MiSU, made a pair of jumpers late in the game, including a jumper a minute to go to help the Beavers to a 66-63 lead. USF tied the game on a lay-up by Trevon Adams with 30 seconds left. With nine seconds to go MiSU's Kobe Jackson made his only shot of the game which was a game-winning three-pointer. 

"It was a heart-breaker no doubt," said USF Head Coach Chris Johnson. "We battled all night but didn't seem to find any sustained offensive momentum. Give Minot State credit, they kept finding a way to battle back and take the lead late in the game. We will learn from this and get back to work next week for a couple of tough NSIC games next weekend," said Johnson. 

The Cougars were hurt by their performance at the foul line as they made just 18-of-29 for 62.1 percent. Overall, USF hit 22-of-44 field goals for 50 percent but made just 4-of-14 from three-point range. Inside the arc, they were 18-of-30 for a solid 60 percent.

Pal finished 10-of-15 from the floor and made 1-of-3 foul shots for his 21 points as he reached 20 points for the second time in his career. He also had seven rebounds, two assists and three blocked shots.  Sophomore guard Chase Grinde had 14 points, four assists and three rebounds. USF had a third player in double digits as junior guard Trevon Adams had 14 points and three rebounds. He made three of USF's four three-pointers. Freshman guard Jack Thompson finished with seven points along with a career-high seven rebounds and tied a career-best with six assists.

MiSU broke an 11-game losing streak with its first league win as Kyle Beisch had 18 points which included 11-of-12 shooting at the foul line. Sam Ohlrich had 11 points and made all three of his three-point shots while Kody Dwyer added 12 for the Beavers. MiSU hit 23-of-54 shots for 42.6 percent and made 15-of-20 free throws. The difference in the game was the Beavers had an 8-to-4 advantage from 3-point range.

USF lost for just the second time in 13 games when leading at the break. They held a 37-35 halftime margin but was outscored 34-29 in the second half.

Game Recap -
In the opening half, both teams had their offenses flowing and early on were shooting over 60 percent from the floor. MISU hit nine of their first 15 shots and USF made 9-of-14. Then, things started to settle down. The Cougars, which had 17 points from Pal in the opening half, made 12-of-22 field goals for 54.5 percent while MiSU, which was led by eight points from Kody Dwyer, was 12-of-27 for 44 percent. USF had just two made threes in seven attempts in the opening half while MiSU knocked in 5-of-12 shots from beyond the arc. USF, which trailed by as many as seven points (26-19, 10:23, 1^st half), had an 11-to-6 edge in free throws and USF that advantage to take a 37-35 lead to the break.

At the 15:18 mark, Adams hit his second straight three for a 14-10 lead over Minot State. However, Rothstein hit a three and Kyle Beisch made a pair of foul shot as the Beavers grabbed a 15-14 lead (14:15).  With a foul shot from Austin Slater, the Cougars drew within 19-17 (12:09). With a three by Kyle Beisch, the Beavers put together a 7-2 run to extend their lead to 26-19 with 10 minutes left in the first half.

Following a USF timeout, Thompson scored on a jumper to cut the lead to five (26-21, 9:42). MISU hit 9-of-15 shots to open the game and that included 3-of-6 from three. USF was 9-of-14 for 64.3 percent in the first 11 minutes but MiSU had a 5-1 advantage at the foul line.  At the 7:54 mark, Pal scored again inside and Thompson, who had seven points in the first half, hit a pair of foul shots to cut the lead to 29-27 with 7:06 left in the first half.  Grinde made a pair of foul shots and Slater had another as the Cougars cut the lead to 32-31 with 3:59 to play. But the Cougars were able to grab the first half advantage when Grinde grabbed an offensive board and dished the ball to Pal for a dunk and the 37-35 margin.

In the second half, MiSU opened on a 11-7 run as they took a 46-44 lead with 13 minutes to play. USF, which made 10-of-22 from the field for 45.5 percent in the final 20 minute period, opened the half by making just 3-of-11 shots.  

Despite the slow open to the second half, USF tied the game on dunk by Slater, who had seven points and five rebounds, with 12 minutes on the clock. USF regained the lead at 47-46 with a free throw from Devin Green (11:44). Later a triple from Adams and two foul shots provided USF with a 52-46 margin (9:45) after an 8-0 run.

The Beavers answered with a 5-0 run as two foul shots from Beisch cut the lead to 52-51 with 8:40 to play. Grinde ended the MiSU run by making a lay-up at 6:39 for a 54-51 advantage. With 5:05 to play Slater hit a free throw for a 57-55 lead.

After Beisch tied the game on two foul shots, Grinde had another lay-up for another two-point lead. However, MiSU took a three-point lead at 62-59 after a Beisch basket (3:03). Once again, USF responded when Grinde had a jumper and two foul shots for a 63-62 advantage at the 2:04 mark.

After that Cody came up with a pair of crucial jump shots for a 66-63 lead with 1:03 to play. When USF had a foul shot from Grinde and a lay-up from Adams to tie the game, it set the stage for Jackson's game-winning shot as USF lost on the road (6-1) for the first time in league play.