SIOUX FALLS -- The University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (22-7), which has put together the best regular season in the program's DII history and won the NSIC South title, will face Minnesota State (15-14) in the quarterfinal round of the NSIC Sanford Health Tournament on Saturday (Feb. 29) at 5:30 pm. The Cougars, which will be led by NSIC Coach of the Year Chris Johnson and All-NSIC performers Chase Grinde, Teathloach Pal and Jack Thompson, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 79-68 win over Minot State in the first round of the tournament on Wednesday (Feb. 26).

NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tournament

(S4) Augustana vs  (N1) Northern State, 12:00 PM

(S2) Upper Iowa at (N3) MSU Moorhead, 2:30 PM

((S1) Sioux Falls vs (S.5) Minnesota State, 5:30 PM

((N2) Minnesota Duluth vs. (S3) Winona State, 8:00 PM

USF in NSIC Tourney  - Breakdown

The Cougars stand  5-7 in the NSIC Postseason Tournament, including five straight road wins in the opening round. The Cougars played and won a first round home game in the tourney for the third straight season. USF, which have won 8-of-10 games, defeated Minot State, 79-68.  After the best regular season in the program's DII history, the winning continued in the post season for the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (22-7), which used 20 points from sophomore guard Chase Grinde and double-digits by four others to turn back Minot State, 79-68, in the opening round of the NSIC Sanford Health Tournament at the Stewart Center on Wednesday night. Grinde, who has led USF in scoring all season (12.8 ppg) had a solid performance and now has 21 career games, including 14 straight, in double-digits. He reached 20 points in a game for the fourth time of his career as he made 6-of-10 field goals and was 4-of-6 from three. A Spring Grove, Minn., native, Grinde also hit 4-of-5 free throws, had four rebounds and dished a career-best eight dimes. He was joined by four others in double-digit points as the Cougars captured its third straight home first round NSIC Tourney win.

Now the Cougars will battle Minnesota State, a team they beat twice in the regular season, 86-81, at the Taylor Center in Mankato on Dec. 7 and 71-64 on Jan. 10 at the Stewart Center. MSU was the South favorite while USF was picked 10th in the preseason polls. Both squads feature strong imposing front lines. USF is led by Chase Grinde while MSU has a standout in Cameron Kirksey, who is scoring 17.8 ppg.

Chase Grinde had 20 points to lead five players in double-digits as USF took a 79-68victory in a first round NSIC Tournament game at the Stewart Center.  Austin Slater added 13 points and seven rebounds for USF which outscored MiSU, 42-34 in the second half after owning jut a 37-34 lead at the break.

Northern State 79 USF 76, March 3, 2019

Trevon Evans led four players in double digits with 17 points but the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (19-11) had their season come to a close in a heart-breaking 79-76 loss to Northern State (24-6) on March 3, 2019 in the quarterfinals of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament at the Sanford Pentagon. USF lost for the fourth straight year in the NSIC quarterfinals but gave another valiant effort which ended the careers of five seniors, including first-team All-NSIC performers Evans and Drew Guebert, who finished his career with 13 points. Senior guard Aaron Rothermund added 15 points and knocked in a trio of treys. Seniors Justin Taylor and Jacoby Odegaard also had their careers at USF come to an end. The Cougars, which trailed 45-40 at halftime and by 10 points at 54-44 with 16:05 to play, outscored NSU, 36-34 in the second half, and rallied to tie the game at 73 with 1:58 to play on two foul shots by Guebert. NSU closed the game on a 6-3 advantage to advance to the NSIC semifinals.

Game Notes: Keyed by a fast start and high energy throughout the night, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team rolled to a 96-51 victory over Minot State in the NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tournament at the Stewart Center on Feb. 27, 2019. USF opened with a 15-3 lead and led 44-25 at halftime. In the second half, the Cougars doubled up the Beavers, 52-26, to take a decisive 96-51 victory and avenge a 75-70 loss to MiSU on Jan. 19 at the Stewart Center. Keying the victory was a pair of USF seniors. All-NSIC guard Trevon Evans had 23 points, three rebounds, five assists and a steal in 30 minutes of work. Aaron Rothermund also reached double digits with 16 points, including 4-of-6 from three-point range and 5-of-8 overall from the field. He also provided four rebounds, assist and steal. The Cougars, which shot 55.6 percent from the field (35-of-63) received points from 13 players.

St. Cloud State 67 Sioux Falls 56

Game Notes: Drew Guebert had a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds but USF (20-10) dropped a 67-56 decision to St. Cloud State (23-7) in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Sanford Health Tournament on Feb. 24, 2018 at the Sanford Pentagon. SCSU, the No. 2 seed, also had 13 points, four assists and two steals from Trevon Evans. Gage Davis had 18 points and 11 rebounds to lead SCSU, which led from start to finish. USF cut the lead to eight points twice in the second half but were outscored, 32-31 after trailing 35-25 at the halftime break.

Sioux Falls 98 Minnesota Crookston 68, Feb. 21, 2018

Game Notes: Trevon Evans scored 23 points with 10 assists, Drew Guebert added 20 points and Aaron Rothermund supplied 17 as USF (20-9) shot 60.3 percent from the floor in rolling past Minnesota Crookston (10-18) on Feb. 21, 2018 in the first round of the NSIC Sanford Health Postseason Tourney at the Stewart Center. It was USF's third straight opening round win in the league tournament but the first at home.  Rothermund hit a career-best five triples on seven shots and was 6-of-9 from the floor. USF led, 41-27, at halftime and outscored the Golden Eagles, 57-41 in the second stanza. The victory helped USF win a program-best 20 wins in a season. ???????

Southwest Minnesota State 79 Sioux Falls 68, NSIC Quarterfinals, Feb. 25, 2017

Game Notes: Drew Guebert had 19 points, including four three pointers, and Mack Johnson added 16 but the Cougars (15-17) lost to the eventual NSIC Tournament champions for a second straight year on Feb. 25, 2017. SMSU (24-5), led by 34 points by Ryan Bruggeman, led 38-33 at halftime and outscored the Cougars 41-35 in the second half. USF shot 36.9 percent while the Mustangs made nearly 51 percent from the floor. Both teams had 36 rebounds but USF's 8-to-4 edge in made threes was enough to overcome the shooting discrepancy and SMSU's 21-to-12 edge in free throws. 

Sioux Falls 80 Minot State 77, Feb. 22, 2017, First Round, Minot State Dome

Game Notes: A game-winning three pointer with 2.8 seconds to play by sophomore Drew Guebert lifted USF (15-16) to a come-from-behind 80-77 victory over Minot State (14-16) in the opening round of the NSIC Sanford Health Tournament on Feb. 22. Guebert had 23 points, setting a career-high with six made threes. The Cougars rallied from a 61-54 second half deficit behind the shooting artistry of Guebert, who had 16 points and five threes in the second 20 minutes of play. Zach Wessels had 14 points and Mack Johnson, 13, for USF. Tyler Rudolph had 21 points for MISU.

Game Notes: USF (17-13) pushed top seeded and city rival Augustana (26-2) to the limit before falling, 105-100, in the NSIC Quarterfinals before a full house of 3,182 fans at a raucous Sanford Pentagon. The Cougars put a scare into the #2 nationally ranked Vikings but a huge difference at the foul line and a slight edge in shooting percentage was the difference. The Cougars had a season-high six players in double figure points, including 20 from Clint Thomas while Mack Johnson added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Daniel Hurtt added 13.

Sioux Falls 80 Minn. Duluth 74, Feb. 24, 2016, Romano Gym, Duluth, Minn.

Game Notes: Mack Johnson scored 28 points and added six rebounds and three assists as USF won its first-ever NSIC Tournament game, on the road in Duluth, Minn. Jordan Stotts had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds for USF which hit 8-of-14 from three point range. Pierre Newton had 32 for UMD.

Northern State 73 USF 62, Bob Wachs Arena,  Aberdeen, S.D., Feb. 25, 2015.

Game Notes: USF, which hit 7-of-12 from 3 point range, was led by Charles Ward with 17 points and three treys. Jordan Stotts had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and Mack Johnson added 13 points. Tyler Storruston had 19 to lead NSU.

St. Cloud State 86 Sioux Falls 75, Halenbeck Hall, St. Cloud State, Feb. 26, 2014

Game Notes: The Cougars lost a high-scoring affair with SCSU, falling 86-75 as the Huskies hit 53.4 percent from the field.  USF was led by  Ward with 17 while Mahlon Jones and Mack Johnson added 13. MJ was 3-of-4 on 3's.  Matt Craggs had 29 for SCSU while Jordan Poydras added a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists.

Northern State 63 USF, 60, Bob Wachs Arena, Aberdeen, S.D., Feb. 27, 2013
Game Notes: Despite 23 from Robert Goffney, USF fell to NSU,  which had 21 from Collin Pryor.  The Cougars, which outrebounded the Wolves, 37-31, were hurt by 15 turnovers. NSU had just eight. ???????

MSU owns a 17-6 all-time record against USF

The Cougars trail MSU, 17-6, in the all-time series after an 86-81 win at the Taylor Center on Dec. 7, 2019 and a 71-64 home win over MSU on  Jan. 10 at the Stewart Center. Overall, USF has won three straight games against MSU and is victorious in four of the last five meetings. USF's only loss in that span was an overtime 87-84 loss at the Stewart Center. When, USF won on Dec. 7 at the Taylor Center, USF had 21 points from Chase Grinde and 14 by Troy Houghton. The Cougars hit 29-of-55 shots from the field for 52.7 percent as they surpassed 50 percent shooting for a third straight game. USF, which was 24-of-35 from the foul line and his 4-of-9 from three-point range, held a 36-to-28 margin on the boards. In the win on Jan. 10, the Cougars were led by 21 points from freshman guard Jack Thompson.  He was 6-of-10 from the floor and made a career-high eight free throws in eight attempts. Thompson, who scored USF final 10 points of the game, also had four rebounds, four assists and a steal in 38:39 minutes on the floor.  USF, which has won three straight and four of five against the Mavericks, rallied from a 46-38 deficit with 15:38 to play to earn the seven-point win. Crucial to USF's success was controlling the boards as they have now done in 13-of-15 games. They outrebounded MSU, 30-26. In addition, USF had fewer turnovers (12) than the Mavericks (15) while outshooting their opponents for a third straight game. USF was 25-of-51 for 49 percent while MSU hit on 23-of-49 field goals for 46.9 percent. The Mavericks made 7-of-22 from three-point range but USF had the advantage at the foul stripe. The Cougars made 17-of-20 for 85 percent while MSU was 11-of-18 for 61.1 percent. After trailing 36-32 at halftime, USF outscored the Mavericks, 39-28, in the second half to take a seven-point win. 

A year ago, Trevon Evans and Drew Guebert led USF to a dominating 74-46 win over NSIC South Division Leader Minnesota State on Jan. 11, 2019. Evans scored a game-high 27 points with five rebounds, four assists, a block, steal and just one turnover in 35 minutes of action. Evans had seven field goals, two three-pointers and made 11-of-12 from the foul line with his second straight game of 27 points or more. Guebert had 18 points and seven rebounds with two assists. Against the Mavericks, Guebert made 7-of-14 shots from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. USF opened the second half on a 9-0 run and proceeded to outscore MSU, 44-26, in the second half. As a result, USF defeated MSU for the first time in seven games at the Taylor Center. The Cougars had a 54-40 margin over the Mavericks, including a 13-to-10 edge on the offensive glass. The Cougars, which didn't trail after MSU led 13-12 in the first half, held a 30-to-12 edge of points in the paint and a 14-to-9 margin in points over turnovers. MSU, which shot just 22.6 percent from the field on 14-of-62 shooting, was led by Quincy Anderson with nine points and five rebounds while Cameron Kirksey had eight points and six rebounds. MSU made just 6-of-33 shots from three-point range for 18.2 percent was 12-of-18 from the foul line. On Dec. 7, 2018 at the SC, USF dropped an 87-84 overtime decision to MSU. USF was led by Drew Guebert with 27 points and 10 rebounds and Trevon Evans with 21 points. Carlos Anderson had 30 points to lead MSU. On Feb. 17, 2018, Trevon Evans and Drew Guebert led USF to a 88-81 victory for their first win over MSU since moving to NCAA DII in 2012. Evans scored 33 points, including 18-of-21 from the free throw line, and Guebert supplied 28 points with nine rebounds. Guebert hit 4-of-8 from distance as USF was 7-of-20 from three-point land. MSU was led by Charlie Brown with 28 points and Chris Kendrix with 22. USF took a 99-82 loss to the Mavericks in Mankato on Jan. 19, 2018.  In that loss, USF had 28 points from Guebert and 24 by Evans. The key to the win for MSU was shooting 56.1 percent while USF was at 54.2 percent However, MSU, which was 20-of-32 for 62.5 percent in the second half, made 13-of-20 from three-point range. Interestingly, USF was 17-of-31 from the field in the second half and had a 33-30 rebound margin but made just four treys in 13 attempts. 

Quick Look at USF

With a 17-5 league mark, USF also has the program's top mark through 22 league games in the DII era (since 2012-13) and its 22 wins is also a DII-program best. With the 75-64 regular-season closing win over Wayne State, the Cougars claimed its first-ever South Division title. The Cougars have already surpassed last year's win total of 19 and now has 20 or more wins in two of the past three seasons. USF has 22 wins in a season at the DII level for the first time, surpassing the 20 wins in 2017-18. The Cougars are the only NSIC school is advance to the tourney quarterfinals five straight years.  

How to follow USF Men's BB

Follow USF Men's Basketball on twitter at @USFCooBBall. All USF's home games and NSIC contests are streamed for free through Stretch Internet 

at usfcougars.com/watch. Veteran announcer Tom Frederick will provide play-by-play for both the nonconference games on Stretch Internet and conference games at  KWSN.com. Live stats for home games are available at www.sidearmstats.com/mbball.  

Chris Johnson named NSIC Coach of the Year; Three players named All-League

Three members of the NSIC South Division champion University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team have been named to the All-NSIC squad and 12th-year Head Coach Chris Johnson has been named NSIC Coach of the Year, according to an announcement Thursday, Feb. 27 by the league office. USF sophomore guard Chase Grinde was named to the first team and forward Teathloach Pal was a second team selection while freshman guard Jack Thompson was picked to the honorable mention team. 

In receiving NSIC Coach of the Year honors in a vote of his peers, Johnson, a Bloomington, Minn., native, earned his third coaching honor of his career but the first in the NSIC. Johnson has directed a team, which was picked to finish 10th in the league in the preseason polls, to the NSIC South title while setting a program DII mark with 22 wins in 29 contests.  With 217 career wins at USF, he is the program's all-time leader in career victories. In his career, he has 233 wins and has led USF to 20 wins or more in two of the past three seasons. At USF, he has led the program to six 20-win seasons. Johnson, whose team will face Minnesota State in the NSIC Sanford Health Tournament quarterfinals at 5:30 pm Saturday, Feb. 29, has coached eight All-NSIC performers and six times has recorded 15 or more wins in the NSIC. In home games, he has 125 wins and 90 overall NSIC victories. Also, Johnson has won 51-of-56 nonconference matchups at USF.  Johnson was also the Hauff-MidAmerica/GPAC Coach of the Year in 2010-11 and also the 2004-05 Heart of America Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. A former two-year starter at Central College, he has a Bachelor's degree from Central College and a Master's degree in sports administration from Minnesota State in 2005. He and his wife, Amy, have four children (Bailey, TJ, Zeke and Lucy).

Chase Grinde

Named to the All-NSIC first team for the first time was Grinde, who leads USF with 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Grinde, a 6-4 guard from Spring Grove, Minn., and the son of Wade and Sarah Grinde, has 20 games (27 in his career) with double-digit points, which includes each of the last 14 games. An Academic All-NSIC honoree in 2018-19, he has scored 20 points or more four times, including three times this season. An exercise science major, Grinde has made 50.4 percent from the field on 137-of-202 shooting and a sizzling 48.4 percent from three-point range with 31-of-64 conversions. He averaging a team-high 13.7 points in conference games and hit a sizzling 25-of-47 for 53.2 percent from three-point range.

Teathloach Pal

a 6-9 standout from Fridley, Minn., and son of Sarah Jiech, is averaging 10.9 points and 9.2 rebounds for the Cougars. In earning his first-ever All-NSIC honor, Pal has been a force inside and has made 138-of-241 field goals for 57.3 percent. He has 267 rebounds with 100 on the offensive glass.  Pal ranks fifth in the NSIC in rebounding and second in offensive boards. In his career, he has 14 career double-doubles with eight this season. Pal, who is a business major, has 17 double-digit scoring games, including 11 in the past 14 games.  Also he has 18 career games with double-digit rebounds and 23 with double-digit points.

Jack Thompson

Thompson, a standout freshman guard from Eagan, Minn., is averaging 10.6 points per game and has a career-high 23 vs. Minnesota Crookston on Feb. 1, 2020. A business major and son of Craig and Lisa Thompson, he earned his first selection to the all-conference team. This season he has 15 games with double-digit points with six of 20 points or more.   Thompson has hit 42-of-107 three-pointers for 39.3 percent from three and has 70 assists or 2.3 per game. He ranks second in the league with 1.7 steals (49) per game.

Balanced scoring and stout defense helps USF register best season in DII era

One of the keys to USF's success this season is the team's balanced scoring in which six players average 6.7 points per game or more. Redshirt sophomore guard Chase Grinde leads USF with 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.cJunior forward Teathloach Pal, who has 14 career double-doubles, is supplying 10.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.  He has 18 double-digit scoring games and has a team-high eight double-doubles this season (14 in his career). Eleven times he has double-digit rebounds. Twenty-five times this year and 35 in his career, Pal has led USF in rebounding. Junior forward Austin Slater is adding 9.2 points and has 6.9 rebounds per game.  Slater has four double-digit rebound and 13 double-digit scoring games this season, twice going over 20 (22 vs Lincoln, 11/8/19; 20 vs. St. Cloud State, 12/14/19). 

USF closes January with 7-2 mark; 6-2 in February

USF was 5-2 in November this year and 15-5 over the past three seasons. The Cougars finished  4-1 in December and 11-7 over the past three seasons. In January, the Cougars finished 7-2 record this year and stand 18-8 over the past three seasons. The Cougars have opened February at 6-2. USF was 5-4  a year ago and 6-2 in 2017-18 for a 17-8 record over the past three years in February. 

Breaking it down - USF leading NSIC in both scoring  defense and rebounding defense 

In its move to the top of the NSIC, USF has utilized stout defense and steady rebounding. While USF is averaging 70.3 points for 13th in the NSIC, they lead the NSIC in scoring defense at 66.4 points per game.  As a result, USF is sixth in scoring margin at 3.9 per game.  In rebounding defense, USF is first in the NSIC at 28.5 while sitting fifth  in rebounding overall at 35.6 per game. The Cougars, which average 11.4 offensive boards per game for second in the NSIC, also rank second in rebounding margin at 7.1 per game. Steadily, USF has moved near the top of the league (5th) in steals per game with 6.34 per game. The Cougars have had more steals than opponents in 18-of-29 games and recorded seven or more steals 14 times and twice has had 12 steals in a contest. USF is also ninth in blocked shots at 3.1 per game.  After a slow start this season in shooting from the field, USF has moved up to ninth in the NSIC at 45.2 percent while holding opponents to 43.1 percent for fourth in the NSIC. 

USF is 16-3 when leading at halftime  and 18-2 when shooting better than its opponents.  The Cougars have a season high of 43 boards in a loss at Wayne State. Nineteen times USF has had a margin of six or more boards with a high of 22 against Southwest Minnesota State on Nov. 30 at the Stewart Center.  USF has won the rebound battle in 25-of-29 games, which includes 14-of the past 15 contests. Thirteen times, USF has over 70 points with a high of 87 points in an overtime win over Winona State (87-85) on Jan. 25 at the Stewart Center. When USF has scored 70 points or more, they have an 12-0 record. 

Season Review - 

For the second time (2017-18) in three seasons, USF opened the NSIC season with three straight wins. Then, the Cougars split with UMD and SCSU  and registered a 84-69 road win over SMSU with a 77-65 win at Wayne State and a 65-59 decision over city rival Augustana. The Cougars completed season sweeps of Minnesota State, 71-64, and Concordia St. Paul, 74-59, at the Stewart Center earlier which gave USF an 9-1 record and they opened 8-0 in the South Division. Both were DII program best starts. Since then, USF has an 8-3 league mark for 17-5 which is also the best in DII program history.  In winning the NSIC South, USF had a two-game lead over second place Upper Iowa. The Cougars closed the regular season with a 61-58 home loss to Augustana as the teams split the season series with each winning on the other team's home floor. Then the Cougars handled Wayne State, 75-64, and swept the Wildcats for a third straight year.  After that USF defeated Minot State, 79-68, in the first round of the NSIC Tourney. It was USF's third straight postseason win over the Beavers with two happening in back-to-back seasons at the SC. 

Three weeks ago,  USF defeated Winona State, 51-49, as Teathloach Pal had 18 points and 15 rebounds. The Cougars lost a tightly contested battle with Upper Iowa, 75-69, in Fayette. Two weeks ago at home, USF stopped NSU, 68-61, in a first-place South-North showdown and then upended MSUM, 79-68. USF Cougars picked up their fourth road sweep of the season with  66-54 win at Bemidji State and a 77-62 decision over Minnesota Crookston three weeks ago. Teathloach Pal and Devin Green scored 12 points to lead five USF players in double digit points in the win at BSU. Jack Thompson had a career-high 23 in the victory at UMC. 

In home games on Jan. 24-25, the Cougars recorded an 87-85 overtime win over Winona State on Jan. 25 as Teathloach Pal scored 18 points and 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. Senior captain Devin Green had a career-high 18 points and hit a late three in the game which helped force overtime. USF has gone 2-0 in overtime games at home in each of the past two seasons against WSU. USF also dropped a 68-60 decision to Upper Iowa. USF also had a 59-53 win at U-Mary and dropped a 69-66 decision to Minot State on Jan. 18. 

In the second win (Jan. 10) over Minnesota State, freshman guard Jack Thompson tied a career-best with 21 points to lead Cougars to the win. Devin Green, Troy Houghton and Austin Slater all scored 10 points for USF, which outscored the Mavericks, 39-28, to complete the season sweep with a 71-64 win. In the win over CSP, the Cougars had 16 points from Chase Grinde while Thompson had 12 points while Teathloach Pal and Austin Slater both had 11 points while Devin Green again put up 10 points in the 74-59 road win. As a result, USF defeated the Golden Bears for an eight consecutive time.

In the win on Jan. 3 at Wayne State, USF had a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds from junior forward Austin Slater plus a career-high 16 points from Trevon Adams, who knocked in four threes for the first time in his career at USF.  Chase Grinde supplied 10 points, four assists and four rebounds as USF outscored the Wildcats, 47-37 in the second half.  USF tied a season-high with nine made threes and had just six turnovers. Before 2,371 fans at the Sanford Pentagon, the Cougars defeated then No. 24 (NABC) Augustana, 65-59, as freshman guard Jack Thompson scored 20 points. Thompson hit a career-high five treys and was 7-of-10 from the field. After leading 34-31 at the break, the Cougars outscored Augustana, 31-28, on the Vikings' home floor. In the process USF held AU to its lowest point total on their home floor since 2012 when USF took a 70-58 win at the Elmen Center. 

In closing out 2019, USF recorded an 84-69 road  NSIC win over SMSU in Marshall, Minn., as Thompson scored 18 points. For the first time ever, USF swept SMSU in a season series as a result of the 84-69 road win on Dec. 21. Since the two teams have been playing in the NSIC, the series is tied at 8-8 while SMSU holds the overall lead at 21-14 after USF's second straight win at Marshall, Minn. After a tight first half, USF had an 11-0 run midway through the second half to gain a six-point advantage (48-42, 13:20, 2nd half) and never relinquished the lead.  Thompson hit 6-of-12 shots from the field and knocked in 3-of-6 from three-point range while making all three of his foul shots. In addition, he had three assists and three steals with just one turnover in playing 39 minutes. Senior captain Devin Green surpassed double-digit points with 15 against SMSU. He made 4-of-6 field goals, including 1-of-2 from 3-point range and 6-of-7 at the foul line. Green had seven rebounds and an assist in 20 minutes of work. USF also had 14 points from junior forward Teathloach Pal, who made 6-of-11 field goals and added six rebounds with three assists, two steals and a block. Senior guard Milan Surlic also had 14 points. He hit 3-of-9 shots with two of them from three-point range and was 6-of-6 from the foul line. USF, which built as much as a 16-point lead (4:28, 2nd half, 78-62), led 33-32 at halftime before outscoring SMSU, 51-to-37 in the second half. The 51 points in a half was a season-high. 

On Dec. 13, USF fell to UMD, 100-65, at the Stewart Center as the Cougars hit just 37.5 percent from the floor and made 24.1 percent from three. UMD hit 64.4 percent from the field and knocked in a sizzling 16-of-24 (15-of-20 at one point) from 3-point distance.  Against SCSU on Dec. 14, Austin Slater had 20 points to lead USF to a 73-67 win. USF, which led by as many as 16 points in the first half, hit 46.6 percent from the floor and had five triples while converting 14 foul shots. The Coo also limited SCSU to 39.3 percent shooting. On Nov. 21 at the Stewart Center, the Cougars won a 74-56 decision over SMSU in a game in which Head Coach Chris Johnson picked up his 200th career win at USF. Earlier in USF's NSIC home opener, Chase Grinde had 19 points and Will Lybaek added 14 points while Teathloach Pal added eight points and 13 rebounds for USF in a 74-56 win on Nov. 30.  USF hit just three triples but hit 23-of-46 field goals for 50 percent. In shots inside the circle, USF was 20-of-33 for 60.6 percent.

In USF's NSIC road openers, the Cougars finished 2-0 with a 78-71 win at Concordia St. Paul and a 86-81 victory against league favorite Minnesota State on Dec. 7. In the CSP win, Grinde had 20 points to lead the way while four other players scored in double digit points. Freshman Jack Thompson had 14 points as made four 3-pointers on seven attempts. Pal had his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 boards while blocking two shots and dishing two dimes. In the 86-81 win against Minnesota State, the Cougars led by 17 in the first half and had a double digit lead for much of the second half as they upended MSU for a second straight year at the Taylor Center. Grinde had 21 points and seven rebounds for USF, which also had 15 points from senior captain Devin Green and a career-high 14 from Troy Houghton who made all six of his field goal attempts.  In wrapping up the nonconference season, USF dropped a 94-69 decision to Minnesota Crookston as Harrison Cleary had 40 points. The loss dropped USF to 51-5 in nonconference game with Johnson. 

Also in the nonconference part of the schedule, Austin Slater had 16 points and 13 rebounds as 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 10th 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.