GREELEY, Colo. — South Dakota basketball shot over 50.0% from the field but would fall in overtime at Northern Colorado Saturday night 89-87.
 
A 45-minute battle saw neither team hold a double-digit lead and it would come down to the closing seconds of the game with a Northern Colorado put-back dunk as time expired to escape with an 89-87 win.
 
Isaac Bruns continued his recent scoring tear with his third straight 20+ point performance and matched his career high of 28 points he set in the previous game against Portland State Wednesday. Bruns finished the contest 10-of-19 from the field and went 8-for-8 from the free throw line. He also grabbed six boards and had a pair of steals.
 
Cameron Fens recorded his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds and was 7-of-13 from the floor. Of his 11 rebounds, six were off the offensive glass. In total, the Coyotes had five players reach double-digit scoring with Jordan Crawford (14), Uzziah Buntyn (11) and Vince Buzelis (10) following Bruns and Fens in the scoring column.
 
The Yotes shot over 50.0% in the first and second halves but were held to 3-of-10 shooting in the overtime period, while the Bears shot 40.0% in OT, connected on a 3-pointer and went 3-for-6 from the free throw line. The Yotes, who shot 27 free throws in the game, only got to the charity stripe for one attempt in OT.
 
Bruns' offense was flowing in the first half as he poured in 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, while Buzelis added eight points off the bench on a perfect 2-of-2 shooting and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line. The Bears were red-hot from the floor in the first half connecting on 18-of-27 field goals and had four 3-pointers. The Coyotes were 12-of-21 in the opening 20 minutes and took advantage of their trips to the charity stripe going 16-of-17. Northern Colorado held the lead for the majority of the first half, but the Coyotes stayed within striking distance as the Bears' biggest lead was just seven points.
 
The Yotes took their first lead of the second half, 75-73, following a triple from Crawford and a fastbreak dunk from Shey Eberwein with just over six minutes remaining. The score wouldn't change hands over the final six minutes, but the score would tie four times as the game was sent to overtime at 81-81. Bruns continued to fill up the scoring column with 12 second half points, while Crawford added 11 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting.
 
South Dakota opened the overtime period with an alley-oop connection between Buntyn and Fens. Fens, who would score all six points for the Yotes in OT, tied the game back up at 87 with a tip-in with a minute remaining. After a pair of empty possessions by both teams, the Bears would have the ball for the final shot. The Coyote defense forced a missed 3-pointer, but UNC's Ring Nyeri would convert a tip-in dunk as time expired to secure the 89-87 win.
 
South Dakota will look to bounce back Tuesday night when they face Wyoming at 7:30 p.m. CT in Laramie, Wyoming.
 
Notes

• South Dakota falls to 5-5 on the season
• Isaac Bruns has scored 20+ in three straight games and matched his career high of 28 points he set Wednesday night
• It's Bruns' fourth game of the season with 20+ points
• Cameron Fens recorded his first double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds
• Six of Fens' 11 rebounds were off the offensive glass
• The Yotes had five players in double-digit scoring
• Vince Buzelis was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line for his 10 points
• It was the first game of the year were the Yotes didn't have 10+ offensive rebounds