SIOUX FALLS - After a 5-4 (1-2 NSIC) start,  the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team continues a three-game conference home stand as the Cougars host Upper Iowa  (7-1, 2-1 NSIC) in a South Division battle Friday at 5:30 pm before meeting Winona State (6-2, 2-1 NSIC) on Saturday at 3:30 pm at the Stewart Center.  USF match up with Winona State is also a South Division game.

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Follow USF Men's Basketball on Twitter at @USFCooBBall or USF_Athletics. All USF's home and road games and NSIC contests are streamed for free through Blue Frame at NSICNetwork.com. Veteran announcer Tom Frederick will provide play-by-play for the conference radio broadcasts on KWSN.com. Live stats for home games are available at www.sidearmstats.com/mbball.   

How Things Stand 

USF is 5-4 and 1-2 in the league after splitting a pair of games in NSIC play this past week. In a city rivalry matchup on Dec. 2, the Cougars lost a close 72-67 decision to Augustana at the Sanford Pentagon. Jake Kettner led USF in scoring with 19 points. Behind 32 points from Matt Cartwright, including the game winner, USF edged Wayne State, 81-79 on Saturday afternoon. Cartwright surpassed 1,000 points against WSC and now sits with 1,008.

When USF hosts Upper Iowa, the two programs will meet for the 19th time with the series tied. USF has won the last two meetings, which were held a year ago by scores of 68-55 and 87-76. UIU, directed by nine-year coach Brooks McKowen, is off to a fast start and has been ranked nationally with a 7-1 record. The Peacocks rank third in the league with 87.6 points per game while allowing 75.5 ppg.  The Peacocks rank fourth in the NSIC in three-point shooting at 38.0  and seventh in field goal percentage at 47.7 percent.  Jareese Williams leads UIU by averaging 18.8 points per game while Joe Smoldt is suppyling 18.3 points per game.  Williams is fifth in the league in three-point shooting at 41.3 percent with Smodt at sixth, 34.7 percent. 

Winona State and USF will meet for the 17th time after not playing a year ago due to CoVID 19. In the last meeting, USF won its third straight against the Warriors with a 51-49 decision in Winona, Minn on Feb. 14, 2020.  On Jan. 25, 2020, USF won an 87-85 overtime decision at the Stewart Center and also won in double overtime, 84-80, on Feb. 15, 2019 also at the Stewart Center. USF is 7-1 against the Warriors at home.

The Warriors are off to a 6-2 start and 2-1 in the league.   Veteran coach Todd Eisner directs the Warriors,  which are led by Alex Rosner with 16.8 points per game.  Overall Winona State is sixth in the league in shooting at 48.5 percent  and averaging 76.0 points per game. On defense, they are third in the league as they give up 67.4 ppg.  

Series Marks -- USF - Upper Iowa -  tied at 9-9

USF will meet Upper Iowa for the 19th time with the series tied at 9-9. A year ago, USF took an 87-76 win on Jan. 9, 2021 by outscoring the Peacocks, 48-37 in the second half. USF also  had a 68-55 win over the Peacocks on Jan. 8, 2021 with both games at the Stewart Center. USF has a 6-4 home record against UIU with its longest winning streak of five games from Jan. 6, 2017 to Feb. 16, 2019. UIU won three straight from Jan. 4, 2013 to Dec. 14, 2013. USF is 7-3 in the last 10 matchups. 
 

Jan. 9, 2021 -- USF 87 Upper Iowa 76, @ Stewart Center

Jan. 8, 2021 -- USF 68 Upper Iowa 55 @ Stewart Center

Feb. 15, 2020 -- Upper Iowa 75 USF 69, @ Fayette, Iowa

Jan. 24, 2020 -- Upper Iowa 68 USF 60 @ Stewart Center

Feb. 16, 2019 -- USF 80 Upper Iowa 60 @ Stewart Center

Jan. 25, 2019 -- USF 81 Upper Iowa 72 @ Fayette, Iowa

Jan. 5, 2018 -- USF 77 Upper Iowa 72 @ Fayette I0wa

Dec. 2, 2017 -- USF 90 Upper Iowa 78 @ Stewart Center

Jan. 6, 2017 -- USF 73 Upper Iowa 57 @ Stewart Center

Dec. 3, 2016 -- Upper Iowa 78 USF 76 @ Fayette, Iowa

Jan. 9, 2016 -- Upper Iowa 81 USF 68 @ Stewart Center

Dec. 4, 2015 -- USF 85 Upper Iowa 79 @ Fayette, Iowa

Jan. 10, 2015 -- Upper Iowa 100 USF 87 @ Fayette, Iowa. 

Dec. 5, 2014 -- Upper Iowa 82 USF 68 @ Stewart Center

Jan. 17, 2014 -- USF 84 Upper Iowa 78 @ Stewart Center

Dec. 14, 2013 -- Upper Iowa 96 USF 87 @ Fayette, Iowa

Jan. 26, 2013 -- Upper Iowa 82 USF 74 @ Stewart Center

Jan. 4, 2013 -- Upper Iowa 71 USF 62 @ Fayette Iowa

Series Marks - USF vs. Winona State - Cougars lead, 9-7

The Cougars have won three straight games in the series with its longest winning streak at four games from Jan. 8, 2016 to Dec. 1, 2017. WSU has a three-game winning streak from Jan. 5, 2013 to Dec. 13, 2013. At home USF is 7-1 with a 2-6 away record. WSU won the first matchup 76-71 on Jan. 5, 2013. In the last 10 matchups, USF has a 7-3 margin. 

Series Breakdown --

Feb. 14, 2020 -- USF 51 Winona State 49 @ Winona, Minn. 

Jan. 25, 2020 -- USF 87 Winona State 85 OT @ Stewart Center

Feb. 15, 2019 -- USF 84 Winona State 80 2 OT @ Stewart Center

Jan. 26, 2019 -- Winona State 80 USF 77 @ Winona, Minn.

Jan. 6, 2018 -- Winona State 72 USF 70 @ Winona, Minn.

Dec. 1, 2017 -- USF 80 Winona State 64 @ Stewart Center

Jan. 7, 2017 -- USF 58 Winona State 55 @ Stewart Center

Dec. 2, 2016 -- USF 90 Winona State 81 @ Winona, Minn.

Jan. 8, 2016 -- USF 83 Winona State 78 @ Stewart Center

Dec. 5, 2015 -- Winona State 80 USF 69 @ Winona, Minn.

Jan. 9, 2015 -- Winona State 79 USF 64 @ Winona, Minn.

Dec. 6, 2014 -- USF 76 Winona State 54 @ Stewart Center

Jan. 18, 2014 -- USF 76 Winona State 69 @ Stewart Center

Dec. 13, 2013 -- Winona State 90 USF 65 @ Winona, Minn.

Jan. 25, 2013 -- Winona State 73 USF 63 @ Stewart Center

Jan. 5, 2013 -- Winona State 76 USF 71 @ Winona, Minn.

USF Game-By-Game Review - 2021-22

G1 Southern Nazarene 73 Sioux Falls 52 -- Jack Thompson scored 13 points and Matt Cartwright added 12 but USF dropped a 73-52 decision to Southern Nazarene in the season opener at the Central Region Challenge in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday (Nov. 12). USF hit just 19-of-56 field goals for 33.9 percent and was just 3-of-19 from three-point range for 15.8 percent. However, USF controlled the boards, finishing with a 37-33 margin. In a game with four lead changes and a tie, USF trailed just 31-29 at halftime after leading for a good share of the first half. However, SNU outscored USF, 42-23, in the second half. SNU hit 16-of-27 shots for 59.26 percent after the break, including 6-of-10 from three-point range to create separation from the Cougars. As for USF, they made just 8-of-26 field goals for 30.77 percent including 3-of-11 from three-point range. Two other categories in stats favored SNU, including its 20-11 edge in points off turnovers and 20-8 margin with points in the paint. Thompson, who now has 20 career double-digit scoring games, led USF with 13 points as he hit 6-of-13 shots from the field while adding an assist, two rebounds and a steal. Cartwright had 12 points in 32 minutes. USF also had nine points from both Chase Grinde, who added three rebounds and two assists, and Austin Slater, who had a team-high nine rebounds.

G2 – Sioux Falls 83 No. 1 Northwest Missouri State 77 -- In one of the biggest wins in USF history, the Cougars (1-1) knocked off defending NCAA DII national champion and No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State (2-1), 83-77 at the Central Region Challenge in Kansas City, Mo. In the victory, the Cougars upended the No. 1 Bearcats 45-straight game-winning streak on a neutral floor.  It was the longest active win streak among all NCAA Div. I, II and III schools. The Bearcat's last loss on a neutral floor came Nov. 13, 2015, vs. Upper Iowa (L, 76-72). It is USF's first win over a top-10 opponent in the DII era. In adding a little historical twist, the Cougars won for the first time in 81 years and in three meetings with NWMSU. The Bearcats had held a 2-0 lead with USF but had not met since 1939-40 or 81 years ago. In 1939-40 the Bearcats won 52-32 and they had a 39-27 win in the 1937-38 season. USF led from start to finish as they jumped ahead 26-9 by the 7:32 mark of the opening half. They led by 21, 60-39 in the second half before NWMSU closed to within two and the Cougars held on for an 83-77 win with crucial plays in the final minutes Senior Matt Cartwright led USF with 29 points as he made 9-of-18 field goals and was a sizzling 6-of-9 from three-point range.  He also had seven rebounds, two steals and an assist in 37 minutes on the floor. Junior guard Jack Thompson added 20 points as he was 7-of-18 from the floor and had a pair of triples to go with five assists and a steal. Senior forward Austin Slater had a solid post game and finished with seven points and five rebounds along with a block and two assists. Also, USF had nine points and seven rebounds from junior guard Chase Grinde while both sophomore guards Jake Kettner and Noah Puetz had eight points each. Overall, USF shot 44.4 percent from the floor on 28-of-63 shooting. In that total, USF was 11-of-25 from the three-point range as they made 5-of-12 in the opening half and followed up with 6-of-13 for 46.1 percent in the second 20 minutes. At the foul line, USF was 16-of-22 for 72.7 percent.  

G3 – USF 71 Dakota State 61 -- Matt Cartwright scored 28 points and Jack Thompson had a 17 to USF to a 71-61 nonconference victory over Dakota State (2-6) in USF's home opener at the Stewart Center. Cartwright hit 12-of-24 field goals, including 2-of-6 from three-point range while grabbing five rebounds and recording an assist and steal. Thompson was 6-of-11 from the floor and added nine assists, three rebounds and two steals in a solid floor game. Also for USF, Wesley Oba helped USF to a 31-26 rebound edge by recording a game-high 10 boards. He also had six points including a flush near the end of the game off a pass from Thompson.  USF outscored Dakota State, 29-21, in the first half and had a 42-40 edge in the second 20 minutes for the 71-61 win and a second straight decision over the Trojans. Overall, USF was 27-of-59 from the field for 45.8 percent, which included 7-of-19 from the three-point range for 36.8 percent. The Cougars, which had a 19-6 margin in points from turnovers, made 10-of-14 free throws for 71.4 percent. USF also had a 9-2 margin in fast-break points and had a 12-11 margin in points off the bench.

G4 – USF 74 Chadron State 56 -- The trio of Matt Cartwright, Chase Grinde and Jake Kettner combined for 69 points to lead the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (3-1) to a third straight nonconference win in a 96-78 decision over Chadron State (0-4) on Friday night. For the third straight game, Cartwright, a senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., scored at least 28 points in a win. In his 28 tonight, he hit 9-of-13 from the field with 3-of-4 from three-point range and 7-of-9 free throws while adding four rebounds and two assists in 34 minutes.   Junior guard Chase Grinde had a season-high with 24 points as he surpassed double digit scoring for the 35th time and the first time this season. He now has six 20-point games in his career. On the night, the Spring Grove, Minn., native, made 10-of-14 field goals, including 1-of-3 from three and 3-of-3 at the foul line while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing three assists in 24 minutes. Also for USF, Jake Kettner of New Ulm, Minn., had a career-high of 19 points as he was 6-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from three while hitting 5-of-6 foul shots. The Cougars, which defeated Chadron State for a third straight time in the series, had a season high with 20 assists, committed just seven turnovers and owned a 32-26 edge in rebounds. The Cougars raced to a 47-29 lead by halftime and with 49 points in the second half recorded a season-high points in the 96-78 decision. The point total is the highest offensive output most since recording a 96-51 win over Minot State in the NSIC playoffs on Feb. 27, 2019. On the night, USF hit 54.2 percent from the field on 32-of-59 shooting. USF was 7-of-15 from the three-point range and 25-of-32 for 78.1 percent at the foul line. USF had a 28-20 margin with points in the paint, 33-31 total in bench points and a 10-8 advantage in points off the break.

G. 5 -- SMSU 70 USF 69 -- In  a back and forth tussle, USF dropped a close 70-69 decision to Southwest Minnesota State (4-1, 1-0 NSIC) in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference opener at the Stewart Center on Tuesday night (Nov. 23). SMSU now has a 23-15 lead in the all-time series. In the series, SMSU has won five of the seven games decided by two points or fewer. SF was led by senior guard Matt Cartwright, who had 19 points, including 4-of-11 from three-point range. USF had three players in double-digits with junior guard Chase Grinde adding 12 points, a team-high seven rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. Jack Thompson added 10 points with a team-high six assists, two rebounds and a steal. 

G6 - Mary 83 USF 74 -- USF, which had a career-high 15 points from Wesley Oba and 17 points by Matt Cartwright, dropped an 83-74 nonconference decision to U-Mary (2-3) on Friday (Nov. 26) at the Microtel Thanksgiving Classic. Oba finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. In total USF had five players in double digits as Jack Thompson and Jake Kettner both scored 11 points and Chase Grinde had 10 points and seven rebounds. USF led, 36-28, at halftime but was outscored 55-38 in the second half by the Marauders. USF finished 29-of-66 from the field for 43.9 percent and made 8-of-25 from three-point range for 32 percent. In addition, USF, which was outrebounded, 37-36, hit 8-of-13 free throws for 61.5 percent. 

G7 -- Sioux Falls 80 MSUM 76 -- Matt Cartwright scored a game-high 22 points while Jack Thompson added 16 points and Chase Grinde had 15 to lead the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team to 80-76 win over Minnesota State Moorhead in nonconference play at the Microtel Thanksgiving Classic which concluded on Saturday (Nov. 27). In a game that featured numerous runs by both sides and 24 lead changes as well as 22 ties, the Cougars prevailed with a closing run of 11-2 over the final 2:58 of regulation. USF trailed, 74-69 before Cartwright hit a three and was fouled with the "and 1" drawing USF within a point at 74-73. The Cougars then closed on a 7-2 run for the win. Key in the final moments was four points from Thompson in the final 1:20 of the game. His foul shots gave USF a 75-74 lead and with 37 seconds left and converted a drive into points for a four-point lead (78-74).  

G8 -- Augustana 72 USF 67 -- In a city rivalry battle, which included 10 lead changes and six times, USF dropped a 72-67 decision to Augustana (7-1, 1-1 NSIC) on Dec. 2 at the Pentagon.

USF, which trailed just 26-25 at halftime, was outscored 46-42, in the second half. With the loss, USF is now 0-2 in league play and 4-4 overall. They now trail Augustana, 41-37, in the all-time series. The two schools will meet later this year on Thursday, Feb. 17 at the Stewart Center. Against AU, the Cougars were led by 18 points from freshman guard Jake Kettner, who hit 5-of-11 shots from the field and was 4-of-7 from three-point range. Sophomore guard Jack Thompson chipped in with 13 points, eight assists, two steals and three rebounds. Freshman forward Wesley Oba had his first career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while recording two blocked shots. For the game, USF hit 25-of-59 field goals for 44 percent and made 7-of-21 from the three-point range for 33.3 percent. USF, which had a 36-to-27 rebound edge, hit 10-of-14 from the line. USF added 11 assists and five steals while owning a 22-to-12 margin in second-chance points. USF's largest lead of the game was two points twice in the second half.

G. 9 -- USF 81 Wayne State 79: Matt Cartwright scored 32 points, including hitting the game-winning shot with 6.2 seconds left, to rally USF  to a gritty come-from-behind win over Wayne State on Dec. 4 at the Stewart Center. With the victory, USF won for the 15th time in 31 games with Wayne State and its sixth win in the last seven meetings between the two schools. It was quite a day for Cartwright, who not only had his first 30-point game at USF, but his season-high total of 32 points pushed him past 1,000 points for his career and sits at 1,006. Cartwright, who scored 17 points in the first half, helped USF rally from down, 54-40 at the 15:42 mark of the second half, to earn a win and end a two-game slide. Cartwright hit 13-of-19 field goals, including 2-of-6 from three-point range and 4-of-5 at the foul line, Forward Wesley Oba continued to play well in the middle with his second straight double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Oba also had two blocks and two steals while hitting a triple in two attempts. In his first start at USF, Cedric Johnson came up big with his high at USF of 14 points while adding eight rebounds, five assists, a steal, and a block to his total. Chase Grinde had 10 points, five rebounds and led USF with six assists. For Grinde, he now has 39 career double-digit scoring games. Despite being hampered by fouls, Jake Kettner had nine points and three rebounds. The Cougars, which had a 36-to-25 rebound edge, hit 31-of-60 field goals for 51.7 percent and made 7-of-21 from three-point range while connecting on 12-of-17 foul shots. 

Player Profiles – Inside look

Senior forward Matt Cartwright  is  averaging a lead-best 21.2 points and 3.6 rebounds with eight double-digit (12, 29, 28, 28, 19, 17, 22, 32) scoring games. Cartwright (191 total points) has scored 28 or more points in four games as he is hitting 68-of-141 for 48.2 percent and 27-of-63 from three-point range for 42.9 percent, a total which is third in the NSIC. His 3.0 threes per game ranks third in the NSIC. He is also hitting 28-of-36 (77.8%) from the foul line. During his career at USF and Augustana, Cartwright has 1,008 points and has made 44 starts in 80 games. He also has 176  career threes and 244 rebounds along with 95 assists and 50 steals. His career-high is 37 points against Minnesota Crookston in 2018-19 with a high of 32 points at USF against Wayne State on Dec. 4. He has totaled 45 double-digit scoring games with 15 of 20 points or more.

Sophomore guard Jack Thompson is supplying 13.4 points per game and is hitting 87.5 percent from the foul line (14-of-16). He is averaging 5.4 assists per game and has eight steals. He ranks second in the NSIC in assists and fourth in assist-turnover ratio at 3.1. An honorable mention All-NSIC in 2019-20, he has started 42-of-49 games with 26 career double-digit scoring games with seven in eight games this season He has a season-high of 20 points against No. 1 Northwest Missouri State. Thompson had a career-high of 27 points on Jan. 31, 2021 with a career-best five triples against Augustana on Jan. 4, 2020. He also has nine of nine assists against Dakota State on Nov. 16, 2021. He has scored 535 career points, including 312 a year and107 this season. He also has 151 rebounds, 140 assists and 78 steals. 

Junior guard Chase Grinde, who has 39 double-digit scoring games and six 20-point games, is supplying 10.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Grinde, who has 834 career points (98 in 2021-22) had a season-high 24 points against Chadron State. His career-high is 29 against MSU Moorhead on Feb. 8, 2020 and four times has registered nine rebounds in a game. His career-best in assists is eight against Minot State. Grinde, who has hit 69-of-184 from three for 37.5 percent, has made 71 starts in 84 games at USF. Grinde has 406 rebounds, 192 assists, 87 steals and 21 blocked shots. He has hit 313-of-652 field goals for 48.0 percent. 

Freshman Jake Kettner is averaging 9.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. He has hit 14-of-31 (45.2%) from the three-point range. Kettner has nine starts in 21 games with 151 career points.  Kettner had a career-high of 19 points against Chadron State on Nov. 19, 2021. He also has a high of eight rebounds against Upper Iowa on Jan. 8, 2021, and six assists against Augustana on Feb. 13, 2021.  He has four double-digit scoring games in his career. 

Freshman forward Wesley Oba has made six starts in 21 games with USF with 101 career points and 131 career rebounds with 13 blocks and 11 steals. This year he has averaged 7.7 rebounds and 5.4 points per game. He set a career-high of 15 points at U-Mary after hitting 6-of-8 field goals for 75 percent. He has recorded two double doubles - in back-to-back games (10 points, 10 reb.) against Augustana and Wayne State on Dec. 2 and Dec. 4, 2021. He has five career games of double-digit points. He had a high of 10 rebounds four times with the most recent vs Wayne State and Augustana. This season his is 19-of-39 for 48.7 percent from the field and 38-of-75 for 50.7 percent in his career.   

Senior center Austin Slater, who has a career total of five double-doubles and 15 double-digit scoring and 11 double-digit rebound games, is supplying 3.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. In his career, Slater has totaled 551 points and 568 rebounds, including 205 off the offensive glass. He has 43 blocked shots, 35 steals and made 17-of-59 from the three-point range for 28.8 percent. Slater has made 61 starts and played in a team-high 109 games.

Head Coach Chris Johnson is USF's all-time wins leader

USF Head Men's Basketball Coach Chris Johnson, who was named the NSIC Coach of the Year in the history-making 2019-20 season, is in his 14th season (15th overall) at the helm of the men's basketball program. Since taking over as the program's 22nd coach in 2008, Johnson has guided the Cougars to six 20-win seasons, three post-season appearances, two conference tournament championships and one regular season conference crown.   During Johnson's tenure at USF, he is 229-160 (.589), with a 73-69 win (Feb. 18, 2017) at Concordia St. Paul making him the program's career wins leader. He is 245-175 (.583) overall. Johnson has passed Shane Murphy (154, 2001-08) for number one on the career coaching wins list. He registered his 200th overall career win on Dec. 14, 2018 against Minnesota-Duluth on the road. Johnson registered his 200th win at USF against SMSU, 74-56, on Nov. 30 , 2019 at the Stewart Center.  The milestone came in his 376th career game. He has compiled a 131-51 mark at home and a 76-91 road record with an 22-18 mark on a neutral floor. In NSIC play, he has an 98-93 record, including a 57-39 mark in home league games and 41-54 mark in away games. Johnson is 5-8 in postseason. He is also 53-5 in home nonconference games. In 2021-22, the Cougars sit, 5-4, 1-2 in the NSIC.