SIOUX FALLS — The high-tempo, high-octane South Dakota Coyotes offense ran out of gas on Saturday night in the Summit League men’s basketball tournament semifinal game in the Premier Center, as the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks took the game with ease, 100-75.
“A lot of credit to UNO,” South Dakota head coach Eric Peterson said. “They played like they were the best team in the league, and there wasn’t much that went right for us tonight.”
South Dakota’s unique style of play excited the Summit League all year with huge come-from-behind wins over UNO and St. Thomas earlier in the season, before upsetting North Dakota State in the opening round of the conference tournament.
“We’re going to press no matter what,” Peterson added. “Whether we’re up or down, that press is going to be on for all 40 minutes of the game. We’ve taken some tremendous steps as a team, and I’m just really proud of our guys.”
With the third highest scoring offense in the country behind Alabama and Gonzaga, the Coyotes emphasized that the phrase “offense is the best defense” all season long.
Unfortunately for USD, their offense was nowhere to be found in their semifinal game.
The Coyotes couldn’t buy a basket in the first half, as they shot just 27 percent from the floor with 16 of their 26 shot attempts coming from beyond the arc.
On the other hand, the Mavericks were on a heater, as they made 66 percent of their shots and seemed to score at will, primarily due to junior guard Tony Osburn.
Osburn accounted for 18 points in the first frame, with four threes for UNO.
“I don’t think there was much we could’ve done,” Chase Forte said. “We’re a team that’s going to press, and they just made shots. Tony (Osburn) had a pretty good game going eight for nine from three, and that’s just basketball.”
The turnover margin was heavily skewed in favor of UNO, with the Mavericks up 7-2, and 13 points off those turnovers.
Forte accounted for 13 of South Dakota’s 26 first half points, as the Coyotes trailed the Mavericks 55-26 entering the break.
“We went on a foreign tour right when I got here,” Forte said. “It was my first time out of the country and just some memories I’ll never forget. I was only here for about a year, but it felt like four.”
In the second half, the game kept the same pace, and stayed in favor of the Mavericks, as their lead grew to as much as 38 with 16:08 left to play.
Osburn continued to put on a show in the second frame, as he hit three straight threes to extend his point total to 30.
“You know I didn’t shoot very well on Thursday,” Osburn said. “So, coach told me I owed him one, and I had to go out there and believe in myself.”
The Coyotes never led in the game and never came within less than 25 points of UNO in the loss.
South Dakota’s final game wasn’t all tears however, as Mayuom Buom made a three pointer for his last shot in a South Dakota jersey before exiting the game with 30 seconds remaining.
Forte led the Coyotes with 24 points, followed by Kaleb Stewart with 13 points, while Dre Bullock and Paul Bruns both had 10 points for USD.
Osburn had a game-high 30 points in the win for UNO, aided by Marquel Sutton with 19 points and eight rebounds. JJ White tallied 14 points in the dominant win for the Mavericks.
The Mavericks displayed why they held the top seed in the Summit League, and will face second-seeded St. Thomas in the final, today (Sunday) at 8 p.m. Because St. Thomas is still not eligible for NCAA post-season, the Mavericks will gain the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament regardless of the outcome. By Summit League rule, if an ineligible team wins the tournament, the automatic bid goes to the regular season champion which, in this case, is Omaha.
With six seniors on the roster, South Dakota finished 19-14 on the year and will look to maintain their youth while adding new pieces to make a run next season.
“I’m proud of year three,” Peterson said. “We’re going to keep getting better and keep building this thing. It’s really hard to say goodbye to these guys (the seniors). With how the transfer portal is, I don’t get enough time with most of these guys. Some are here for a year or two and I wish it was four or five.”
Follow @Alex_kopf30 on X (Twitter), Kopf’s Corner on Spotify
