They ride atop the Great West Conference, with a very impressive 8-1 conference record, and an equally impressive 17-9 record overall. Sounds like one heck of a basketball team. The number two team, Houston Baptist, is 8-2 in the Great West, and 9-19 overall, which probably says a lot more about their opponents than the quality of the squad.

But take a look at how they win. It’s less domination and more a matter of being just better than the other team. A one point victory over Texas-Pan Am, which showed the glory of teamwork against all odds. A neck and neck three point defeat handed to Utah Valley. An equally intense four point win over Chicago State.

This past weekend, the team had a double digit lead throughout the second half. Then, with 3:18 to go, poof, it was a five point lead. A few key plays by the Highlanders and it would have been one sweet comeback for a team that rests happily (or not so happily) just outside the podium spots in the Great West.

Then, once the wire was properly established, it was time to do what the Coyotes seem to be doing best this season—shoot free throws. Whatever it is about free throws, the male ‘Yotes seem to like them best when the game comes down to the bloody end, and they promptly regained the lead and had a suitable 10 point win.

Obviously, it works. If all anyone really wants is that W, it works splendidly. If the fans who sit idly by in the student section want a good show they get one each and every time the Coyotes play.

In my opinion, they don’t want a good show, because while the Coyotes fend off last minute comebacks with gritty play and free throws, they sit there like they are attending a golf tournament where stern looking guards wave SHHHH signs at them. But that’s a debate for another day.

The Great West conference championships are coming up, and while it may be fun to have those wire victories and seize the bit at the last possible second, to play like the team which is behind, to drive and have that fire throughout the game, not just the end, is what really matters.

Before I went to school at USD for journalism, I was a business major at Iowa State University.

I was a freshman in 2003 and I had a friend, Renae Luecke, who was a freshman on the USD women’s basketball team. That’s when I started to follow the Coyotes basically.

Luecke was a pretty good friend of mine and I started to listen to the games online and didn’t know any of the players at first. After about the first 10 games, I started to figure out this was a pretty good team with the likes of Mandy Koupal, Heather Nelson and Stacy Schooley to name a few.

But as usual, the NCC was a dogfight again, like it had been for many, many years.

The top team at the time was South Dakota State University, who were lead by the likes of Melissa Pater and Shannon Schlagel at the time.

The Jacks were No. 1 in the country and when the Coyotes met up with SDSU in Frost Arena for the two teams first meeting of the year, USD was ranked 12th and was 13-1 and 3-0 in the NCC.

I listened to the game on the radio and it didn’t sound good at first with the Coyotes trailing by 13 at halftime, but USD closed it to 40-38 before the Jacks went on another run, but the Coyotes closed it to 70-66 before USD went cold and SDSU earned an 86-79 win.

Koupal had 30 points in the game and USD stuck with SDSU for most of the game, and the NCC saw that these two teams would be reckoned with all year.

After that, if I had the weekends free at ISU, I would drive the four hours to Vermillion to watch the women and the men play at the Dome. It was awesome.

But one game I was unable to see was the next USD-SDSU game, which was Feb. 15th and a game that took place right after an ice storm and a blizzard, which hit Ames very hard.

I was relegated to listening to it on the radio and it was spectacular.

Neither team could gain a clear advantage and SDSU went into halftime with a 39-36 before Koupal took over the game in the second half.

Koupal scored 24 of her 28 points in the second half and the game went back and fourth until the Coyotes Koupal scored five straight points to give USD a 78-74 lead and went on to win 87-83.

Nelson also had 26 points.

It was a great game to listen to and I went nuts in my dorm room, which was weird to a lot of people since they didn’t even know what USD was. I mean, ISU women’s basketball does have a pretty rich history.

The two teams would meet up again in the NCAA Regional Tournament in Brookings and I was able to make that game. I attended the Coyotes previous game as well and Frost was ABSOLUTELY packed for this game. This game was a chance to make it to the Elite Eight.

Unfortunately, most of the game was dominated by SDSU. USD has some real trouble hitting its three’s and SDSU consistently doubled Koupal down low because of this and she had a difficult time because the Jacks were very solid defensively.

How solid were they? Well SDSU went on to win the D-II title after that, which USD had a realistic shot of winning if the Coyotes would’ve be the Jackrabbits.

The next year, the Jacks would win both games, the first one both teams were ranked in the top 10 and then the top 15 in the  next match-up. Those two were the last two games to be played between the two teams from that year.

Those last two years were the best of the rivalry, but this is coming from my short memory. The two teams were the playing at such a high level, along with NDSU and UND.

Those games in 2002-03 made me bleed Coyote red, and I am an Iowa boy but I consider myself just as much of a Coyote as a Cyclone.

It’s going to take a time to find that fever pitch that would fit almost 8,000 fans into a stadium and to see the quality of games these two teams played, but Monday will be the first step. I don’t think USD is up to that level that they were, and even with how good SDSU is, they could be compared to equally as good as those two years (last year’s Jacks were a lot better).

Of course, the games between Chad Lavin and Aaron Johnston were like a chess match, it was great. It will be different, but also fun, to see Ryun Williams take the helm for USD in this rivalry against Johnston.

The great thing though is that there are many games to go in this renewed rivalry and count me in for following them.

- Justin Rust

Chicago State is 10-14 and 5-2 in the Great West Conference, which is good for third in the conference. USD is 9-11 and 2-3 and in fifth place in the GWC.

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A very good game!

Under 5 minutes, Gentry shoots some free throws and scores one, following it up with a basket to give three desperately needed points to the Coyotes in the hectic last minutes of the very exciting game. The crowd begins to chant in their favor, its all the home court out for the Coyotes right now, and I’m sure its helping.  Four point lead. Four minutes left.  Cain misses a dunk and back the ball goes to North Dakota.

Then back the ball goes again. Gentry once more has a free throw opportunity, but a timeout is called. Gentry drops it in. Yotes up by six with three minutes remaining. Ball switches over to the UND side, but finds its way back and Thomas drops one of his famous threes, a long one and well received. Crowd and band burst into cheers for the Yotes as play resumes with less than three minutes.

This is what makes covering basketball so much fun. The intensity of the fans, the skill of the players, and the harrowing moments when you just don’t know what’s happening next. Gentry gets fouled again, and drops in a pair of free throws to give the Coyotes a ten point lead, the largest of the game so far. They are really making a stand in these final minutes of the game.

This will be another down to the wire match.

The Yotes have made 76% from the free throw line in the first half.  Vibrantly red crowds here tonight, and a great turnout in the DakotaDome double header against North Dakota.  Plenty of Coyotes showing their school spirit and celebrating their first weekend back.

Thanks for the comment. For your first point, of supporting it with facts, I didn’t have enough room in the paper to put down Meierkort’s record or scores against NAIA opponents, but I made sure to go over past results to make sure it was a true fact.

I also agree that D-III isn’t much better, if at all then NAIA, but the fact is that USD put up a lot better fight against Wisconsin-La Crosse than UND did against USF. UND didn’t even show up.

The point I am trying to make is that UND had NO interest in playing that game and played uninspired and uninterested in that whole game and looked like they didn’t care if they would lose to USF.

USD has always played NAIA schools with the want to beat them, which is what UND didn’t do. The players have always been motivated to beat those types of schools. USD isn’t the only school like this of course.

I will agree the ending is rough. I will agree this definitely isn’t my best column and the comment was warranted. I hope this answers your question and if it doesn’t, well post another comment. Thanks!

Justin Rust – Volante Sports Editor

Justin Rust

Volante Sports Editor