SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KWSN.com) — Led by three players in double digits, including 16 points from junior Chase Grinde, the No. 24 University of Sioux Falls Men’s Basketball team (1-0, 0-0 NSIC) had a successful season opener with a 64-60 victory against the University of Mary (0-1, 0-0 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon at the Stewart Center.
Aside from Grinde, the Cougars, which won its opener for the third straight year, had 13 points, six rebounds and a team-high three blocks from senior forward Teathloach Pal. Freshman Wesley Oba had 11 points, all in the first half.
USF Head Coach Chris Johnson, who recorded his 234th career win, including 218 at USF, was pleased with the overall effort of his team, especially the younger players on the squad.
“I thought we played really well in the first half. We made a lot of shots and our defensive effort was good in the first half but I thought we might have tired out a bit in the second half, which is reflective of a season-opening game,” said Johnson. In the end, it was a similar game to those last year. Sometimes, we go into those periods when it is a fight to score. But a win is a win and we will take every one of them,” added Johnson, whose team will play U-Mary against on Sunday at 2 pm.
Johnson also noted the play of his young players, including freshman Wesley Oba, who had 11 points, including a rim-shaking dunk in the first half. “It was a conscious thought and effort to get those guys in the game early. We wanted them to know what a Northern Sun game is like so they can be prepared for the rest of the season,” he said.
USF opened the first half by hitting seven of its first 11 shots. Overall, USF was 18-of-35 for 51.43 percent but 3-of-10 from three-point range. As a result, the Cougars led, 41-28, at the break. In the second half, USF had a bit of a cool stretch (scoreless for first 6:52), going just 8-25 from the floor and were outscored by the visitors, 32-23, in the second. Five late points from Jack Thompson, including 3-of-4 from the foul line, in the final half minute of play sealed the season-opening win for the Cougars. Overall, USF was 26-of-60 for 43 percent, including 4-of-18 for 22 percent from distance. USF had a 26-to-17 advantage in made field goals but U-Mary held the edge at the foul line, 23-to-8.
Grinde, a returning All-NSIC guard, went 7-10 on field goals and 2-3 on threes, racking up 16 points. He reached double digits for the 30th time of his career.
Pal, another returning All-NSIC player, reached double digits for the 25th time in his career. Pal hit 6-of-13 field goals for his 13 points. Oba, who was 5-of-7 from the field, including his career-three, had 11 points. Thompson played an impressive 34 minutes, going 3-4 on free throws, including the game securing hoop, with four rebounds, four assists, and five points.
The bench played a critical role in the Cougar’s win tonight with a 22-11 edge over U-Mary. USF also maintained a 40-to-24 edge in points in the paint.
As for U-Mary, Matt Kreklow had a game-high 24 points to lead U-Mary. Kreklow, who was 5-of-11 from the field and 12-of-14 at the foul line, had a game-high nine rebounds. Trever Kaiser added 17 for the Marauders, who 17-of-46 from the field for 37 percent. U-Mary was just 3-of-13 from three-point range for 23 percent.
(Dan Genzler contributed to this report)
