Coyotes fall to UWP

The #16 South Dakota men's basketball team dropped its first decision of the 2006-07 season thanks to a furious second-half run by Wisconsin-Parkside, falling to the Rangers 86-75 at the Disney Division II Tip-Off Classic. The Coyotes fell to 1-1 on the year while UWP improved to 2-0 with the victory.

Sophomore swingman Dylan Grimsley (Sioux City, IA) led USD with 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Junior forward Eric Hall (Huron) added 14 points aided by his four three-pointers out of six attempts.

Sophomore guard Jesse Becker (Plymouth, MN) hit double digits in scoring with 13 points, including making three of four from beyond the arc. Sophomore center Steve Smith (Sioux Falls) contributed 12 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor and four rebounds.

UWP's Kyle Clark led all players with 26 points, making 10-of-14 shots from the floor. Juan Lopez posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. LaVontay Fenderson also notched 17 points as each member of the Ranger starting five scored at least double-digits in points.

The Coyotes made 9-of-20 three-point field goal attempts (45.0 percent) on the game. However, UWP made more free throws (15-of-26 – 57.7 percent) than South Dakota even attempted during the course of the game (6-of-10 – 60.0 percent).

The first half was fairly even most of the way through, with the Coyotes enjoying a lead for most of it thanks to an 11-3 run early on in the period. Hall connected on a three-pointer on USD's final possession of the half to give South Dakota a 37-33 lead at the break.

The Rangers opened the second half with a 13-2 run over the first three minutes of play to retake the lead at 45-39. UWP continued its hot start to the final frame, and eventually saw its lead reach double digits. From that point on, Wisconsin-Parkside was able to maintain its lead through the rest of the game as it sent the Coyotes to their first loss of the season.