South Dakota overcame Minnesota’s game-tying tip-in at the end of regulation and a six-point deficit near the end of the first overtime to beat the Gophers 85-81 in double overtime Saturday in front of 10,754 at Williams Arena.
South Dakota ended Minnesota’s 47-game, non-conference home winning streak that was the second-longest in the nation to Duke. It was the first win for the Coyotes against Minnesota in a 15-game series that dates back to the 1931-32 season. It was the second win for South Dakota against a Big Ten foe, joining the 1956-57 squad that beat Wisconsin.
“It felt like a Bit Ten game in a Big Ten environment,” said USD head coach Craig Smith. “I couldn’t be more proud of our guys, our staff and everybody who came out to support us tonight. What an amazing environment.
“The intestinal fortitude, the toughness and how far we’ve come in three weeks, I can’t even state it.”
The Coyotes (5-3) won their fourth game in a row with the help of three players who grew up less than 90 miles from Williams Arena. Senior forward Eric Robertson (Wayzata, Minn.) tied his career-high with 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting. He scored seven consecutive Coyote points after Minnesota had used an 11-0 run to take its first lead of the second half, 51-50, with 6:35 left in regulation. He hit a jumper to tie the game at 67-67 with seven seconds left in the first overtime that forced double overtime.
