GRAND FORKS, N.D.--Reserve guard Jesse Becker scored a game-high 25 points to lead No. 8 South Dakota to an 88-65 win over the Fighting Sioux this afternoon, UND's worst loss since the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center opened prior to the 2004-05 season.
Becker was one of six Coyotes to reach double figures, spearheading an impressive USD offense that shot 50.8 percent (31-for-61) from the field and 42.9 percent (12-for-28) from 3-point range.
The Coyotes' starting front court of Tyler Cain, Eric Hall and Steve Smith combined to score 38 points, 17 coming from Cain in a perfect 8-for-8 performance from the field.
The game was largely decided in the final three minutes of the first half after the Sioux had managed to keep pace with the Coyotes for much of the period. UND senior forward Emmanuel Little (Chicago, Ill.) drew the Sioux within six with a tip-in with 3:25 remaining, but South Dakota answered with a back-breaking 9-2 run to close out the half.
Becker started the run with a 3-pointer to make it 35-26 with 2:22 left, then after two free throws each by Becker and Dylan Grimsley, Nick Morrell capitalized on a fast break with a layup with 38 seconds to make it 41-28 heading into the locker room.
UND never seemed to recover from the late-half Coyotes run and shot just 34.2 percent (13-for-38) from the field in the second half. USD, meanwhile, connected on 60 percent, never allowing the Sioux to put together any sort of extended run.
The Sioux were also unable to build on a career performance by sophomore guard Travis Bledsoe (Minneapolis, Minn.), who came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points. Bledsoe connected on his first five attempts from behind the arc and finish 6-for-9.
Ervin Youmans (Sr., Hobbs, N.M.) and Little each added 10 points for the Sioux, but combined to go 8-for-28 from the floor. Little also had 10 rebounds.
UND, which falls to 11-7 overall and 0-3 in the NCC, returns to action next Saturday at 10th-ranked Nebraska-Omaha
Notes: Bledsoe's six 3-pointers, a career-high, were the most by a Sioux since teammate Josh Doyle went 9-for-9 against Upper Iowa on Feb. 4, 2006 ... The 23-point loss was UND's worst at home since a 31-point (108-77) setback to Kansas on Dec. 22, 2001 and its worst against a Division II opponent since losing by 24 (112-88) to Troy State on Dec. 28, 1992.
