Paxton Ritchey-CSC Sports Information
CHADRON, Neb. – Chadron State ran into a hot-shooting Sioux Falls team in its home opener as the visiting Cougars shot over 58 percent from the field to sink the Eagles 91-76 at the Chicoine Center Friday night.
Jalen Thomas had 20 points and eight rebounds to lead the Eagles, who shot 39 percent from the field, 33 percent from deep (8-24) and 80 percent from the line (16-20) but fell to 2-3 on the year.
For large stretches of the game, Sioux Falls simply didn’t miss, using ball movement to generate open looks. The Cougars, who improved to 3-1, made 32 of 55 field goal attempts (.582) and 11 of 23 three-pointers, a .478 percentage from beyond the arc. USF entered the game shooting 32.7 percent from three on the season.
Zy Wright scored 10 points for Chadron State while Darrius Miles and Trey Ballard had nine apiece. Dalton Peterson, Julio Phipps and Trey Harris all finished with eight points and shot .500 from the field or better off the bench for CSC, with Peterson and Harris each hitting two three-pointers.
The Eagles were outrebounded 41-32, just the second time in five games this season that CSC did not have the rebounding advantage. Chadron State finished with nine assists while Sioux Falls had 19 on their 32 made baskets.
Jalen Thomas, a grad transfer from Division I Tarleton State in Texas, scored seven of CSC’s first 10 points, including a personal 5-0 run that gave the Eagles an early 7-6 lead. The Cougars wasted no time, however, hitting three of their first four three-point attempts to go up 9-7.
CSC’s John Jenkins converted a three-point play on a putback layup to cut a Sioux Falls lead to 30-25 with 6:47 to play in the first half, but the Eagles wouldn’t score another field goal for five minutes after that. Sioux Falls closed the first half on a 16-5 run to lead by 16 points, 46-30, at halftime.
The Eagles began utilizing full-court pressure in the second half and created more energetic plays. Although Sioux Falls led by as many as 19 points after the first three minutes of the second half, Zy Wright turned the tide with a made three-pointer before Julio Phipps earned a steal, raced to the loose ball and posterized a defender to hammer home a dunk plus a foul.
A couple minutes later, the Eagles got back-to-back threes from Trey Harris and Dalton Peterson before an 8-0 Chadron State run featuring another Harris three, two free throws from Peterson and a three-point play from Trey Ballard cut the lead to eight at 61-53.
Sioux Falls had an answer, however, hitting 7 of 8 field goals, including two threes, to push the lead back up to double digits.
Chadron State will play next on the road this upcoming Tuesday against Colorado Christian in a nonconference game. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. After that game, CSC will return home to face Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday, November 30 before opening RMAC play against South Dakota Mines at home on Thursday, December 5.