SMSU MEN’S BASKETBALL: Mustangs host rematch with Cougars this afternoon
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MARSHALL -- The Southwest Minnesota State University men’s basketball team (4-7, 1-4 NSIC) concludes a three-game homestand inside the R/A Facility today, taking on the University of Sioux Falls (8-3, 4-1 NSIC) in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with game time set for 4 p.m.
•SMSU, which snapped a four-game losing streak last Saturday with a triple overtime win over conference leading Minnesota Duluth, will look to avenge an earlier season loss to USF on Saturday. USF defeated SMSU 74-56 in the conference opener for both teams on Nov. 30 in Sioux Falls, S.D. SMSU held a 32-30 halftime advantage in the first meeting, but USF scored 44 points and limited SMSU to 26 percent shooting in the second half.
•Today's game is the last for SMSU in the calendar year. Following Saturday’s game, SMSU returns to action on Friday, Jan. 3, at Augustana. SMSU’s next home game will be on Jan. 10, 2020, versus Concordia-St. Paul.
Broadcast info
•Today's games will be broadcast on 105.1 FM KARL with Ryan Rohlik providing play-by-play.
•Live stats, radio broadcast and video can be found at SMSUmustangs.com.
Series history vs. Sioux Falls
•SMSU and Sioux Falls meet for the 35th time Saturday with SMSU leading 21-13 in a series that started in 1968-69.
•SMSU holds an 8-7 advantage in conference games since USF joined the NSIC in 2012-13.
•SMSU leads the series 15-1 in games played in Marshall with USF’s lone victory coming last season on Dec. 1, 2018.
•SMSU has won six of the last nine games since Dec. 19, 2015. USF won earlier this season on Nov. 30 in Sioux Falls, 74-56.
•SMSU head coach Brad Bigler is 9-7 all-time versus Sioux Falls.
Scouting Sioux Falls
•Sioux Falls heads to Marshall with an 8-3 overall record, including 4-1 in NSIC play.
•The Cougars split two games last weekend, losing 100-65 to Minnesota Duluth on Friday, before earning a 73-67 win over St. Cloud State on Saturday night.
•Sophomore guard Chase Grinde has a team-high 26 assists and is scoring a team-high 11.5 ppg.
•Junior forward Austin Slater is scoring 11.4 ppg and is coming off a 20-point game last Saturday on 6 of 8 shooting versus SCSU.
•Junior forward Teathloach Pal is averaging 10 ppg and 10.3 rpg, while shooting 60 percent from the field.
•Freshman guard Jack Thompson has connected on a team-high 13 3-pointers.
•Head coach Chris Johnson is in his 12th season at USF with a record of 203-146. He is the program’s all-time leader in victories.
•USF is averaging 71 points per game, while opponents average 70 points per game.
-- Content courtesy
of SMSU Athletic
Communications