Coyotes hope to break road-game losing streak
The road hasn’t been kind to the University of South Dakota men’s basketball team this year.
With the team’s 75-67 loss to Denver last Saturday, the team fell to 1-10 away from the DakotaDome and interim head coach Joey James had to go back to the drawing board once again.
“We just have to be tougher. We’re not a tough enough basketball team on the road right now,” James said. “I’m challenging our guys, but we have a great, energetic group of players.”
The Coyotes fought back and outscored Denver 41-37 in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. Denver’s junior guard Brett Olson scored a career-high 30 points and was six for eight from three-point range.
“He’s one of the top players in the Summit League,” James said. “He hit a few of his shots from deep with guys contesting him but he just got in a comfort zone. Every once in awhile guys have those big nights.”
Sophomore guard Adam Thoseby came off the bench to tie a team high of 15 points in the game.
They are now 4-9 in games decided by single digits, something Thoseby said is extremely frustrating.
“I’ve said this before, but this team has really been one to two possessions away on these losses,” Thoseby said. “I don’t know. We’re just one or two possessions away.”
In his last seven games, Thoseby is 12-for-23 from three-point range.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Thoseby had to sit out last season after he transferred from Utah State. Despite the losses, Thoseby said he is excited about the rest of the season for his team.
“This final stretch is really important for us,” Thoseby said. “I know that playing strong from here on out will do nothing but help us before tournament time.”
The Coyotes will have another test on the road tomorrow night as they travel to Fort Wayne. The Mastadons are currently ranked No. 2 in the Summit League with a record of 6-3 in the conference and 18-8 overall.
One of the Mastadons’ Summit League losses came in Vermillion three and a half weeks ago. The Coyotes won 75-61 behind senior Karim Rowson’s 21 points and nine rebounds.
James, whose team is in danger of losing six straight conference games, said traveling to Fort Wayne will truly put the test on his players.
“Let’s face it, everyone plays well at home. I’ve yet to see a team that doesn’t play well at home yet,” James said. “They have a very good basketball team and are just coming off of two losses. They’re in a desperate mode for a win just like us.”
In the previous meeting, the bulk of Fort Wayne’s offense came from its leading scorer, senior forward Luis Jacobo. Jacobo scored a team-high 19 points and is averaging 14.8 points per game.
Senior center Trevor Gruis said the team has a plan for tomorrow night’s game.
“We’ll have to pack it in the paint but also be aware to not leave any shooters open. I’m sure (Karim) Rowson will guard him, since he normally guards the opposing team’s best player,” Gruis said. “We should be alright with him, but we cant let happen what he did last time.”
Gruis said the game tomorrow night is important because he doesn’t want to see the season start to slip away.
“Me and (Rowson) only have two games left in the DakotaDome. It’s going by pretty fast and that’s pretty scary,” Gruis said. “But (Rowson) and I don’t need these wins, the team does. We know we need to get some quality wins on the road here to build some confidence moving forward.”
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
Follow reporter Grant Bosiacki on Twitter @GBo52
