Tyler Cain had a career-high 33 points and a career-high 14 rebounds for USD in Saturday's loss.

MANKATO, Minn. - - Despite a dominant performance by forward Tyler Cain, The University of South Dakota men’s basketball team fell short Saturday in a 102-94 loss to Post University at the Pepsi Tip-Off Classic in Mankato, Minn.

Cain (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) scored a career-high 33 points and pulled down 14 rebounds for the Coyotes (1-3). Cain was 12-of-18 from the field in the game, which also marked a career high for field goals made in a game.

Mitch Begeman (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) added a season-high 18 points, while Steve Smith (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) collected 17. Louie Krogman (Fr., White River, S.D.) added 10 for his fourth straight double-figure game.

Post held a 38-36 halftime lead before both teams caught fire from the field in the second half. USD shot 52.9 percent from the field (18-of-35) while Post shot 61.1 percent (22-of-36).

USD turned the halftime deficit into a lead in the second half, opening the frame on a 23-14 run to built a 59-52 lead with 14:02 left in the game. The USD lead stood at nine, 71-62, with 10:24 left after a tip in by Dylan Grimsley (Sr., Sioux City, Iowa).

But Post responded with a crucial 21-5 spurt to take a 83-76 lead with 4:20 left. The Coyotes were unable to get closer the rest of the way as Post built its lead into double digits.

Cain had 19 of his points in the second half as he shot 7-of-10 from the field in the final 20 minutes.

Jesse Becker (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) returned to action after missing the previous two games with an injury to score seven points off the bench for the Coyotes. Krogman led USD with a career-high six assists, while Cain had two blocks and two steals to lead the Coyotes in both categories. Begeman finished 6-of-11 from three-point range in the contest.

For Post, Brandon Romain had 41 points, which set a new record for the Pepsi Tip-Off Classic. The two teams combined for 196 points, which also set a record for the Classic.

USD makes its 2008-09 home debut on Tuesday, Nov. 25 against Graceland University. Game time is 7 p.m. at the DakotaDome in Vermillion, S.D.