2/3/2010 10:03 pm

Mitchell, SD - The University of Sioux Falls men’s basketball team, ranked No. 16 in the latest NAIA polls, continued to struggle on the road, losing to No. 11 Dakota Wesleyan University 83-75 at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D. The loss drops USF to 19-7 overall, 10-4 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference and 4-6 on the road.

USF started the game sluggish, falling behind 7-2 out of the gate. Down 15-13 to the Tigers, a Ronnell Grant (Jr.; Tucson, Ariz.) lay up, followed by a successful jumper by Cedric Seefeldt (Sr.; Clark, S.D.) and three pointer by Matt Malloy (Jr.; Parkston, S.D.) gave USF a 7-0 run and put the Cougars up 20-15. After a DWU basket, Thomas Frames (Sr.; Los Angeles, Calif.) hit another three for the Cougars, extending their lead to five with the score 23-17.

Dakota Wesleyan would respond with a run of their own, scoring eight unanswered points to grab a 25-23 lead with 5:30 left in the first half. The Tigers were able to sustain the momentum to take a 36-31 advantage to halftime.

DWU came out of the locker room with a 8-3 burst to build their biggest lead of the evening, up 44-33. USF was able to pull within three points with 6:38 left in the game with the score at 63-60, marking the smallest deficit since the 2:07 mark of the first half, but the Cougars were never able to take over the lead. Malloy finished with 22 points and six rebounds and Grant had 17 points with three rebounds.

The DWU eight point victory and a Concordia loss gives the Tigers sole possession of the first place rank in the GPAC. The loss puts USF in a position where they will need to be flawless to stay in contention for the regular season conference title.

Up next for the Cougars is a home game against Morningside College (10-14 overall, 4-9 GPAC) at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 6 at the Stewart Center.

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