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

Coyotes (6-1) get 15 points from Paul Marshall and 14 points from Jason Barrow.

Dec. 8, 2000

VERMILLION, S.D. - A fast start propelled the No. 12-ranked University of South Dakota men's basketball team to a 80-57 win over No. 20 Minnesota State, Mankato in their North Central Conference home opener before 1,862 in the DakotaDome.

USD (6-1, 1-0 in the NCC) jumped to a 16-2 lead over Minnesota State (6-1, 0-1 in the NCC) at the 12:33 mark of the opening half as junior guard Paul Marshall buried three three-point baskets, and junior forward Jimmie Foster also buried a three-pointer. The Coyotes continued to build on the lead behind solid offensive play and strong defense. The Coyotes went ahead 25-8 at the 9:22 mark when junior forward Eric Hickenbottom knocked down a three-pointer. USD moved ahead 27-8 at the 7:42 mark when sophomore guard Travis James hit a pair of free throws. A steal and layup by senior guard Nate Tibbetts gave the Coyotes a 32-16 lead at the 3:37 mark of the opening half. With 17 seconds to play, freshman forward Steve Anderson scored on a layup off a beautiful pass from Tibbetts as the Coyotes led 36-21 at the break.

Marshall's nine points led USD, who hit 13-of-24 (.542) first-half shots. They hit 6-of-12 three-point field goals. Meanwhile, the Mavericks struggled from the field, converting just 8-of-29 (.276) field goals. They were 3-of-17 (.176) from three-point range.

USD continued their fine play in the opening minutes of the second half as Tibbetts had three assists and senior forward Jason Barrow had six points in building the margin to 45-21 with 17:28 left in the game. A layup by freshman guard Richard Ross gave the Coyotes a 53-28 lead with 12:02 left in the game. The Mavericks went on a 14-5 run to draw within 58-42 as Josh Ziemke knocked home a pair of three-point baskets. But that was as close as Minnesota State wuld get in the second half. Two free throws by senior forward Jeremy Kudera gave USD a 63-42 lead at the 6:34 mark of the second half. A layup by Ross off another great pass from Tibbetts moved the lead to 70-46. Then, a three-point basket by Ross gave USD a 76-46 lead with 2:20 to play. Junior forward Scott Hansen put the final USD points on a three-point basket with 25 seconds left before Matt Jones hit a three-pointer for the Mavericks to end the scoring.

On the night, the Coyotes hit 23-of-42 (.548) field goals, including 9-of-18 (.500) from three-point range. USD was 25-of-34 (.735) from the free throw line. The Mavericks were 19-of-58 (.328) from the field, 10-of-37 (.270) from three-point range and 9-of-11 (.818) from the free throw line.

Marshall led the Coyotes with 15 points while Barrow had 14 points. Foster, who had six points, pulled down 15 rebounds as USD won the rebound battle 36-29. Tibbetts had a stellar game for the Coyotes with seven points, 12 assists and six steals. Kudera had nine points and Ross added eight.

Drew Carlson and Ziemke, who each had 16 points, led the Mavericks.