LIVE: USD men vs. Dakota State

Another home game for the University of South Dakota men’s basketball team, which won 2 games in easy fashion over the weekend.

The Coyotes (4-3) host Dakota State, an NAIA school from the Dakota Athletic Conference. Trojans also come in 4-3.

Dakota State beat Mount Marty in the season opener, and has dropped exhibitions at South Dakota State and Southwest Minnesota State.

Starting lineups:

USD goes with Louie Krogman, Jake Thomas, Roman Gentry, Tyler Cain and Steve Smith.

Dakota State starts Aaron King, Jason DeZeeuw, Derek Kreutzfeldt, Bryce Snyder and Jackson Parr.

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Another quick start for the Coyotes. All five starters score right away, including another three-pointer from Thomas (actually inside 30 feet….). Gentry just hit a three, and DSU calls a timeout.

USD leads 16-3 at the 16:45 mark. Much better crowd for this game, especially with students back on campus. DSU’s head coach Gary Garner, who has a lengthy resume, really gave it to his troops in that huddle.

At the second timeout, it’s 20-5 Coyotes. Krogman has six quick points for USD, while Gentry has three early assists.

DSU’s Parr has scored eight quick points for the Trojans, who trail 26-14 at the 11:48 mark. USD calls a timeout after Parr’s latest basket.

The Coyote margin is 37-16 at the 8:01 mark. USD is really spreading it around now, as Jordan Boots, Mitchell Bouie and Conrad Krutwig have scored in the last spurt. Pace has kind of slowed down a bit. If Thomas hits a few more threes, I bet this place perks up like it did on Sunday.

Watertown native Dustin Tetzlaff pulls up from three-point range and knocks it down for USD. The Coyote lead is out to 44-18 with 3:32 to go in the first half.

Bouie has scored 13 points off the bench for USD, and just dunked in transition while getting fouled. Nice play. Krogman just hit a pair of free throws. Coyotes lead 54-27 with under a minute to go in the half.

HALF: South Dakota 54, Dakota State 27.

USD stats: Coyotes shot 57.6 percent (19-of-33) from the field, with five three-pointers, and 11-of-12 at the free throw line. Bouie has 13 points, with Gentry at nine points. Tyler Cain has seven points and seven rebounds.

DSU stats: Parr leads with 10 points and five rebounds, while King has seven points. Trojans 9-of-32 from the field.

— — — —

Krogman drops in five quick points for the Coyotes to start the second half, as USD leads 67-31 at the 15:59 mark. Krogman and Gentry both have 13 points. On the last series, DSU seriously had like six looks at the basket from the point, but couldn’t get one to fall. But a foul sends them to the line after the timeout.

USD continues its offensive play, leading 80-42 with 9:54 to play. Boots has scored 11 points on 3 three-pointers off the bench. Bouie has 16 points to lead the Coyotes.

The USD margin is out to 87-46 with 7:57 to go in the game. Not much else to say at this point. The Coyotes are having their way in all facets — rebounding, shooting, hustle plays, etc.

Boots is having a huge game off the bench, as the redshirt freshman has 21 points. The last three he hit was in Thomas range (yes, there is such a thing….). And Tetzlaff just hit a baseline jumper, putting the Coyotes ahead 105-57.

With under two minutes to play, USD leads 107-59. I’ll provide some quick thoughts when I get back to Yankton.

FINAL: South Dakota 111, Dakota State 59.

Final Thoughts (who am I, Jerry Springer?) — Breakout game for Jordan Boots, who scored 21 points…..yet another three-point threat for USD….Mitchell Bouie had 18 points, including a sweet dunk in transition over a DSU opponent (photo will be in Thursday’s P&D)….Tyler Cain had 10 points and 10 rebounds in just 14 minutes of action….Coyotes scored 100 points for a third straight game, first time that’s happened since 2003-04….Huge step up in competition for USD, which will play in the Drake Invitational on Dec. 11-13. Coyotes will play host Drake and Binghamton (N.Y.).

LIVE: USD men vs. Midland Lutheran

The University of South Dakota men’s basketball team returns to action today for another afternoon contest.

Today, the Coyotes (3-3) host Midland Lutheran (2-7), an NAIA school in the Great Plains Athletic Conference.

USD is coming off a 100-65 win over Dana College yesterday, while Midland lost at home to Concordia last Tuesday.

Last season in this matchup, USD claimed an 86-64 win.

Tip-off is in 13 minutes.

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Starting lineups

USD goes with Louie Krogman, Jake Thomas, Roman Gentry, Tyler Cain and Steve Smith.

Midland starts Jason Ahrens, Chad Langemeier, Justin Kulwicki, Zach Rosenboom and Brandon Mach.

I see USD president Jim Abbott and his wife, Collette, are in the house. We’re about ready to go from the Dome.

P&D Sports Editor James Cimburek is here shooting the game, and I told him before to watch USD’s Thomas. And so far, he’s making me look like a genius. Freshman has four threes in the first three minutes. Coyotes lead 16-4.

At the 13:13 mark, USD leads 21-13. Thomas has 12 for the Coyotes, with Krogman at five. A lot more energy early on today for the hosts, after a sluggish start yesterday.

Mitchell Bouie has given USD a quick spurt off the bench again, as the junior transfer has knocked down four free throws in the last minute. Coyotes lead Midland 25-17 at the 11:53 mark.

Again, not much crowd to speak of, but a few more stragglers then yesterday. Students are probably filtering back on campus after the holiday weekend.

Gotta say, Midland has some really good players. The Warriors are finding early success down low against the Coyotes, specifically Rosenboom (13 points) and Ahrens (12). At the under-8 timeout, USD leads 36-25. Thomas hit another three — his fifth — and now has 15 points.

Just in case people were curious, Thomas showed he can hit jumpers inside the three-point arc. He just hit back-to-back shots from about 17 feet, giving him 22 for the game. He’s definitely energizing this crowd when USD has the ball. Fans behind me keep mumbling for him to shoot at halfcourt.

Pace has slowed down a bit here in the last few minutes. USD leads 45-30 with 2:21 to go in the first half. Midland has continued to get good looks at the basket, but can’t get second chances. USD has Smith and freshman Conrad Krutwig in the game. But it looks like Cain is coming back in after the timeout.

HALF: South Dakota 51, Midland Lutheran 32.

For USD, Thomas has 22 points on 6-of-8 three-pointers. For reference sake, the school record is eight in one game (last Coyote was Derek Paben in 2003). Krogman and Bouie each have eight points.

For Midland, Ahrens and Rosenboom each have 14 points. Warriors are 1-of-7 from three-point range.

— — — —

USD’s momentum carries over in the second half, as Krogman drains a quick three. Thomas later follows with his seventh trey, and Krogman hits a layup in transition before the first timeout. Coyotes lead 65-38 at the 15:11 mark.

Thomas hits another one, giving him eight for the game. And on the next trip down, misses one, with the crowd rising up. USD up 72-42.

This kid is on fire right now. At the top of the key, Thomas hits another one, setting a new school record with nine. He actually needed the rim on that one. Running back down court, he raised his arms in the air and smiled at the USD bench.

At the 7:51 mark, Coyotes are up 86-54. Krogman has four three-pointers himself, 16 for the game. Things have gotten out of hand for Midland Lutheran, if you can’t tell…..

Coyotes have four reserves in the game, with Krogman the lone starter. USD leads 99-65 at the 3:34 mark.

I’ll be back after the game with some Larry King-style thoughts.

FINAL: South Dakota 104, Midland Lutheran 71.

Coyotes finish with five players in double figures — Thomas (31), Krogman (18), Bouie (15), Cain (13) and Krutwig (10). Team hit 14 three-pointers, 13 from the tandem of Thomas and Krogman. Watertown native Dustin Tetzlaff finishes with 10 rebounds off the bench.

Final Thoughts — Have I said Jake Thomas can shoot?….Today was more consistent in both halves for the Coyotes, 51 points in the first half, 53 in the second….USD out-rebounded Midland 50-30….Warriors will beat some good teams in the GPAC this season, mark it down….Coyotes move to 4-3.

LIVE: USD men vs. Dana

Another gorgeous day in South Dakota. Holy cow. Are you kidding me? We’ve been spoiled over the holiday weekend, without question. It’s been a while since it hasn’t either snowed or been around 30 degrees on Thanksgiving.

Anyway, enough about that.

We’ve got a basketball game to discuss.

The University of South Dakota men (2-3) begin a three-game homestand today against NAIA Dana College (2-6), of the GPAC. Last season in this matchup, USD won 94-58, a year after beating the Vikings 96-61.

Tip-off is in 9 minutes. I’ll be back for in-game updates. And remember to check my Twitter page for other goodies.

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Starting lineups.

USD goes with Louie Krogman, Jake Thomas, Roman Gentry, Tyler Cain and Steve Smith.

Dana starts P.J. Mallette, Jake Brandl, Danny Petersen, Tristan Washington and Chris Walker.

It’s go time.

Quick start for both sides. A trio of three-pointers for USD and the Coyotes lead 9-8. Dana’s Washington has five quick points.

Krogman hits Smith underneath for a dunk on a no-look pass, giving USD a 15-10 cushion. But right before the first media timeout, Dana’s Washington hits a runner, pulling the Vikings with 15-12 with 14:58 left in the half.

One of the USD guys I’m keeping my eye on is Jake Thomas, the freshman from Racine, Wis. He’s averaging 11.2 points early on this season. Word is, he can hit from deep….we’re taking the second eye on the Coyote logo way pas the three-point line.

Coyotes break a short lull with a Cain layup down low. USD leads 19-16 at the 11:58 mark, with some bench players in the game. Dana has come out calm, which I imagine is big in a situation like this. Some NAIA teams I’ve watched in the Dome have tried to do a lot right away.

Krogman leads USD with 5 points, with Cain and Smith both at 4. Thomas has four early rebounds.

USD’s Mitchell Bouie, a transfer from Western Oklahoma State, has three points off the bench, but Dana is within 25-20 at the 9:20 mark.

A three-pointer by Mallette and a layup by Washington enables Dana to tie the game at 27-27, prompting a USD timeout at the 7:21 mark. Vikings have come out with a ton of energy, to their credit.

USD’s Cain is headed to the line with the Coyotes up 29-27 at the under-8 media timeout.

Not much of a crowd to speak of today, but remember, it’s still the holiday weekend and the weather is gorgeous (I thought I was done with that…..). But the usual USD folks are here. I’ve heard P.J. Maloney yell more than once across the way at his courtside seat.

Whatever USD coach Dave Boots said at that last timeout has paid off. The Coyotes are up 40-29 after Thomas drained a three in transition, prompting a Dana timeout. USD has picked up the intensity the last few minutes. Evidence? On the first play out of the timeout, USD’s Bouie gets a steal, drives down court, tries a dunk attempt but is fouled.

Media timeout. USD leads 40-29 with 3:23 left in the first half.

HALF: South Dakota 46, Dana 33.

First-half stats: Cain leads USD 12 points, while Bouie has 9 and Krogman has 7. Thomas has six points and five rebounds. Coyotes shot 56.7 percent (17-of-30) from the field, with four three-pointers.

For Dana, Washington has 11 points, with Walker and Alex McCleary both at 6. Vikings shot 42.9 percent (15-of-35), with 3 three-pointers. Biggest disparity was at the free throw line. USD is 8-of-11, while Dana has yet to get to the charity stripe.

— — — —

Thomas has five early points for USD in the second half, giving him 11 for the game. Krogman has four points in the half, and also has 11 for the game.

Dana has been able to move the ball against the USD zone, but has either passed up semi-open shots or not found the mark. Vikings have had some looks down low, but the size of the D-I Coyotes has been disruptive.

USD up 59-39 with 15:57 to play.

Thomas has hit 3 threes in the second half, the last one from waaaaaaay out. Fans will love this kid if he can hit those. One of the assistant coaches told me earlier Thomas is a “program-changer.” Coyotes up 71-45.

(In other action, the FCS playoff football game between SDSU and Montana is tied at 48, with 4 to play….)

Things have gotten out of hand here, as USD leads 88-49 with 7:08 to play. Four Coyotes are in double figures, led by Cain’s 18 points — putting him over 1,000 in his career.

All 10 USD players have now scored in this game. Watertown native Dustin Tetzlaff just hit a layup. USD leads 93-56 with 5:21 to play.

I’ll be back after the game with some quick thoughts.

FINAL: South Dakota 100, Dana 65

Few quick thoughts, in Larry King style — Cain eclipses 1,000 points for his career….all 10 USD players scored in the game….Yes, Thomas can definitely shoot…..I really like the energy Kendall Cutler and Mitch Bouie bring off the bench….USD plays really long, wingspan-wise….Krogman, the team’s point guard, grabbed 10 rebounds…..Coyotes host Midland Lutheran tomorrow (Sunday)

USD Men Back To Action

Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone. Was it a good holiday? Did you see the fam? Eat too much?

Now that Black Friday (and no, my sister couldn’t persuade me to get up at 4 a.m…..) is almost over, it’s time to look ahead at the upcoming weekend for the University of South Dakota men’s basketball team.

I haven’t written much yet about the Coyote men, but will get two chances to catch up this weekend. USD (2-3) hosts a pair of NAIA opponents in the next two days — Dana (2-6) on Saturday at 3 p.m., and Midland Lutheran (2-7) on Sunday at 3 p.m.

The 2-3 start for the Coyotes is a bit deceiving when you look at who they’ve played. USD lost games to Texas Tech (88-49), Oregon State (62-47) and Marquette (93-68). The Coyotes recorded a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and an easy win over NAIA Mayville State in the home opener.

Counting a home game against NAIA Dakota State next Wednesday, USD obviously has a good chance to get things going again before the 2-game Drake Invitational (Dec. 11-13) in Des Moines, Iowa.

Statistically through five games, senior Tyler Cain leads USD in both scoring (13.6) and rebounding (6.6). Freshman Jake Thomas is adding 11.2 points a game, aided by a 48-percent clip on three-pointers. Sophomore guard Louie Krogman — who is USD’s primary point guard this season — is averaging 9.2 points.

For tomorrow’s (Saturday) and Sunday’s 3 p.m. games in the DakotaDome, I’ll be providing live coverage right here on this blog.

I’ll also provide updates on my Twitter page, which you can access here.

Coyote Women In Sioux Falls

USD junior guard Abby Kinder (middle)

Talk about a tough matchup.

The University of South Dakota women’s basketball team opened its 2009-10 season with a 53-40 loss against Wisconsin-Green Bay on Sunday afternoon at the Sioux Falls Arena.

The Press & Dakotan was on hand in Sioux Falls, as correspondent Keith Brockberg covered the game and I snapped photos. I rode up with fellow P&D sportswriter Justin Rust, who was covering the game for The Volante (USD’s student newspaper).

The three of us watched as USD debuted its new-look roster to a crowd of 1,907 fans at the Arena. Though, to be fair, it definitely didn’t feel like that many.

We first got a look at the Coyotes at last Wednesday’s exhibition loss to Winona State at Laddie E. Cimpl Arena in Yankton. In that game, USD found it difficult to score against a tough Winona defense.

And Sunday in Sioux Falls, it was more of the same against a UW-Green Bay team that has won 11 straight Horizon League championships.

Though they replace four starters this season, the Phoenix (2-0) had the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense a year ago — allowing just an average of 50.8 points per game. And with eight players this season at least 6-foot, I can see why that trend could continue.

Green Bay held USD to 38.6 percent (17-of-44) from the field on Sunday, and out-rebounded the Coyotes 37-24. The Phoenix also forced USD into 20 turnovers.

Despite the offensive struggles, the Coyotes again saw strong production from junior transfer Abby Kinder, a junior college transfer from Danville (Ind.) Area CC. The 5-foot-10 guard led USD with 12 points, and continually showed the ability to penetrate a tough UW-GB defense. In Wednesday’s exhibition, Kinder paced the Coyotes with 16 points.

For a team with a handful of new players trying to feel each other, it may take some time for USD to find its groove. A Nov. 24 official home opener against Iowa Wesleyan at 7 p.m. should aid in that goal, but the Coyotes will then embark a tough road trip — at Wichita State, at Nebraska, and at Santa Clara.

Regardless, it’s good to have basketball back again.