Official Athletic Web Site of the University of South Dakota CoyotesMen's Basketball

Jan. 6, 2001

VERMILLION, S.D. - The University of South Dakota men's basketball team (11-2, 5-1 NCC) received a 33-point performance from guard Paul Marshall as the Coyotes turned back Nebraska-Omaha 83-70 in North Central Conference action before 2,785 in the DakotaDome. The victory was the Coyotes' seventh straight at home this season. With the win, USD remained in second place in the NCC with a 5-1 mark.

On a night when the Coyotes struggled at times at both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, it was Marshall who came to the rescue. The 6'1" junior, who transferred from Sauk Valley Junior College in Dixon, Ill., had his best night as a Coyote. He made 9-of-20 field goals and was 7-of-15 from three-point range, also converting 8-of-11 free throws for his 33 points. It was the highest point total by a Coyote since Charles Poe had 33 against Morningside late in the 1996-97 season. The effort followed a 30-point performance by junior forward Jimmie Foster against Northern Colorado on Jan. 5. And, Foster shined again on Saturday night. Against Nebraska-Omaha, Foster had 22 points and seven rebounds. It was his 10th double-figure game and his sixth straight. Foster made 7-of-10 field goals and 8-of-9 free throws on the night.

USD jumped to a quick start, grabbing a 14-4 lead at the 16:17 mark after a three-point basket by senior forward Jeremy Kudera. During that run, the Coyotes received six points from Foster and five points from Marshall. Nebraska-Omaha (5-7, 0-5 NCC) fought back to 14-8 when Seth Nelson converted a layup at the 15:28 mark. The Mavericks' Dan Morrow hit a three-pointer at the 12:07 mark to draw Nebraska-Omaha within 19-17. But then the Coyotes took off on a 10-0 run to grab a 29-17 lead with 9:25 to play in the opening half. Marshall had a pair of three-point baskets in the run. A layup by Nebraska-Omaha's Eddie King cut the Mavericks' deficit to 29-23 at the 5:50 mark before the Coyotes ended the half on a scoring flurry. The Coyotes outscored Nebraska-Omaha 12-5 in the final five minutes to grab a 42-28 halftime lead. It was the 10th time in 13 games that USD has led at the break.

In the opening half, USD hit 14-of-25 first half field goals and 7-of-14 three-pointers. Marshall had four three-point goals and 17 points in the opening half. Foster had 11 points. The Mavericks hit 12-of-27 field goals and just 2-of-8 three-point shots. Nelson led the Mavericks in the opening half with 10 points.

However, just like the game against Northern Colorado on Friday night, the Coyotes could not hold the huge halftime lead. A jumper by Nebraska-Omaha's Eric Allen pulled the visitors within 47-41 at the 15:24 mark, but that was the closest Nebraska-Omaha could get. USD responded with five quick points, including a three-pointer by Marshall and a layup by senior center Jason Barrow, for a 52-41 lead with 13:32 to play. Then the lead grew to 57-44 at the 12:34 mark when junior forward Eric Hickenbottom scored a layup and converted the free throw after being fouled. The Coyotes increased the margin to 63-44 after Foster converted a pair of free throws with 10:22 to play in the game. Nebraska-Omaha tried to make a charge, but USD stalled each effort. At the 8:20 mark, King had a dunk to close the gap to 63-50, but Foster scored on a tip-in at the 7:36 mark for a 65-50 lead. After Nelson hit a pair of free throws, the Mavericks pulled to within 67-54 with 6:14 to play, but the Coyotes continued to answer on the offensive end. In the second half, both teams struggled through some rugged play but the margin shifted very little. The teams traded baskets for the next couple of minutes before a pair of Nelson free throws with 2:05 to play moved the Mavericks to within 75-63. The Mavericks pulled within 11 points with 1:02 to play on a jumper by Nelson. Two foul shots by Kudera with ten seconds to play were the final scoring on the night.

Overall, the Coyotes hit 25-of-51 field goals and 10-of-21 (.476) from three-point range. The Coyotes converted 23-of-31 free throws. Kudera had a solid night with 10 points and a career-high 18 rebounds. Senior point guard Nate Tibbetts continued to distribute the ball effectively with a season-high 12 assists. In fact, Tibbetts moved into second place on the career assists list with his performance. He now has 575 assists in his career, moving past former Coyote guard Barry Glanzer, who had 566 assists from 1978-82. He is 23 assists behind the all-time leader, Rick Nissen, who had 598 assists from 1972-76.

The Mavericks hit 26-of-61 field goals and 5-of-18 (.278) from three-point range. They hit 13-of-18 free throws. Nelson, who had 28 points, five rebounds, five steals, four assists and two blocked shots, led the Mavericks. Forward Tota Dada had 17 points and six rebounds while King had 13 points and eight rebounds.