Basketball Report: January 18
WOMEN - South Dakota 70, Nebraska-Omaha 55
Omaha, Neb. -- A big run to open the second half allowed South Dakota to win its first North Central Conference game, dealing UNO its third-straight conference loss, 70-55, at Sapp Fieldhouse.
The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with neither team holding more than a six-point edge. Karen Thies hit a running jumper at the buzzer to knot the score at 36-36 going into halftime. Thies and Alyssa Green scored eight points each in the first half.
The Coyotes' inside game was strong in the first half, pounding the offensive glass in the for 10 boards, leading to 13 second-chance points and 20 points in the paint.
While the Mavericks came out of the intermission sluggish, South Dakota shot the lights out. The Coyotes rolled off an 18-2 run in the first six and half minutes for a 16-point lead. Jeana Hoffman bombed two 3-pointers to highlight the outburst. UNO settled in, but couldn't get on a run of their own, never being able to get within single-digits.
Bridget Yoerger earned a double-double, scoring 17 points, adding 10 rebounds, five on the offensive side. Ashley Bjorkman also scored 17, including five 3-pointers. Jeana Hoffman finished with 13, while sister Jenna Hoffman scored eight.
Alyssa Green led UNO with 12 points, adding two assists. Karen Thies scored 10 with a team-high seven rebounds, while Ashley Freerksen also chipped in 10 points.
MEN - South Dakota 93, Nebraska-Omaha 78
Omaha, Neb. -- South Dakota scored 57 second-half points to win its 10th game in a row, defeating Nebraska-Omaha, 93-78, Thursday night at Sapp Fieldhouse.
South Dakota started the game on a 19-7 run, including the first seven points of the game. But the Coyotes' shooting cooled down, allowing the Mavericks to start a run of their own, scoring 17 of the next 20 points. UNO took a two-point lead, 24-22, on a 3-point basket by Denny Johnston with 7:50 to play. The Coyotes regained the edge in the final minutes, holding a 36-32 lead at the break.
Baskets by Justin Peterson and Jerry Bennett to open the second half tied the game, then a 3-pointer by Michael Jenkins capped off a 7-0 run, putting the Mavs up, 39-36. At the 13:34 mark the teams stood knotted at 49-49, the fifth tie score of the game. The Coyotes took the lead at that point, holding onto it for the next five minutes, but not more than four points.
Zac Robinson converted three straight free throws after being fouled on a long-range shot, making the score 64-63 with 8:11 to play. But from there, USD found its shooting touch, going on a 15-4 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Eric Hall, Dylan Grimsley and Mitch Begeman.
The Coyotes shot 57.7 percent in the second half, including 50 percent on 3-pointers, after hitting only 30.8 percent overall in the first half.
Robinson led UNO with 19 points, hitting four 3-pointers. Keith Price added 15, with Jenkins scoring 12 and Johnston adding 10. Bennett led in rebounding with seven.
Grimsley led all scorers with 24 points. Hall finished with 21
Dustin Little added 17 and a team-high nine rebounds.