Sioux Falls, SD. - The University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball team dropped a hard fought game against Bemidji State 75-74.

The Cougars and Beavers were neck and neck the entire way. Bemidji took a slight 32-31 lead into the halftime break after the first period. USF and BSU were both cold shooting to start the game with Bemidji going 39% from the field and 28% from behind the arc. The Cougars shot 44% from the field and 20% from 3. The largest lead for either team in the first half was 6 by BSU. A Jack Thompson 3 at the buzzer helped get the Coo to go into the halftime locker room only down 1. 

In the second half both teams were able to catch fire on the offensive end. The Cougars shot 54% from the field and 38% from the 3 point line. The Beavers shot 52% from the field and 44% from behind the arc. With the game being this tight it came down to free throws as Bemidji went 13-13 in the 2nd half while the Cougars went 2-5. USF had 36 points in the paint compared to BSU with 32. The Beavers had 18 points off of Cougar turnovers and USF got 18 points from its bench. The 2nd half score was tied 43-43 to give Bemidji State the tight win. 

LEADERS

Jack Thompson led USF in scoring with 21 points. Noah Puetz added 13 and Jake Kettner and Kyle Ingwerson each chipped in 10 points. 

Ingwerson paced the Coo in rebounding with 6. Puetz added 5 and Shawn Warrior chipped in 4. Jake Kettner tied for a game high 2 steals. 

Thompson led the way for USF in the assists category with 6 and Noah Puetz chipped in 4. Thompson also played a game high 38 minutes for the Coo.

UP NEXT

The Cougars will be back in action Friday January 12. They will be in Minot, N.D. to take on Minot State. This game tips at 5:30PM in the Minot State Dome. 

For all things USF Men's Basketball, be sure to download the USF Cougars app as well as follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!