SIOUX FALLS – For the second straight game, the No. 24 University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball team (2-0) placed three players in double digits, including 18 from sophomore guard Jack Thompson, as the Cougars rallied for a 71-68 overtime win over the University of Mary (0-2) at the Stewart Center on Sunday.
Besides Thompson, the Cougars had major contributions from senior forward Teathloach Pal with 12 points and nine rebounds and junior guard Troy Houghton, who had 12 points and a game-high five steals. With the come-from-behind victory, USF has beaten U-Mary for the fifth straight time and moved its edge in the overall series to 9-2. At 2-0, USF stays at home to face Upper Iowa on Jan. 8-9 with tip set for Friday at 6 pm and on Saturday at 4 pm.
USF Head Coach Chris Johnson, who recorded his 235th career victory, including 219 at USF, was pleased with the resilience his team showed in rallying from a double-digit halftime deficit.
"I don't think we played very well in the first half and Mary had a lot to do with that as they played with more energy than we did," said Johnson, whose team had 15 offensive boards and a 40-32 overall edge on the glass. "We had a 15-point deficit but we cut it to 12 by the break. Then we had an 18-point run and built a little bit of a cushion."
And, Johnson noted that being down just 12 was important as his team came out after the break with tough, intense defensive pressure and started making plays on both ends.
"With three minutes to play in the second half, we did a few things that we would like to have back. We had some mistakes and didn't execute great but we found a way (to win). This weekend with two wins provides us with a good starting point. We are 2-0 but we know we have to be a lot better moving forward", added Johnson, whose team had five blocks, 13 steals, held a 30-18 margin in paint points, and a 17-6 advantage in fast break points.
Sunday's game vs. Mary was like a reversal of sorts from Saturday. In game one, the Cougars, which has won 24 of its past 32 games, shot well and opened a 41-28 halftime lead before prevailing, 64-60. Today, Mary jumped out to a big halftime lead on the strength of outstanding shooting from the perimeter. The Marauders hit seven first-half threes to take a 37-25 lead.
U-Mary led by as many as 15 in the opening 20 minutes and was ahead 37-22 with under a minute to play in the half. However, Pal had a three just before half to cut the lead to 12. Then, the Cougars opened the second half on an 18-0 run for a 43-37 advantage. Eventually, USF led by 11 (56-45) with 5:33 to play before U-Mary had a closing 14-3 run to send it into overtime. USF, which had five points from Thompson and four by Pal in overtime, won with a 12-9 overtime margin.
Thompson, who was named to the All-NSIC freshman team a year ago, hit 5-of-16 field goals, and 8-of-10 foul shots, while grabbing seven rebounds, recording two steals and one assist in 42 minutes of work.
Pal, a returning All-NSIC standout, contributed 12 points, including a three for a second straight game, and 5-of-5 on free throws. Pal was just short of a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds. Pal, who had his 26th double digit game today, is averaging a team-high 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks this season.
Houghton had one of his best games at USF. Houghton, who reached double digits for the ninth time at USF, scored 12 points by making 4-of-10 field goals, 1-of-3 three's, and 3-of-7 free throws. Houghton also grabbed two rebounds, two blocks, and registered a game-high five steals to help lead the Cougars to another victory.
Overall, USF was 21-of-63 from the field for 33.3 percent and 4-of-16 from three-point range for 25 percent. The Cougars had a 25-to-18 advantage at the foul line as both teams hit 75 percent at the charity stripe.
As for U-Mary, All-NSIC forward Matthew Kreklow, who surpassed 1,000 career points on Saturday, scored over 20 points for a second straight day. In 37 minutes, he scored 21 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Trevor Kaiser added 15 for the Marauders, going 5-of-12 on field goals and knocking down 4-of-6 free throws. The Marauders hit 20-of-48 field goals for 41.7 percent and was 10-of-22 from three-point range for 45.5 percent.
