MARSHALL, MINN. – Sophomore guard Jack Thompson scored a career-high 34 points and led a 10-4 rally in overtime to lift the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (8-6, 4-4 NSIC) to a come-from-behind 72-71 win over Southwest Minnesota State (8-5, 4-4 NSIC) in NSIC South Division play on Sunday, Jan. 2 at the R/A Facility.

For the second time this year, the two teams battled in a game decided by one point. At the Stewart Center on Nov. 23, SMSU took a 70-69 decision. This time, USF defeated SMSU, 72-71 in overtime which was the first extra session game between the teams in Marshall, Minn., and second overall (USF 91-85 win on Nov. 25, 2017). In the 40^th meeting, USF ended a two-game slide to their NSIC South travel partners.

"I was really proud of the grit that we showed today in finding a way to win," said USF Head Coach Chris Johnson, who earned his 248^th career win overall and 232^nd at USF. "The first game out of the break is always hard. I felt like Jack Thompson put us on his shoulders down the stretch and willed us to a victory. Plus, we had some big shots from players like Noah (Puetz) and the guys inside played really well on defense. It is a really nice way to open the second half of the season," added Johnson.

For the game, Thompson hit 8-of-21 field goals, including 2-of-4 from three-point range, while knocking in 16-of-19 foul shots. He also had four rebounds, three assists and four steals in his career-best performance. He now has 28 double-digit scoring games with nine games of 20 points or better and his first over 30 points. Thompson scored 15 points straight for USF at one point in the second half and scored 28 overall after halftime. His previous career-best was 27 vs Minnesota State on Jan. 31, 2021. However Thompson beat that total in second half and overtime as he averaged better than a point a minute in those 25 minutes to play. 

After trailing 24-15 in the first half, USF closed with a 12-6 run to draw within, 30-27, at the break. In the second half, USF had a 33-30 edge over SMSU as the game was tied at 60 to force overtime. In the extra session, USF had a 12-11 advantage to earn the hard-fought win.

Also for USF, junior guard Chase Grinde added 10 points and eight rebounds with two assists, two steals and two blocks in 39 minutes. Noah Puetz, who made his second career start, added a career-high 11 points and three rebounds with two steals. He hit a clutch three-pointer in the final two minutes of overtime to help USF rally for the win. 

USF also had six points and four rebounds from Matt Cartwright and six rebounds from both Austin Slater and Jake Kettner.

For the game, USF hit just 32.8 percent on 21-of-64 shooting. From three-point range, USF was 7-of-23 for 30.5 percent and made 23-of-34 free throws for 67.6 percent. USF, which lost the rebound battle, 48-37, for just the fifth time in 14 games, forced SMSU into 18 turnovers and had an 11-to-8 margin in points from turnovers. SMSU, which was 22-of-56 from the field for 39.3 percent, outscored USF, 30-20 in the paint. The Mustangs, which hit 2-of-8 from three-point range, made 25-of-29 foul shots for 86.2 percent.  SMSU was led by Kenny Byers who had 23 points and six rebounds while Clint McCray totaled 14 points and 12 rebounds.
 
 Scoring Summary –

In the opening half, both teams had a little post-holiday rustiness on offense. The Cougars, which rallied from a nine-point deficit by closing on a 12-6 run over the final 5:24, trailed, 30-27 at the break. USF hit just 8-of-26 from the floor for 30.8 percent and that included 3-of-10 from three-point range. USF was 8-of-12 from the foul line and had just five turnovers. Jack Thompson (6-of-6) from the foul line and Chase Grinde both had six points to lead USF.

SMSU, which had seven points from Anthony Costello off the bench, made 10-of-27 from the field for 37 percent but was 1-of-4 from three-point range. They also used the foul line to their advantage by making 9-of-10 shots. SMSU, which had a 24-13 margin on the boards, had nine turnovers. In the first half, SMSU had a 14-to-4 edge in points in the paint but USF had five steals and a 6-to-4 margin in points from turnovers.

Luke Healy hit the first points of 2022 for USF with a jumper as USF took a 2-0 lead at the 17:32 mark of the first quarter after both teams missed their first three shots. After a timeout, SMSU converted two straight baskets (Jake Phipps and Cliff McCray) to take a 10-6 lead at 13:28.  USF, which hit just 3-of-11 for 27.3 percent to open the game, pulled within 10-9 at 11:25 on a three-point shot from Jake Kettner.

A Matt Cartwright jumper (10:00) and three-ball from Chase Grinde (8:58) gave USF a 15-12 lead over SMSU. With USF going on a 3:35 scoring drought, SMSU had a 12-0 run and Anthony Costello's three-point shot provided a 24-15 lead at the 5:24 mark.  After five minutes without points, Jack Thompson hit a pair of foul shots at 4:11 to cut the deficit to 24-17. Then Thompson made two more as Cougars cut the lead to 26-20 (2:59). With 1:35 to go, Cedric Johnson knocked in a three as USF trailed, 30-25 before Thompson's two foul shots closed the scoring in the half.

In the second half, SMSU took a 34-29 lead as USF opened just 1-of-10 from the field. Marko Coudreau's three with 14:42 cut USF's deficit to 36-34 and ended a scoring drought of two minutes. With 12:55 on the clock, Thompson's lay-up kept USF within two at 38-36 of SMSU. At the 10:11 mark, Grinde hit a pair of foul shots to tie the game at 40.

SMSU responded with a 6-0 run for a 46-40 lead with 8:45 to play. That is when Thompson took control as he began a 15-point personal scoring run with a three as USF cut the deficit to 46-43 at the 7:37 mark. Then, Thompson converted a lay-up with the "and 1" tied the game at 48 with 5:49 to play. He hit a 3 for 13 straight points as USF took a 54-50 lead. Byers stopped USF's run with two foul shots and a jumper to knot the game at 54 with 2:15 on the clock. In a back and forth final two minutes, which included USF owning a 57-54 lead, Thompson gave USF a 60-58 lead with nine seconds to go. However, SMSU converted two foul shots by Byers to tie the game at 60 and forced overtime.

In overtime, USF scored first on a basket by Puetz but SMSU scored seven straight for a 67-62 lead with 3:08 to play. With 1:51 to play, Puetz hit a huge three-point as the Cougars trailed just, 69-68. Then Thompson's basket with 24 seconds left for a 70-69 lead. When Byers made a pair of foul shots with nine seconds left, SMSU had a 71-70 lead. Then, Thompson came up big. On a drive, he was fouled with one second left and his pair of foul shots gave USF a 72-71 win and an important win in the NSIC South.