Shorthanded Cougars upended by Dakotas
SIUE shoots less than 30 percent against Sioux in 21st loss
T.J. Cowell
Issue date: 2/9/10 Section: Sports
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Sophomore guard David Boarden started the game in SIUE's favor with a pair of buckets, one from beyond the three-point arc, and provided SIUE stability in the first half with seven points and three rebounds.
The teams were matched evenly in the first half. SIUE and North Dakota headed off the floor tied at 23 apiece.
Both teams had 10 of their first half points come off turnovers. The Cougars were cold, shooting 8-24 in the first half. North Dakota made half of their shots in the first half.
Seven lead changes occurred in the first half, as the two teams remained close throughout the course of the game. North Dakota built a nine-point lead after a breakaway basket with less than eight minutes left.
The Cougars then cut the Fighting Sioux lead back down to a few possessions. Unfortunately for SIUE, North Dakota sophomore guard Patrick Mitchell had other plans. Mitchell drained a three with 42 seconds left to provide the dagger.
SIUE dropped to 3-21 on the year, and the Fighting Sioux improved to 5-17 after their win. The Cougars shot 20.8 percent from the field and were dominated inside allowing 18 points in the paint in the second half.
"We had guys that had wide open looks, but we didn't make any tonight," SIUE men's basketball Head Coach Lennox Forrester said. "It has been shooting that gives us problems all year long. I thought from a defensive standpoint we were decent, not great, but decent."
Sophomore forward Mark Yelovich stepped up for the hosts in the second half, finishing the game with 18 points, 12 of those coming in the second half. Yelovich was the only Cougar in double figures.
North Dakota finished the game shooting 55.6 percent from the floor. The Fighting Sioux bench accounted for 19 points. The Cougars shot 48 shots, making 13 of those attempts.
North Dakota Head Coach Brian Jones said the late three from Mitchell was the deciding factor in his team's victory.
"Both teams are learning what Division I is all about," Jones said. "It's not always easy. We have a lot of common factors with [SIUE]. Both teams are experiencing growing pains."
Forrester said weak play underneath the basket was a factor in the loss.
"We have to defend the post a lot better," Forrester said. "Post play was where we did not defend very well."
In Friday's action, the Cougars fell to the University of South Dakota 91-69.
The Coyotes shot 64.9 percent from the field and scored 54 points in the paint to earn the victory. Yelovich paced the Cougars with 22 points on 8-22 shooting, and the Cougars were edged in the rebounding battle 39-32.
Senior guard Aamir McCleary missed both games while recovering from a bruised hip, and freshman guard LeShaun Murphy, injured prior to the game at Southeast Missouri State Feb. 2 has recovered, but did not play while attending a funeral.
The Cougars now have a week and a half off until they head up north for round two against the Fighting Sioux. The two teams will square off again at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Sioux Falls, N.D.
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