Coyote men’s basketball outlasts Minnesota in double overtime thriller

It took two extra periods but the Coyote men defeated the Golden Gophers 85-81 in a game that went right down to the wire.

The Coyotes came out hot and held a six point lead at the half. Minnesota would not go down easily, as they rallied in the second half and outscored USD 30-24 to send it into overtime. A last second tip in by Minnesota true freshman forward Jordan Murphy was what the Gophers needed to push it into extra time.

The back and forth first overtime was pushed to a second by Coyote senior forward Eric Robertson. Robertson hit a short jumper off the Trey Norris kick out with seven seconds left to tie the game. Both teams took a hit in the second overtime when USD’s Robertson and Minnesota’s Murphy fouled out of the game. Coyote senior guard Casey Kasperbauer, who struggled with his shot early on, would ice the game for USD. Kasperbauer hit four free throws in the final seven seconds to lift the Coyotes above the Golden Gophers.

Both teams struggled from distance throughout the game, with Minnesota shooting just 25 percent from the three point range and USD knocking down 32 percent from distance. From the field the Coyotes shot 47 percent compared to the Gophers’ 35 percent. All five Coyote starters scored double digits. Kasperbauer led the pack with 17 points, while junior guard Shy McClelland put up an impressive line of 14 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists. On the Minnesota side the Gophers had two players post double-doubles. Senior forward Joey King put up 17 points, 10 boards and 7 assists, while Jordan Murphy had 19 points and 17 rebound — both game highs.

With the win, the Coyotes improve to 5-3 on the season, making this game one of the biggest wins under second-year head coach Craig Smith. The Coyotes’ next matchup will be on Dec. 8 against Kansas City at the DakotaDome. Tip off time is 7 p.m.