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Posted on Sun, Dec. 14, 2003
Northern women fall after committing 14 second-half turnovers
NSU men end slide
By John
American News Sports Writer
The Northern State men's basketball team found its game Saturday in the same place it lost it earlier in the week.
At home in Wachs Arena, NSU replaced the stench of a 86-54 loss to North Dakota on Wednesday with a sweet smelling 69-57 win over South Dakota on Saturday that snapped a two-game losing streak. The Coyotes were undefeated and rated No. 3 in the nation.
NSU had moments of greatness, but minutes of inconsistency.
"We competed and played hard, but we missed a ton of layups and free throws (10)," said NSU coach Don Meyer. "And we had a lot of turnovers (16). This team is so far from being as good as it can be.
"It is one thing to be cutting up the fries at McDonald's, but it is another thing to run the company. That is what it is like for some of our guys. They have new roles, and it has been tough filling them. It is time for them to step up."
When the Wolves got the ball inside consistently, things seemed to go well for them. It produced points - inside guys Aaron Busack and Taite Plaas combined for 30 points - and paved the way for outside shooters like Jarod Obering, who scored 19.
"We tried to establish ourselves inside," Meyer said. "And by doing that, I thought we came a step closer tonight to learning how we are going to play."
The Wolves led most of the game. A key six-minute, second-half stretch for the Wolves came with 12 minutes to play. USD's Josh Mueller had just hit a three-pointer to put the Coyotes ahead 48-47.
NSU then reeled off an 11-0 run, and USD never recovered. Plaas started the run with an offensive rebound and tip-in. Adam Grant and Steve Smiley then caused a USD turnover that resulted in a Smiley basket. Smiley scored again, followed by a Busack basket. Obering capped the run with a three-pointer.
Despite missing all four of his free throws, Plaas turned in one of the best efforts of his career with his 14 points, 10 rebounds and hustle.
"We just play as a team and feed off each other," said Plaas, a 6-foot-6 sophomore from Red Wing, Minn. "It doesn't matter if one or two persons are doing well, just so the end result is that the team does well. We don't care about anything except the team getting the win."
It was a tough night physically for the Coyotes. Midway through the third quarter, they lost starting junior guard Luke Tibbetts of Sioux Falls with a knee injury. Tibbetts is the son of Sioux Falls Roosevelt famed girls' coach Fred Tibbetts.
With about 3 minutes left in the game, Mueller seemed to almost lose consciousness after he ran into NSU's Dustin Hjelmeland, who had set a screen. Mueller was guarding Smiley who was bring the ball up the court, and there were no USD teammates around to warn Mueller that Hjelmeland was there.
Mueller didn't return. He still looked injured after the game when Hjelmeland and his teammates came over to check on him and shake his hand. Mueller is one of the top athletes South Dakota has ever produced as he and his West Central teammates won four state championships during their high school careers (two each in basketball and football).
Meanwhile, NSU's Grant is still trying to recover from mononucleoses and was not in his usual starting role. "Adam is in bad shape physically, and we just hope we can get him over this thing," Meyer said.
NSU will continue to play North Central Conference opponents. The Wolves have another home doubleheader on Saturday against Augustana. The women play at 6 p.m. and the men at 8.
"We were coming off two losses, and we had to come together as a team," Plaas said. "Even though we didn't have a great night tonight, we are getting better as a team and we played hard. It is exciting to know how much better we can get. USD is a great team, and we just need to keep playing hard."
Next week, the Coyotes are at home on Friday (Doane College) and Sunday (Concordia-St. Paul). After the Christmas break, they will get preseason All-American Tommie King back. King has one semester of eligibility left after getting a medical redshirt for an injury he sustained last season.
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