Box Score

MACOMB, Ill.—South Dakota erased an eight-point halftime deficit and got 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench from Eric Robertson to beat Western Illinois 68-58 Thursday night inside Western Hall.

It was the Coyotes' first win in Macomb since the 1969-70 season. South Dakota (10-10, 4-2 Summit) earned its sixth road win of the season, which leads the Summit and ranks in the top 20 nationally.

Western Illinois (7-11, 2-5 Summit) got 23 points from J.C. Fuller and 15 more from Garret Covington, but lost its fifth in a row. The Leathernecks fell to 7-3 at home this season.

Robertson had nine points and six boards in the second half. He, along with teammates Trey Norris and Sekou Harris, came off South Dakota's bench and combined to outscore the Leathernecks 26-25 in the second stanza. Harris scored eight of his season-high 10 points in the second half. All nine of Norris' points came in the second half.

Covington, last year's Summit League Newcomer of the Year, scored all 15 of his points in the first half to help Western Illinois to a 33-25 advantage at the break. He hit three triples and was 6 of 11 from the field in the opening stanza. He was 0 for 6 from the field in the second half with Norris on assignment much of the way.

South Dakota got to the line 25 times in the second half and outscored Western Illinois 22-2 overall from the charity stripe. Fuller made four of the Leathernecks' 10 triples. South Dakota was 6 of 12 from beyond the arc.

Brandon Bos scored 10 points in the first half and led the Coyotes with 14 points. Tyler Larson added eight points, four boards and three assists.

Larson's second bucket tied the game at 37-37 with 13 minutes to go. The shot came during a 9-0 run that pushed South Dakota into the lead, 42-37. Robertson made four free throws and a jumper, and Harris made two free throws and a 3-pointer during a 12-0 run that put USD in front 59-44 with 4:43 remaining. The lead was eight points or more the rest of the way.

South Dakota has won seven of its last nine games and improved to 6-5 on the road. The win moved the Coyotes into a tie for third place in the Summit League standings. USD wraps up a three-game road trip at noon Saturday against IUPUI (7-13, 3-3) in Indianapolis.