WAYNE, NEB. – Led by a career-high 16 points by junior guard Trevon Adams and a double-double from junior forward Austin Slater, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (10-3, 6-1 NSIC) retained a tie at the top of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference with a 77-65 road win over Wayne State (5-11, 2-5 NSIC) at Rice Auditorium.

With a third straight win over Wayne State, including two in a row at Rice Auditorium, the Cougars moved to 10-3 on the season. And, USF, which has won three straight and 5-of-6 games, has a 6-1 record in the NSIC which places the Cougars in a tie for the lead in the NSIC South and overall in the league.

USF Head Coach Chris Johnson, who earned his 205^th career victory at USF, was pleased with his team's performance and particularly that of Evans, a junior point guard who came up big in the first game of 2020. Before tonight, Evans had scored 15 points on the season but totaled 16 tonight with a career-best four three-pointers on eight attempts. Coming off the bench, Evans was 5-of-11 from the floor, made both of his foul shots and also had four rebounds in 22 minutes.

"That was fun to watch him (Trevon Evans) tonight. He was doing the things we needed for him to do," said Johnson, whose team faces city rival Augustana at the Sanford Pentagon at 5:30 p.m., on Saturday, Jan. 4, in a match-up of the league's top two teams. "I really appreciated how he was able to get other guys involved. It was his turn tonight and I was really proud of what he was able to accomplish. I also was pleased with Austin (Slater), among others, who hit some big shots. Overall, I think we played strong defensively and we are getting better offensively. This team has earned its way and I am pleased with the way they have approached each game this year," added Johnson, whose team is averaging 76.7 points per game in its seven league games.

While Evans had his career-best game, Slater added another top performance to his career at USF. A junior forward, Slater had his third career-double double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. He was 5-of-14 from the field and hit 2-of-3 from three-point range with an assist and block in 35 minutes of action. USF had four players in double-digits for the fourth time – all USF wins. Sophomore guard Chase Grinde had 10 points, four assists, three seasons and four rebounds while junior forward Teathloach Pal provided 10 points and eight rebounds with two assists, a block and steal. Pal hit all four of his field goal attempts, which included a dunk in the opening minutes of the game.

While USF lost the rebound battle for just the second time this year, they had a 9-to-7 margin in made three-pointers. The Cougars tied their season-high in made threes and did it while making 47.4 percent (9-of-19) from distance, which was a season-best. USF also had a season-low six turnovers while forcing WSC into 16. The Cougars tied a season-high with 12 steals, a total which they produced for a second straight game.

The Wildcats, which had 10 blocked shots, was led by Jordan Janssen with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Al'Tavious Jackson had 13 points and Nate Mohr provided 12.

Game Breakdown
In the opening half, the two teams traded leads with USF taking an early 7-2 lead before WSC had a 15-5 run to lead 17-12 with 8:52 to play. Then, USF had a game-changing 14-0 run and took a 28-19 lead with 3:18 to play before WSC closed with a run of their own. With a 9-2 closing run, they drew within 30-28 after a Nate Mohr three at the buzzer. However, USF never trailed after their big run.

In the opening half, the Cougars hit 12-of-37 field goals for 32.4 percent and made 5-of-10 from three-point range. Adams led USF with nine points as he hit a season-high three triples. Slater had six points and seven rebounds for USF. WSC, which hit 10-of-26 field goals for 38.5 percent, made just 2-of-10 from distance. However, they had a 6-to-1 margin in made free throws but were hurt by eight turnovers. Jansen had nine points and six rebounds to lead the Wildcats.

USF opened the second half quickly and surged to a 44-33 lead (15:24, 2^nd half) with a 14-5 run. After WSC cut the lead to six (46-40), USF, which was 16-of-33 for 48.5 percent from the field in the second half, used five points from Adams and a Pal basket to take a 58-42 lead (9:23) after a 12-2 run.

The Wildcats responded with a pair of threes to cut the lead to 59-48 before Troy Houghton's drive and score gave USF a 61-48 advantage with six minutes to play. Mohr hit his fourth three of the game at the 6:10 mark to pull WSC within 61-51. But each WSC run was answered by a crucial make at the other end by USF.

After Mohr's three, Grinde scored on a jumper at the 5:54 mark to help USF to a 63-51 advantage.  After Grinde hit a pair of free throws and Slater converted inside, USF took a 67-52 lead. After WSC answered with four straight points including a dunk from Ben Dentlinger at the 3:37 mark, to draw within 67-56, USF freshman guard Jack Thompson had two key baskets. Thompson, who had seven points on the night, hit a jumper (3:05, 2^nd half) for a 69-56 lead. Then, after WSC cut the margin to 10 at 69-59, Thompson hit a three at the 2:07 mark and USF was on its way to a 10^th win of the season.