Coyotes come close in first-round loss to Western Illinois

Leading 39-33 with nine minutes remaining, it seemed as if the University of South Dakota were on the verge of upsetting No. 2 seed Western Illinois in the Coyotes first ever game in the Summit League Tournament Saturday night in Sioux Falls.

Instead, dominant play by the Leatherneck’s senior guard Celoa Clark propelled the WIU team to take the lead with under five minutes to go; eventually eliminating the No. 7 seeded Coyotes 54-53.

The Leathernecks shot well during the second half, making 11 of 18 attempts from the field, while tacking on three shots from behind the arc.

Clark continued his individual success against the Coyotes for the 2012-13 season, scoring a game-high 21 points.

Junior Trevor Gruis racked up a double double, gathering 12 points and 12 rebounds on his way to his 1000th career point. Senior Juevol Myles added another 14 points in his final game of a short-lived Coyote career.

The Leatherneck’s managed to slow down the play of standout Coyote freshman Tyler Flack and Casey Kasperbauer in the second half, holding Flack to zero points and Kasperbauer to just two.

Saturday marked the Coyote’s third loss to the Leathernecks this season, losing by a combined five points over the span of those three games.

With only two seniors currently on the Coyotes’ roster, the team could potentially see 13 returning players for the 2013-14 season, along with four of five starters.

The Leathernecks will move onto the Summit League semi-finals against the winner of Sunday’s match-up between North Dakota State University and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.