Jake Thomas

Omaha, Neb. – Four starters scored in double figures for the South Dakota men’s basketball team, but the No. 16 Coyotes fell 89-78 to No. 4 Creighton in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on Tuesday night in the Civic Auditorium.

The loss snapped USD’s 13-game winning streak, which was second in the nation, and ended its season at 22-10, while the Bluejays improved to 17-15. South Dakota hung tough with the Missouri Valley Conference foe through 30 minutes, before the Bluejays used a 58 percent (7-of-12) clip behind the arc in the second half to pull away.

Freshman guard Jake Thomas (Racine, Wis.) led all USD scorers with 18 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore guard Louie Krogman (White River, S.D.) chipped in 14, senior guard Roman Gentry (Sioux City, Iowa) had 13 and senior forward Tyler Cain (Rochester, Minn.) and junior guard Kendall Cutler (Brooklyn, N.Y.) both had 12 apiece. Cain also earned seven blocks and nine rebounds. USD shot 42 percent (28-of-66), including 48 percent (12-of-25) from three, while Creighton knocked down 47 percent (30-of-64) and 52 percent (12-of-23) beyond the arc.

Creighton took the early advantage, but USD quickly found its stride and the teams traded the lead four times over the first seven minutes. Cutler had six early points and Cain added a couple buckets of his own, before the Bluejays hit two consecutive treys to create some separation. A three from Thomas and free throws from Cain and senior center Steve Smith (Sioux Falls, S.D.) kept the Coyotes in it, but CU slowly expanded its lead and hit back-to-back treys again to go up 38-26 with 5:13 left.

Gentry and Krogman hit threes for to break the run, but a 6-0 spurt by the Bluejays at the end of the period extended the lead back to double digits at halftime, 50-36. Cutler had 10 points in the first half after going 5-of-6 from the floor, while Cain chipped in nine and four blocks. USD shot 42 percent (13-of-31) in the opening frame, while CU connected on 50 percent (18-of-36) and 46 percent (5-of-11) beyond the arc. USD committed six turnovers to one for the Bluejays.

CU continued the momentum into the second half to stretch its lead to as many as 19 early, but the Coyotes hung tough. Gentry and Thomas scored layups and Krogman hit a three as part of a 9-0 spurt that drew USD within 57-47 at 15:30. The squad exchanged baskets from behind the arc until CU hit three straight attempts to extend their advantage to 79-57 at the 7:58 mark and cruised from there. Thomas had 13 points in the frame, as USD shot 56 percent (9-of-16) from deep, but CU responded with a 58 percent (7-of-12) from deep.