Post Game: USD

The Leathernecks right before tip-off.

Leathernecks won 47-45 and brought their three game skid to a hault!  It definitely got a little too close for comfort at the end, but as the say "a win is a win."  They dominated most of the first half and held a 32-21 lead at the break.  In that half the boys shot 54% from the field while holding South Dakota to just 34%.  However, in the second half South Dakota refused to lay down and kept fighting.  Plus, the Leathernecks went ice cold from the floor and ended up shooting just 23% in the second half.  It came down to the last play of the game.  The Coyotes had the ball at their end of the court, down by two.  They inbounded the ball to their best player, Westbrook, who was hounded by the D of WIU.  Krogeman ended up with the ball and he tried throwing up and desperation three as time was running out but it was blocked by Western's Terell Parks!  It was pretty exhilarating.

Some final stats:  WIU ended up shooting 39% for the game, was 3 of 8 from three point (37%) and 8 of 13 at the free throw line (61%).  They also forced 13 turnovers while only committing 9.  True freshman Obi Emegano led all scoring as he dropped 21 points on 7 of 14 shooting and was 7 for 9 at the free throw line.  Ceola Clark added 11 points, had 3 assists and a steal.  Terell Parks stole the show though.  He pulled down 13 rebounds, had 5 assists and 4 blocks, none of which were bigger than the one that saved the game at the buzzer.     

South Dakota shot just 36% from the field and was atrocious from behind the the arc...they made just 2 of 19 three pointers.  They were also pretty bad at the free throw line as they went just 7 of 14.  The coyotes were lead in scoring by none other than Charlie Westbrook who had 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals.  Krogeman added 11 points and 6 rebounds but was 0 for 9 on his three point attempts.

Overall, Western looked MUCH better than they have in the last two games.  They came out much more intense than they had been in the last two games combined.  In the end, yes they could have played better but like I said earlier, a win is a win.  Fact is that we needed a win VERY badly.  It didn't matter if we won by two or twenty.  At the end of the day, our number one ranked defense earned it's name in this one.  They came up with clutch stop after clutch stop and were relentless all game long.  This looked much more like the team I've grown accustomed to seeing this year, but they still have room for improvement.  We just arrived in Omaha, Nebraska and we'll be taking on the University of Nebraska-Omaha on Tuesday.  So we have a couple days to relax and get ready for this one.  I'll of course have a preview of that game as it gets closer to game time, but right now here's the pictures I captured while still in South Dakota...

The other media guys and me went to lunch at a local bar & grill on game day.   We found it funny to see these kids sitting at the bar.

The Leathernecks entering the DakotaDome (sorry it's not the best picture).

Their dome doubles as their football and basketball stadium, this is the view when you first walk in.

These are the guys who broadcast the WIU Women's games.  Their names are Mike Broskowski (right) and Ryne Thorson (left).

The guys warming up.

Another view of the stadium (there's a lot of empty space during basketball games).

My personal view of the court.

The team's bench was right next to us which was really cool.