SIOUX FALLS -- With four wins in five games,  the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (10-7, 6-5 NSIC) will face road tests at St. Cloud State (8-10, 4-7 NSIC) on Friday, Jan. 28 and at Minnesota Duluth (17-2, 10-2 NSIC) on Saturday, Jan. 29. The Cougars face SCSU at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minn., at 7:30 pm on Friday before meeting UMD at Romano Gym in Duluth, Minn., at 5:30 pm on Saturday.

Game Protocols 

Due to the COVID pandemic, fans attending the game in St. Cloud on Friday will be asked to wear masks. On Saturday in Duluth, Minn., fans aged five or older will need to provide proof of a completed vaccination series against COVID-19 or proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken under medical supervision within 72 hours of entrance to Romano Gymnasium. COVID booster shots are not required. In addition, fans will need to wear masks inside the arena. 

Follow USF Men's Basketball - Broadcast - Social Media
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.  Live Stats for the USF-SCSU is available by clicking here and UMD live stats is available by clicking here. 

How Things Stand -
USF, which had four games canceled before a road loss to Northern State, 79-72, won a pair of home games last weekend (Jan. 22-23) with strong finishes in both games. USF trailed Bemidji State, 53-39, before finishing on a 33-to-12 run to earn a 72-65 win. On Saturday, they had a 34-to-14 closing spurt to defeat Minnesota Crookston, 73-47, in their largest margin of victory. USF has won four of five to move up to fifth in the NSIC South Division standings. The Cougars sit just one game out of third place. SCSU, which is 8-10 overall and 4-7 in the NSIC North for fifth place, has four straight losses, all on the road. The Huskies last win was a home 93-80 win over Concordia St. Paul. Directed by seventh-year head coach Matt Reimer (118-85 career), the Huskies will place USF for a 17th time with a 13-3 series lead.

After playing SCSU, the Cougars will then travel to Minnesota Duluth to face the top team in the NSIC North. UMD is 17-1 overall and 10-2 in the NSIC. After winning 16 straight to open the season, the Bulldogs, directed by head coach Justin Wieck, have lost two of three but edged past Wayne State, 91-83 on Jan. 22 in Wayne, Neb. They had losses on the road to Upper Iowa, 94-85 and Augustana, 89-80. 

USF is directed by school career wins leader (250 overall, 234 at USF) Chris Johnson, who won his 100th career NSIC game against Concordia St. Paul, 80-69 on Dec. 18, 2021, earned his 250th career win with a 73-47 decision over Minnesota Crookston. In the win, NSIC's leading scorer Matt Cartwright scored 22 and Jack Thompson added 14. USF also had a 72-65 win over Bemidji State with a closing run of 33-12. In that game on Friday, Jan. 22, the Cougars trailed, 53-39, before turning things around with its biggest rally of the season. Cartwright led USF with 18 while Noah Puetz and Chase Grinde both had 10. USF is 7-4 in its last 11 games and have won the rebound battle in 12-of-17 games this year, including eight of past 10 games. 

Through 17 games, USF ranks ninth in the NSIC with 73.8 ppg and allow 72.0 ppg, which is ninth in the NSIC. USF is averaging 37.2 rebounds per game for second in the league with an NSIC-high 11.6 offensive boards (198 total). USF is shooting 33.8 percent from three-point range for 11th in the NSIC with 7.5 triples per outing ranking 10th in the league. The Cougars rank first in the league with a 2.82 turnover margin (9.2 to 12.1 for opponents) with a 1.38 assist-turnover ratio, its best mark in several years and third in the NSIC. With 12.71 assists, USF ranks 11th in the NSIC.

Opponent Breakdown -- St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth 
St. Cloud State comes into the game with USF averaging 80.1 points per game for fourth in the NSIC. However, SCSU is 16th in the NSIC in allowing 83.6 points per game. Spurring that big offense is the league's fifth-best shooting mark of 47.4 percent along with a  33.2 percent mark on three-point baskets which is 12th in the NSIC. The Huskies average 7.6 three-pointers per game.  SCSU is 14th in the NSIC with 33.1 rebounds and give up 34.1 per game.  SCSU is led by Anthony Roberts, who is second in the NSIC with 19.9 points per game while grabbing 8.4 rebounds per game Five players average double-digits with Caleb Donaldson at 16.6 ppg, Matthew Willert at 12.9, Josh Tomasi, scoring 10.9 and Ryan Bagley at 10.6. 

UMD is lead the NSIC North after a season when they have been one of the league's top offensive squads.  The Bulldogs averaged a league-best 88.3 points per game and give up 71.9  for a margin of 16.3, also the league's best. UMD  is second in the NSIC in field goal shooting at 52.5 and hold opponents to 42.5 percent.  They hit 37.9 percent from three-point range.  Austin Andrew leads the offense with 18.8 points per game, which places him third in the NSIC.  Drew Blair is sixth with 18.1 points while Joshua Brown supplies 14.3 ppg.

St. Cloud State leads all-time series, 13-3

St. Cloud State leads USF, 13-3 in all-time series, including 7-2 in NSIC play. In the most recent game,  the Cougars earned a 73-67 win at the Stewart Center on Dec. 14, 2019. Austin Slater scored 20 points to lead USF, which led 37-31 at half. Chase Grinde added 12 points and eight rebounds and Jack Thompson had 10 points and five assists. SCSU took an 83-73 decision on Dec. 15, 2018 in St. Cloud, Minn. A late rally by USF, keyed by Drew Guebert and Trevon Evans,  came up a little short in the North-South setback at Halenbeck Hall. Guebert scored 16 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to rally USF from an 18-point deficit (55-37, 13:12, 2nd half) to within four at 71-67 with 5:02 to play. Evans, who had 19 points, scored seven points during the 30-16 run. However, SCSU, which had 22 points from Gage Davis and Sean Smith, stopped the run with timely baskets down the stretch. Davis had six points in the final three minutes and Smith had a basket and pair of free throws to hold off the fast-charging Cougars. SCSU opened up a 34-29 lead at halftime and outscored USF, 49-44 in the second half to take the decision in a game between two of the preseason favorites in the NSIC. Chase Grinde also had 11 points for USF.  In the 2017-18 NSIC Tourney Quarterfinals, USF dropped a 67-56 decision at the Sanford Pentagon. Drew Guebert led USF with 22 points and 12 rebounds while SCSU had 18 points and 11 rebounds from Gage Davis.  Despite a career-high 32 points from Trevon Evans and 23 from Drew Guebert, USF dropped an 81-73 decision to SCSU at Halenbeck Hall. Evans, who had five points at halftime, broke free for 27 points, including 11 in the final minute, in the second half for his career-high 32. Against SCSU, Evans made 12-of-21 field goals, supplying a career-best five threes in seven attempts. He also had six assists and two rebounds. In the game, USF made just 44.6 percent from the field and SCSU hit 52.9 percent while owning a 37-28 rebound edge.  On Dec. 9, 2016, SCSU took a 90-74 decision at the Stewart Center.  Drew Guebert led USF in scoring with 20 points as he hit 7-of-14 shots from the field, including two three pointers and all four of his free throws.  Junior forward Tom Aase had a career 15 points while pulling down seven rebounds and recording a blocked shot. Junior guard Zach Wessels had 12 points, three rebounds and three assists before fouling out.  Scottie Stone led a hot-shooting SCSU squad with 28 points, hitting 8-of-14 field goals and 5-of-8 from three point range. He also was 7-of-7 from the foul line as SCSU made 15-of-22 as a team. But the story was the shooting by SCSU, which hit 33-of-57 from the floor for 57.9 percent, including a blazing 19-of-26 from the field in the second half for 73.1 percent. Besides Stone, Gage Davis had 17 points and Jon Averkamp, 16. The Cougars, which trailed, 39-31 at halftime, opened the second half fast, drawing within 39-35 with 19:25 to play when Mack Johnson knocked home a jumper. But that was as close as the Cougars would get on the night. In a series that dates to 1986-87. In 2015-16, the Cougars defeated SCSU, 98-80 as Mack Johnson had 24 points and Drew Guebert, 17. USF, which defeated SCSU for the first time in NSIC play, shot 59.2 percent (35-59) from the floor, including 10-of-23 from three-point range and 18-of-22 at the foul line at Halenbeck Hall on Jan. 30, 2016.  Gage Davis had two points on 1-of-8 shooting and Scottie Stone, 10 points. On Jan. 31, 2015, Jordan Poydras had 21 points and Scottie Stone, 16 in a 76-61 victory at the Stewart Center. USF had 23 from Charles Ward. On Feb. 26, 2014 at Halenbeck Hall, SCSU took an 86-75 win in the NSIC Tourney. Matt Craggs led SCSU with 29 while Charles Ward had 17 points and Mack Johnson 13 (3, 3's). On Jan. 11, 2014 in the regular season contest, SCSU defeated USF, 85-73 as Jordan Poydras had 18 points. Derek Brown had 15 points and Charles Ward, 15 points and 12 rebounds. On Jan. 12, 2013, SCSU took an 83-73 decision as Damarius Cruz had 25 points. The only other USF victory was 75-67 in the 2006-07 season at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud as Eric DePue had a double of 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars. 

USF leads UMD, 6-4 in all-time series

USF, which had a five-game winning streak snapped in the series in a 100-65 setback on Dec. 13, 2019, own a 6-4 series lead. In that game in 2019, USF had 21 points from Jack Thompson but trailed at half, 42-29, in a game at the Stewart Center. UMD then had a 58-36 second half advantage to win.  In NSIC play, USF is 5-3. Prior to 2019,  Trevon Evans scored 29 points to lift USF to a 73-66 road win at Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 14 as USF Head Coach Chris Johnson won his 200th career game (184th at USF). USF, which shot 50 percent for the game (30-of-60 field goals), opened the game by shooting 56.7 percent in the first half on 17-of-30 shooting as they took a 38-30 lead. In the second half, they made just 13-of-30 field goals for 43.3 percent but held off UMD which charged into the lead with a 14-4 run to open the second stanza.  From three-point range, USF was 5-of-12 for 41.7 percent and added 8-of-11 from the foul line. On on Dec. 9, 2017, Trevon Evans and Drew Guebert both scored 26 points and USF shot 56.3 percent to record a 91-66 win over Minnesota Duluth at the Stewart Center. After trailing early 4-0, the Cougars took off on a 15-0 run to take a 22-9 lead (9:55, 1st half) on a Guebert trey and led by at least eight points the rest of the way. In the win, Teathloach Pal had a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds and Justin Taylor added 12 points, four rebounds and three blocks. On Dec. 10, 2016, USF defeated UMD, 83-70, led by a career-high 33 points from senior forward Daniel Hurtt. USF, which led by as many as 16 points in the second half (70-54, 8:29, 2nd), never trailed.  Hurtt was 11-of-17 shooting from the field and made 5-of-6 from three-point range. He was 6-of-6 from the foul line and had six rebounds. Senior Mack Johnson scored 21 points as he made 9-of-17 shots from the floor while also grabbing five rebounds. Drew Guebert added 17 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two blocks. Overall, USF hit 30-of-66 field goals for 45.5 percent, including 10-of-21 from three point range for 47.6 percent and 13-of-18 from the charity stripe. USF had a 43-34 edge in rebounds. UMD, which was led by Luke Harris with 15 points and Kyle Schalow with 13, hit 26-of-62 shots for 41.9 percent. They were 6-of-20 from three point range for 30 percent and 12-of-14 from the foul line for 85.7 percent. USF recorded an 80-74 victory in the NSIC Tourney First Round at Romano Gym on Feb. 24, 2016.  In the victory, USF advanced to the conference quarterfinals in the tournament after Mack Johnson had 28 points, including 10-of-10 from the foul line to lead the way. Earlier, USF lit it up from the perimeter, hitting 17 three-pointers for a 95-73 win over Minnesota-Duluth at Romano Gym on Jan. 29, 2016.  Mack Johnson had 25 points, including 7-of-10 from three-point range, while also dishing seven assists. On Jan. 30, 2015, USF dropped a 74-70 decision to UMD. M. Johnson had 20 points in the loss at the Stewart Center. Brendon Pineda had 21 to lead the Bulldogs.  On Jan. 10, 2014, the Bulldogs took an 86-64 win at Romano Hall as Peter Crawford scored 34 points and Jordan Retz added 30. USF received 13 points and eight rebounds from Jordan Stotts. USF trailed UMD, 39-35, at halftime but were outscored 47-29 in the second half. USF's only other win over UMD was a 76-55 decision at the Stewart Center on Jan. 11, 2013. USF had five players score in double figures, including James Rader with 15. The Cougars made 11 3's. In the first game of the series, UMD took a 90-72 decision over USF in 1982-83.

NSIC Rankings -- Individual

Scoring - Matt Cartwright, 1st, 20.5; Jack Thompson, 25nd, 14.3 ppg

3-point percentage -- Matt Cartwright, 3rd, 38.8 percent (47-of-121)

3-point field goals per game -- Matt Cartwright, 3rd, 3.1 (47, 15 games)

Assists -- Jack Thompson, 4th, 4.3 (65)

Assist-Turnover Ratio -- Jack Thompson, 2nd, 3.4

NSIC Game Highs (USF players)

Points -- Jack Thompson, 34 vs. SMSU, 1-2-22, tied for 3rd; Matt Cartwright, 32 vs Wayne State, 12/4/2021, 11th; Matt Cartwright, 31, vs Upper Iowa, 12/10/21, tied for 15th

Rebounds -- Chase Grinde, 14, vs Winona State, 12/11/2021, tied for 12th

Free Throws -- Jack Thompson, 16-19, SMSU, 1/2/2022, 1st

Assists -- Jack Thompson, 9, vs Dakota State, 11/16, 2021 

3-point field goals -- Matt Cartwright, 7, vs. Upper Iowa, 12/10/2021 tied for 1st; 6, vs. No. 1 Northwest Missouri State, 11/13/2021, tied for 7th. 

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. 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.  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.

G5 -- 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. USF 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 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. 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.  

G9 -- 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. 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.  

G10 – Upper Iowa 86 USF 79 – USF, which had a game-high 31 points from Matt Cartwright, lost a shootout with Upper Iowa, 86-79, in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division play on Dec. 10 at the Stewart Center. While a winter storm bristled outside, both USF and Upper Iowa put on an offensive show in the second half with a combined 103 points. USF, which trailed, 36-26, at the break, outscored the Peacocks, 53-50, over the final 20 minutes but just came up short. USF opened the second half on a 26-to-16 run to draw even with the Peacocks at 50-50 (10:44) but couldn't sustain the run as UIU closed on a 36-29 advantage. Cartwright, a senior from Sioux Falls, S.D., had 31 points for his second straight game of 30 points or better. Cartwright hit a career-best seven three-point field goals on 16 attempts and added two rebounds. In addition, USF had a big night from Chase Grinde, a junior guard from Spring Grove, Minn., who had 15 points and eight rebounds. He was 6-of-12 from the floor and hit 1-of-3 from three-point range. USF also had 10 points, five assists and four rebounds from Jake Kettner while Jack Thompson had eight points, three assists and a rebound before fouling out. USF, which had a two-game winning streak against Upper Iowa end, held a 47-to-41 rebound edge but was hurt by foul shooting, hitting 9-of-18 for 50 percent. USF was 30-of-80 from the field for 37.5 percent and made 10-of-31 from three-point range for 32.3 percent.

G11 – USF 71 Winona State 57 -  Matt Cartwright scored 24 points, Chase Grinde had his first career double (14 points, 14 rebounds) and Luke Healy scored 13 off the bench to lead USF past Winona State (6-4, 2-3 NSIC), 71-57, in NSIC South Division play at the Stewart Center. The Cougars also defeated the Warriors for the fourth straight time and now own a 10-7 series advantage. Grinde, a junior guard from Spring Grove, Minn., had a career-high 14 rebounds, including 12 on the defensive glass. On 6-of-11 shooting, including a triple, he had 14 points along with three assists in 31 minutes on the floor. In his 47th double-digit scoring game, Cartwright of Sioux Falls, S.D., had 24 points on 9-of-23 shooting from the floor, adding a pair of triples and two assists. In his first game for USF, Healy, a freshman from Hudson, Wisc., stepped up. With two starters out, Healy had 13 points and four rebounds with two assists, two steals and a blocked shot. He was 4-of-7 from the floor, including 1-of-2 from three-point range and 4-of-4 at the foul line. The Cougars owned a commanding 44-to-30 rebounds margin with 11 off the offensive glass as Slater had three offensive boards. As a result, USF had a 15-to-2 margin in second-chance points. USF, which had a 19-to-3 margin in bench points, also used the break to its advantage to the tune of 9-to-2. After trailing by 11 points (23-12) with 10:26 to play in the first half, USF closed on an 18-to-11 run to draw within, 34-30, at the break. Then in the second half, USF dominated the boards to a tune of 29-to-13 and outshot WSU, 42.4 percent (14-of-33), to 31.0 percent (9-of-29) to outscore the Warriors, 41-23. 

G12 - Minnesota State 81 USF 63 -- A short-handed University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (6-6, 2-4 NSIC) dropped an 81-63 decision to Minnesota State (8-3, 3-3 NSIC) at the Taylor Center at Bresnan Arena on Dec. 17. USF, which had two starters out, was led by a pair of players who reached career-bests. Senior forward Marko Coudreau scored 13 points for his top mark at USF and junior Will Kondrat reached double-digits for the first time at USF with a team-high 14 points. USF, which was outscored, 48-23, in the first half after shooting just 25 percent, outscored MSU, 40-33, in the second half to cut the deficit to 81-63. In the final 20 minutes, the Cougars hit on 17-of-32 field goals for 53.1 percent.

G13 -- USF 80 Concordia St. Paul 69 -- Led by sophomore guard Jack Thompson with 17 points and 12 from redshirt freshman Jake Kettner, the University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team (7-6, 3-4 NSIC) closed 2021 with a road win in an 80-69 decision over Concordia St. Paul (1-12, 0-7 NSIC) at the Gangelhoff Center on Dec. 18. Overall, USF, despite missing two starters, had a balanced attack with 10 players putting points on the board and eight players scoring six or more. The Cougars had a 20-10 run in the first half to move to a 38-25 lead before extending the margin to 46-28 at the half-time break. CSP outscored USF, 41-34, in the second half but the Cougars maintained a double-digit lead for most half in defeating the Golden Bears for a ninth straight time dating to 2017. For the game, the Cougars hit 26-of-66 shots for 39.4 percent with 6-of-19 from three-point range for 31.6 percent. USF, which made 22-of-27 free throws for 81.5 percent, dominated the boards at a 47-30 margin and committed just 10 turnovers. The Cougars also shared the ball with 16 assists on 26 made baskets.

G14 -- USF 72 SMSU 71 -- Jack Thompson scored a career-high 34 points and led a 10-4 rally in overtime to lift USF (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 in Marshall, Minn. 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. 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. 

G15 -- Northern State 79 USF 72 -- For the second straight game, USF was led in scoring by sophomore guard Jack Thompson, who had 21 points, including 4-of-5 from three-point range, but fell at Northern State, 79-72. Thompson also had six rebounds, two assists and two steals in 31 minutes on the floor. Matt Cartwright recorded his 48th double digit scoring game, including 11 at USF, by scoring 16 points, adding four rebounds and three assists. Junior guard Chase Grinde had his 44th career double digit scoring game with 15 points, four rebounds. USF also had 11 rebounds from Austin Slater, who added five points and four assists. It is Slater's 10th double-digit rebound game of his career.  USF, which had a 21-13 lead in the first half, had a one-point edge at halftime at 25-24 but NSU outscored, USF, 55-47 in the second half as both teams shot the ball extremely effectively. The key to the game was at the foul line where NSU had a 34-to-10 advantage even though USF had a 27-to-21 margin in field goals.  

G16 - USF 72 Bemidji State 65 -- With a closing run of 33-12, USF rallied past Bemidji State (6-10, 3-9 NSIC) on Friday (Jan. 21) at the Stewart Center.  The Cougars, which had four players score in double-digits, trailed 53-39 with 13:03 to play. Then, sparked by Cedric Johnson, who had nine of his 12 points in the second half, USF put together their closing run of 33-12.  USF was led by Matt Cartwright, who scored 18 points and hit a trio of three-pointers while grabbing three rebounds and blocking a shot. Johnson had 12 points as he scored in double-digits for the second time at USF and 10th in his career. Also reaching double-digits for the second time at USF was freshman guard Noah Puetz, who had 10 points with a career-best seven rebounds and hit a pair of triples. Junior guard Chase Grinde added 10 points, two rebounds and two steals.  

G17 -- USF 73 Minn. Crookston 47 -- Matt Cartwright, Jack Thompson and Chase Grinde scored in double-digits to lift USF (10-7, 6-5 NSIC) to a 73-47 NSIC cross-divisional win over Minnesota Crookston (6-13, 3-10 NSIC) on Saturday evening (Jan. 22) at the Stewart Center. Cartwright had 22 points to lead all scorers on the night. USF also had 14 points, six rebounds and three assists from sophomore guard Jack Thompson, who now has 30 double-digit scoring games in his career. Thompson hit 6-of-11 field goals and was 2-of-2 at the foul stripe. Junior forward Chase Grinde added 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in 29 minutes. Also for USF, Noah Puetz had nine points and four rebounds while Jake Kettner added six points, a steal and two rebounds. In the past two games, USF has shut down the opponent's three-point shooters. Bemidji State hit 6-of-25 for 24 percent and UMC was 5-of-20 for 25 percent. In total, USF's perimeter defense held the two opponents to 11-of-45 or 24.4 percent. In several areas, USF held a massive advantage over the Golden Eagles. A lot of it was created from their lockdown defense including a 22-to-5 margin in points off turnovers. That number was created as USF forced 17 turnovers by UMC while committing just seven.

Senior forward Matt Cartwright is averaging a league-best 20.5 points and 3.4 rebounds with 13 double-digit (12, 29, 28, 28, 19, 17, 22, 32, 31, 24, 16,  18, 22) scoring games. Cartwright (306 total points) has scored 28 or more points in six games and has eight 20-point games this season and 19 in his career. His 47 gives his 191 in his career as he now has 1,125 points.  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 50 double-digit scoring games with 18 of 20 points or more and three over 30. Cartwright is tied for first in the NSIC with seven made threes in a game vs Upper Iowa, 12/10/2021; and his six threes from No. 1 Northwest Missouri State on 1113/2021 is tied for seventh.

Sophomore guard Jack Thompson is supplying 14.3 points per game, 3.1 rebounds,  4.3 assists,  and 1.3 steals. He ranks second in the NSIC with an assist/turnover ratio of 3.4 and is fourth with 4.3 assists per game. Thompson had a career-high 34 points in a 72-71 overtime win over SMSU on Jan. 2 and was named the NSIC South Division Player of the Week for the first time in his career. In the game, he scored 15 straight points and had 28 in the second half. It is the most points in a half by a player since Jordan Stotts had 32 (34 overall) against Upper Iowa in 2013.   An honorable mention All-NSIC in 2019-20, he has started 48-of-56 games with 30 career double-digit scoring games with 14 starts in 15 games this season He had a career-best five triples against Augustana on Jan. 4, 2020. He also has high of nine assists against Dakota State on Nov. 16, 2021. He has scored 642 career points, including 214 this season.  

Junior guard Chase Grinde, who has 46 double-digit scoring games and six 20-point games, is supplying 10.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Grinde, who has 921 career points (185 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 five times has registered nine rebounds in a game. With 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds against Winona State on Dec. 11, 2021, he had his first-career double-double. His career-best in assists is eight against Minot State.  Grinde has 464 career rebounds, 74 made three-pointers, 204 assists, and 95 steals. 

reshman guard Jake Kettner is averaging 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Kettner, who has five double-digit scoring games in 2021-22, has hit 22-of-65 (33.8%) from the three-point range. Kettner has 13 starts in 29 career games with 193 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 six double-digit scoring games in his career. 

Senior center Austin Slater, who has a career total of five double-doubles and 15 double-digit scoring and 12 double-digit rebound games, is supplying 3.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. In his career, Slater has totaled 576 points and 616 rebounds,. He has 45 blocked shots, 38 steals and made 17-of-60 from the three-point range for 28.3 percent. Slater has made 65 starts and played in a team-high 117 games.

Junior guard Cedric Johnson is averaging 4.1 points (57) and 2.6 rebounds with 1.1 assists per game.  He has a high of 14 points at USF and 18 vs Pittsburg State on Jan. 21.2021 while playing at Nebraska-Kearney.  He has  a pair of double-digit scoring games at USF and 10 for his career.

Noah Puetz is averaging 4.1 points and 26 rebounds this season with a career-high of 11 points at SMSU on Jan. 2, 2022. He has played 23 career games with five starts and totaled 84 points. Puetz has two double-digit game. 

Senior forward Marko Coudreau, who averages 3.7 points and 1.1 rebounds, in 16 games with three starts, has scored 127 career points and 87 while at USF.  He has a career-best of 13 points, including his best of three, three-point shots at Minnesota State on Dec. 17, 2021.

Will Kondradt is a junior forward who is averaging 3.4 points and 1.1 rebounds this year. He has made two start in 14 games. His career-best is 14 points at Minnesota State on Dec. 17, 2021 when she also had his career-best of six rebounds.