VERMILLION, S.D. –  An old-fashioned three-point play from junior
Triston Simpson with 14:46 remaining in the game gave the South Dakota men's basketball team a lead it would not relinquish as the Coyotes topped North Dakota State 75-65 Thursday night inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
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South Dakota claimed redemption over the Bison with the win to move to 12-16 overall and 6-9 inside the Summit League. North Dakota State falls to 14-15, 8-7.
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Simpson's layup knotted the game at 40 where he then gave USD a 41-40 lead with the free throw. The lead slowly built to six points when Simpson hit a 3-point basket but saw the Bison go on a 5-0 run to get the score back within a single digit at the midway point of the half.
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Junior
Brandon Armstrong then used his rendition of a three-point play, with a basket and the harm, to rejuvenate the Coyotes and spark a 10-3 run. Senior
Logan Power wrapped up the run with a pair of free throws, giving the Coyotes a 60-52 lead with 7:34 remaining in the game.
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The Bison would not get closer than five points as the Coyotes held off the late comeback attempt by sinking 11 of 12 free throws over the final 2:21.
Tyler Peterson sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with six seconds remaining for the 75-65 score.
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The strong second half saw the Coyotes overcome a slow start to the game, falling behind 9-0, then again face a nine-point deficit at 29-20 before entering intermission trailing 33-29.
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Simpson totaled a team-high 20 points while Peterson added 15 on 4-of-8 shooting. Sophomore
Stanley Umude chipped in 13 points and Armstrong had 12 off the bench.
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South Dakota shot 46.9 percent (23-of-49) from the field, its sixth-straight game of shooting 43 percent or better. South Dakota also hit 23-of-27 shots from the charity stripe for 85.2 percent, including 18-of-20 in the second half.
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Tyson Ward led North Dakota State with 28 points as the Bison shot 38.9 percent from the field on 21-of-54 shot attempts. The Coyote defense forced the Bison into 12 turnovers while totaling just six turnovers themselves.
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South Dakota hosts Senior Day in the home and regular season finale on Saturday against North Dakota. The winner of the game will be the No. 6 seed in the Summit League Tournament. Tipoff for UND's ÂÂÂfirst visit to Vermillion since 2011 is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
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