VERMILLION, S.D. – The Western Illinois men fell at South Dakota on Saturday, losing to South Dakota 80-63 in Vermillion, South Dakota. It was the second-straight defeat for the Leathernecks, who drop to 8-6 overall, 1-2 in the Summit League.
The Coyotes came out hot on offense and stayed hot for the game, shooting 29-56 from the field (51.8 percent), including 10-19 (52.6) from three while the Leathernecks could not get much going from the field, hitting 21-54 (38.9 percent) from the field and 3-18 from three (3-16).
South Dakota led the whole game, never letting Western Illinois get over the hump and in front. USD built an advantage to as many as 13 in the second half before the Leathernecks were able to cut the deficit to four at 53-49, but the Coyotes picked up the shooting and defense, building the advantage to as large as 19 (80-61) late in the contest.
Alec Rosner led the scoring, finishing with 16 points while Vuk Stevanic added 14 points. Trenton Massner finished with seven points, 12 rebounds and five assists while Jesiah West scored nine points, grabbed six boards and handed out four assists. Elijah Farr added seven off the bench while JJ Kalakon contributed six.
Western Illinois scored 34 points in the paint and finished with 32 rebounds. Kruz Perrott-Hunt led the way for the Coyotes, finishing with 30 points.
The Leathernecks return to Western Hall next week for a pair of Summit League games. Western Illinois hosts Omaha at 6 p.m. on Thursday then take on Denver at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Copy provided by Western Athletic Communications.
