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The University of Sioux Falls men’s basketball team used a season-high 53 point second half to erase a nine point halftime deficit and escape Saturday night with a 75-70 win over the University of Mary at the Stewart Center. Tonight’s victory makes it two-straight for the Cougars, who improved to 10-12 overall and 6-12 in NSIC play.
Up 12 points with 3:15 to play, USF seemed to have the game under wraps, but the Marauders had other plans. Behind Josh Turner, who posted 16 points in the final four minutes, U-Mary made an admirable push.
By the 30 second mark, it was a two point game, 72-70, USF. The Cougars, who shot 79% from the line, were dead on at the line down the stretch and made two big time stops on the defensive end to prevent any miraculous U-Mary comeback.
It a took a team effort for USF, as nine players finished in the scoring column, but Derek Brown and David Maxwell led the way Saturday. Brown tallied a team-high 21 points, including 15 in the final 20:00 of play. He finished with a career-high six 3-pointer makes. Maxwell had his first double-digit scoring performance in six games, totaling 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting.
A.J. Holland and Keaton Moffitt scored USF’s final 16 points tonight, including several clutch free throws. They combined to finish 10-of-12 at the stripe. Holland finished with 12 points, all coming in the second half, while Moffitt chipped in 10 points.
The first half was ugly for the home team. Their shooting success from Friday night didn’t carry over, as USF shot just 32% to score their second-lowest first half total of the season. The Cougars went into the break trailing 31-22.
The Cougars were a different team in the second half, where they fired an impressive 62 percent clip to turn out a 34-12 run over an eleven minute stretch, which gave them a comfortable 64-52 in the final minutes.
USF tallied 11 three-point field goals tonight to finish with 10 threes or more in three of their last four outings.
The bench play was also a significant factor tonight. USF received 32 points from the bench, while U-Mary’s reserves accounted for just 12 points.
The Cougars will look to build on their two game winning streak next weekend when they host cross-town rival Augustana College and Wayne State.
Courtesy: Dennis Gamble, USF, Sports Information
