Mitchell Bouie

Game 22
Opponent: SIU Edwardsville
When: Friday, Feb. 5, 7 p.m. CT
Where: Vadalabene Center, Edwardsville, Ill.
Live Stats: SIUECougars.com
Live Audio: B1027.com
Live Video: None
Television: None

On the Slate
Victorious in six of its last seven contests, the South Dakota men’s basketball team will step out of Great West Conference play to travel to SIU Edwardsville for a 7 p.m. contest on Friday. The Coyotes (12-9, 4-1 GWC) are looking for their fourth consecutive win over the Cougars (3-19), who are 1-0 against USD in the Vadalabene Center.

Live stats for Friday’s game can be found on SIUE’s web site at SIUECougars.com, while live audio can be followed at B1027.com.

Scouting the Cougars
Also in its transition to NCAA Division I, SIU Edwardsville is not affiliated with a conference this season but will join the Ohio Valley next season. Head coach Lennox Forrester and the Cougars return three starters from a squad that went 10-20 last season. SIUE has posted a 3-19 mark in 2009-10, but did defeat Drake (60-58) and UT Arlington (71-67) early in December and claimed a win over Robert Morris (92-71) on Jan. 21. The Cougars lost at Southeast Missouri (68-49) on Tuesday in their latest action. Sophomore forward Mark Yelovich averages 14.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game to lead SIUE in both categories, while senior guard Aamir McCleary contributes 11.8 points and 4.5 assists per game and has a team-high 28 steals.

Coyote History versus the Cougars
Although USD and SIUE have been playing for just two seasons, USD has a 3-1 advantage in the series. The Coyotes claimed a 2-1 mark against the Cougars last year, with the one loss coming at Edwardsville, and defeated SIU Edwardsville 100-76 on Jan. 9 in Vermillion. Tyler Cain notched a season-high 26 points and 15 rebounds, while Louie Krogman and Roman Gentry accomplished the same with 19 and 18 points, respectively. Kendall Cutler posted a career-high 14 assists in just his third start for USD, while Mitchell Bouie had 10 points and Jake Thomas rounded out USD’s double-digit scorers with 12.

Last Time Out: Gentry’s Putback Pushes USD Past UTPA, 72-71
Senior Roman Gentry putback a Kendall Cutler miss with 4.7 seconds left to give the South Dakota men’s basketball team a 72-71 win over Texas-Pan American last Saturday at UTPA Fieldhouse. The Broncs missed on the following shot attempt to allow the Coyotes to move to 4-1 in the Great West and 12-9 overall.

Gentry posted 19 points to lead a great second-half performance from USD. After trailing by 16 points at halftime, the Coyotes used an improved defensive effort and a renewed commitment to the inside game to tie the game at 65 at the 4:50 mark. UTPA scratched out a four-point advantage with 49 seconds left, but freshman guard Jake Thomas hit a three to bring USD within one and senior center Steve Smith stole the inbounds pass to allow USD to score the final five points.

Sophomore guard Louie Krogman added 13 points, while redshirt freshman guard Jordan Boots contributed 12 thanks to a 5-of-5 shooting performance. Senior forward Tyler Cain added a team-high nine rebounds, but only scored eight points to break his streak of 18 games with at least 10. USD shot 55 percent (28-of-51) from the field and 45 percent (8-of-18) behind the arc, while holding UTPA to 20 points on 9-of-32 (28 percent) in the second half.

Cain, Cutler and Thomas each picked up their third personal foul early in the second frame, but USD still worked its way back into the game. Cain and Smith earned layups and five-straight points from Gentry cut the lead to single digits at 53-44 with 13:56 left. Free throws from an intentional foul and technical on UTPA were made by Krogman and Gentry, before back-to-back layups from Bouie tied the teams at 53 at the 10:48 mark.

The lead changed hands four times over the next two minutes, but UTPA (3-20, 2-2) was able to etch out another five-point lead at 63-58 at the 7:10 mark. A Thomas three tied the game again at 65 and the Broncs once again took a slight advantage before USD scored the final five points.

The two squads exchanged the lead over the first two minutes of the first half thanks to USD buckets from Cain and Gentry, but the Coyotes couldn’t keep pace with the hot-shooting Broncs. UTPA hit five treys to take a 17-9 advantage at 15:54 and stretched the lead to as many as 12, before the Coyotes battled back. Gentry scored a layup, Bouie added a free throw and Krogman nailed a three to give South Dakota a quick 6-0 spurt and cut the lead to 23-17 at the midway point.

Two more quick threes gave UTPA another double-digit lead which they ran to as many as 15 at the six-minute mark, before the Coyotes started to find their range. Thomas converted a three followed by two straight treys and an old-fashion three-point play from Boots to keep USD within 43-33 with 2:45 left. The Broncs crafted a 7-2 run to go into halftime with a 51-35 lead.

Gentry and Boots paced the Coyotes with nine points apiece in the first half and Cain chipped in six, as USD shot 50 percent (14-of-28) from the field and behind the arc (5-10). UTPA hit 55 percent (16-of-29) from the field and 88 percent (7-of-8) for threes. The Broncs made 12 free throws in the first frame to USD’s two.

Gentry Grabs Great West Honors
USD senior Roman Gentry was selected the Great West Conference Player of the Week, the league announced on Monday. It was the first weekly honor for Gentry and he was the fifth Coyote to earn the accolade this season.

A native of Sioux City, Iowa, Gentry posted back-to-back double-digit performances while guiding South Dakota to two road wins last weekend. He claimed 22 points and three assists in USD’s 92-70 win over Houston Baptist on Jan. 28 and notched the game-winning basket with four seconds left in the Coyotes’ 72-71 win at Texas-Pan American on Jan. 30. Against the Broncs, Gentry scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds.

D1 Dividends
The Coyotes have earned some quality victories against NCAA Division I opponents. After starting the year 2-8 against DI foes, USD has rebounded to win six of its last seven contests by an average of 14.5 points to move to 8-9 against DI this season.

Bonus from the Bench
With only 11 players on the roster and freshman Cliff Warner redshirting his first season in the program, the Coyotes have a limited number of bodies off the bench. That being said, USD’s reserves have played well. In the last two games, USD’s bench has outscored the opponent’s bench 55-26, including a 30-11 advantage last Saturday at Texas-Pan American.

For the complete notes, click on the link above.