Jake Thomas (Photo by Norvelle Kennedy)

Lubbock, Texas – Freshman guard Jake Thomas (Racine, Wis.) exploded for 20 points to lead three Coyotes in double figures, as South Dakota defeated Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 76-73, on Sunday in Lubbock, Texas, in the final day of the Duel in the Desert Classic. The victory was USD’s first of the 2009-10 campaign and moved it to 1-2, while the Islanders dropped to 1-2.

Thomas, who was named to the all-tournament team for his performance, propelled the USD offense with a hot shooting hand. In just his third collegiate start, he knocked down six of his eight shots from behind the arch and added two free throws to lead the squad. Senior forward Tyler Cain (Rochester, Minn.) rebounded from foul trouble in the previous two contests to post 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, while committing just three personal fouls. Junior guard Kendall Cutler (Brooklyn, N.Y.) finished with 10 points and eight assists. USD shot 47 percent from the field (25-of53) and 50 percent from three (11-of-22).

Cain hit USD’s first bucket and followed with a free throw, before senior guard Roman Gentry (Sioux City, Iowa) hit a three-pointer to give USD an early advantage. Corpus Christi went on a run of their own to tie the contest at six, but a 13-2 dash by the Coyotes behind two treys from redshirt freshman Jordan Boots (Vermillion, S.D.) put USD up 19-8 at the 13:19 mark.

Once again the Islanders clawed back to tie the contest at 22 and 25, but Thomas began to shine. The Coyote hit from behind the arch three times in the final six minutes of the half, and Cain and junior Mitchell Bouie (Chicago, Ill.) added dunks to give South Dakota the momentum with a 40-34 halftime lead.

Thomas had 12 in the half after going 4-for-4 on three-point attempts, and Bouie and Boots each had six. The Coyotes hit 52 percent (15-of-29) in the first frame, including 67 percent (8-of-12) for treys.

USD continued to hold an advantage through the majority of the second half, as the Coyotes again built their lead to as many as 11 through the first 15 minutes. Cain had 11 points in the second frame, while Thomas hit two more three-pointers.

The Islanders made it interesting down the stretch, though, by battling back to tie the game at 71 at the 1:44 mark. Corpus Christi made a bucket with 56 second left to take a short-lived 73-71 lead, as Thomas nailed his final trey of the game on USD’s next trip down the floor to put the Coyotes back up 74-73. Gentry hit two free throws and sophomore guard Louie Krogman (White River, S.D.) came up with two big defensive rebounds to seal the South Dakota win.

The Coyotes open the home portion of their season against Mayville State at 7 p.m. on Friday in the DakotaDome.