South Dakota scored 20 unanswered points during a 25-3 run throughout the middle of the second half en route to an 80-68 win against Montana State Sunday at Worthington Arena
. It is the Coyotes’ second win against the Bobcats in 11 days. USD beat Montana State 74-57 in Vermillion back on Dec. 7.
Matt Mooney scored 18 of his career-high 28 points in the second half, including seven during the rally. He made 8 of 12 shots from the field including four triples and was 8 of 8 from the free-throw line.
The Coyotes (9-5) had trailed nearly the entire game when faced with their largest deficit at 54-44 with 13 minutes to go. The defense held Montana State without a field goal for nine minutes while Mooney and point guards Trey Dickerson and Triston Simpson fueled the offense. Simpson scored six of his career-high 14 points during the run and Dickerson had six of his 10.
The Bobcats (5-7) got 32 points from sophomore guard Tyler Hall, the nation’s 14th-leading scorer, but 36 points and 31 percent shooting from everyone else. Hall’s numbers were similar to Mooney’s – 10 field goals, four triples and 8 of 8 from the line.
