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

Foster scores 24 points, Kudera 23 as Coyotes clinch at least a tie of NCC crown.

Feb. 17, 2001

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - The No. 4 ranked South Dakota (21-3, 14-2 in the NCC) men's basketball team rode 61 percent shooting in the second half to claim a hard fought 80-69 North Central Conference men's basketball win over Morningside (16-8, 10-6 in the NCC) at a packed Allee Gym in Sioux City, Iowa.

"We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We wanted to come in business like and play very hard," said Coyote head basketball coach Dave Boots, who improved his record to 270-103 (.724) at South Dakota. The Coyotes are now 108-71 (.601) on the road during the Boots' tenure. "It was a great win," Boots told Joe Van Goor of the Coyote Sports Network (KVHT 106.3) during a post-game interview.

Coming in, the Coyotes knew they had a tough battle against a team the Coyotes had narrowly decisioned (78-74) at the DakotaDome on Jan. 20.

"Everybody played their hearts out tonight," Coyote senior forward Jeremy Kudera told Van Goor in a post-game interview. "We played great defense and shot the ball pretty well against a good team. It is fun to play here and win," said Kudera, who had 23 points, seven rebounds and knocked down five of 11 three-point baskets.

Jimmie Foster, the Coyotes' leading scorer at 15.1 per game, played a key role by scoring 24 points and hitting several big shots in the second half. On the night, he scored 24 points, making eight of 14 shots from the field. He made three of five three-pointers and five of six free throws. He also had three assists and two steals in 36 minutes of action. Junior guard Paul Marshall chipped in a pair of three-pointers (five attempts) and had 11 points for South Dakota. Jason Barrow added nine points and six rebounds.

This was a game marked by small runs by both teams. South Dakota opened the scoring when Barrow hit a three-pointer at the 19:44 mark for a 3-0 lead. That score was answered quickly on a three-pointer by Morningside's Jay Menke to give the Mustangs a 5-3 lead at the 16:10 mark.

South Dakota did not regain the lead again until Kudera hit a three-pointer to give the Coyotes a 14-13 lead with 12:12 to play in the opening half. A Foster lay-up a few seconds later extended the lead to 16-13. The Coyotes built a 22-17 lead after Foster hit a pair of foul shows at the 7:36 mark. Then, the Mustangs took off on a run, scoring seven unanswered points to take a 24-22 lead at the 6:29 mark.

All season long, Kudera has answered the bell when the Coyotes have needed a big shot. He did again with a three-pointer at the 6:13 mark to quell the Morningside run and give the Coyotes a 25-24 lead. But the homestanding Mustangs received a three-pointer from Derek Paben at the 5:03 mark for a 27-25 lead. Morningside maintained control of the lead for the remainder of the half, jumping ahead 36-30 when Andrew Drevo hit a three-pointer at the 1:10 mark. Then Scott Hansen, who gave the Coyotes 15 minutes to solid basketball off the bench, hit a three-pointer with 52 seconds left in the half as the Coyotes went into the break trailing, 36-30.

"It was important for us to stay close at half. To be down by just three at the break was a big thing," Boots told Van Goor.

In the opening half the Coyotes were 11 of 25 from the field for 44 percent, including seven of 17 three-point baskets for 41.2 percent. South Dakota made all four of their free throws in the opening 20 minutes. Foster had 10 points and Kudera added nine in the opening stanza. Meanwhile, the Mustangs hit 13 of 27 shots for 48.1 percent and was five of 11 from three-point range for 45.5 percent. They hit all five of their free throws. Morningside, who held a slim 12-10 rebound advantage, received 10 points from Paben and Drevo in that opening half.

Early in the second half, Drevo scored inside to give Morningside a 38-35 lead at the 19:19 mark. In this back and forth affair, the Coyotes regained the lead, 43-42, when Kudera hit another three-point basket at the 16:04 mark. Then Morningside took off on a 5-0 run to move ahead, 47-43, after Paben hit a three-point basket. Paben scored 19 points on the night, including five three-pointers.

From that point, the Coyotes took control of the game. A lay-up by Marshall tied the game at 47-47 with 13:28 to play in the game. Then after the teams exchanged baskets, Hansen hit his second three-point basket to give the Coyotes, a 55-54 lead. The Coyotes never trailed again. A Kudera three-point basket upped the Coyote lead to 60-54 at the 7:21 mark. Then Kudera hit a jumper and two free throws as the Coyotes maintained a 64-57 lead with 6:19 left in the game.

Morningside's Matthew Schneiderman scored inside to cut the lead to 64-61 with 4:52 to play. But the Coyotes continued to shoot the ball well as Barrow scored inside and Foster knocked down a big three-point basket for a 69-61 lead at the 3:55 mark. The Mustangs again chipped away at the lead, drawing within 69-65 when Schneiderman made a pair of free throws at the 3:12 mark. Kudera again answered the charge by making a pair of free throws at the 2:55 mark for a 71-65 lead. Foster followed with a lay-up and another three-point basket as the Coyotes extended the lead to 76-68 with 1:25 left in the game. Then, Kudera made two more free throws to give the Coyotes a 79-69 lead with 37 seconds to play and with those shots helped lead the Coyotes to their 17th win in their last 22 games vs. Morningside.

"In the second half we shot it well and made some big shots. Jimmie (Foster) hit some big shots at key times," said Boots.

South Dakota improved their record to 7-2 when trailing at half and have outscored their opponents in 18 of the 24 games this season. In conference, the Coyotes are 14-2 including an 8-1 home mark and 6-1 record on the road.

The Coyotes, who hit 16 of 26 second half shots for 61.5 percent, made 27 of 51 field goals for 52.9 percent for the game. They were 14 of 29 from three-point range for 49.3 percent. They also made 12 of 15 free throws for 80 percent. Morningside, which held a 35-25 rebound advantage, hit 23 of 56 field goals for 41.1 percent and were nine of 25 from three-point range for 36 percent. They hit 14 of 15 free throws for 93.3 percent. Drevo had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Morningside. Schneiderman had 19 points and nine rebounds.

For the Coyotes, ranked No. 1 in the North Central Region entering this weekend's action, the win allowed them to clinch at least a tie for first in the NCC. But the Coyotes have work to do with a road trip ahead against St. Cloud State and Minnesota State-Mankato, both who are playing solid basketball. While the Coyotes have clinched at least a tie for their third consecutive league crown, one win in their final two games assures the Coyotes of hosting the NCC Postseason Tourney. The winner of the tournament gains an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs.