First of all, let me say this: I was really surprised to see USD students out en masse supporting the Coyote men’s basketball team in Sunday’s 86-39 rout of Peru State. Surprised might not be the right word. How about glad? Or proud?
Anyway, students were not only there watching the game, they were there disrupting the opponent with hilarious chants, comments, not to mention the now famous Bill Brasky T-shirt. You know, The Volante might need to do a story on that. Any thoughts?
From where I was sitting at press row, I could clearly hear almost every comment coming from the USD student section. And to their credit, I never once heard anything derogatory or demeaning. Students were getting on #23 for Peru State pretty hard-core. Something about how he shot way too much and how he didn’t make many shots (just 1-of-10).
Even one of the USD players admitted to hearing the comments, and the Coyote bench was all the way across the court. So, again, props to the USD student section for your efforts today. Keep it up.
Other game notes:
- The USD bench accounted for 53 of the team’s 86 points in the victory. That’s an astounding 62 percent. And the team’s two leading scorers were off the bench (Jesse Becker 21, Mitch Begeman 14). And senior Nick Morrell provided the energy and intensity the Coyotes needed after a sluggish start.
- In the second half, USD held Peru State to just 17 points. Seventeen points. The Bobcats (2-9) shot just 21 percent (7-of-33) from the field in the second half. Things got so bad for Peru State that it almost looked like USD was taking part in an offensive drill. Steals, layups, wide-open 3’s and alley-oops can make it seem that way.
- Sophomore Tyler Cain grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds while also blocking three shots. We’re so used to seeing Cain block eight or nine shots a game, that three somehow seems low. But still, he’s on pace to shatter the USD career blocks record.
- - Jeremy Hoeck
Leave a Reply