Box Score Nov. 16, 2012
Final Stats
LARAMIE, Wyo.â€"True freshmen Tyler Flack and Casey Kasperbauer scored 21 and 12 points, respectively, to lead South Dakota to its first win of the season, 81-69, against North Carolina Central on the third and final day of the Global Sports Showcase hosted by University of Wyoming.
The Coyotes (1-2) scored 51 points, shot 67 percent from the field and made seven of their 10 3-pointers in the second half to help erase a 35-30 halftime deficit. Flack has 12 points and six rebounds in the second stanza. Kasperbauer made perfect on all three treys he took in the final half.
Jay Copeland scored 18 points and Jeremy Ingram came off the bench to add 17 for the Eagles (2-3), who equaled South Dakota's 1-2 record at the Showcase. NC Central finished 4-of-21 from behind the arc and had its full-court pressure neutralized by South Dakota's long-range shooting.
Juevol Myles and Karim Rowson chipped in 13 points each for South Dakota. Myles had six assists and five rebounds. Rowson had six rebounds and three steals.
Myles and Kasperbauer hit back-to-back triples to cap a 17-2 run to begin the second half. Jordan Boots hit two more 3's on consecutive possessions near the midway point to give USD its largest lead at 62-51.
NC Central drew within four points, 67-63, with 5:33 remaining. Steve Tecker countered with a jumper and two free throws and Rowson had a steal-and-score that pushed the USD lead back to nine, 73-64, with less than four to go. The Eagles mustered three points in the final three minutes.
Five USD players averaged between 10-12 points in three games at the Showcase. Trevor Gruis, who had seven against NC Central, led the team in both points (37) and rebounds (19).
USD head coach Dave Boots post-game quotes:
On the team's first win…
I'm so happy for our players. This is a young team and I expect a lot out of them. We have always had a culture of winning, setting the bar high and competing. We didn't have a great year last year, but they worked hard. You have to compete and have fun while you do it.
On the play of freshmen Flack and Kasperbauer…
They are taking advantage of a good opportunity to come in and start right away. That doesn't happen very often. It's not a position I like to be in, but we have a good core that we're going to stick with. You are going to have some ups and downs as a freshman, but you have to perform and take advantage of a great opportunity.
On the play of his team…
We had a good start, gave up the lead, made some adjustments and kept making winning plays down the stretch. We shot the ball well from the perimeter in the second half. We had good bench play and good inside play. We had four guys in double figures and we didn't back off. I give our team a lot of credit.
