South Dakota men's basketball falls to Wisconsin, USD women's basketball gets first win
South Dakota men's basketball faltered in the second half in a 85-59 loss to Wisconsin Monday at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
Kruz Perrott-Hunt, South Dakota's leading-scorer a season ago had a strong game scoring the ball with 21 points, at one point the Coyotes only source of offense, but the rest of the Coyotes struggled to shoot all game long. USD hit just 13.3% of its 3-pointers, shooting 40.4% in total in the game. Several of South Dakota's go-to players a season ago struggled to find a rhythm, with Mason Archambault and Tasos Kamateros each pouring in four and six, respectively, on poor shooting nights (1-6 for Archambault and 3-9 for Kamateros).
More:A.J. Plitzuweit's return, 'GATA' mindset has USD men's basketball's expectations high
Point guard A.J. Plitzuweit scored eight points in his first game in almost two years after suffering a knee injury prior to the 2020-21 Summit League Tournament. North Dakota transfer Paul Bruns led the bench in scoring with 10 in his first game as a Coyote.
South Dakota kept the game within single digits until the halftime buzzer sounded, when Wisconsin's Chucky Hepburn hit a 3-pointer as time expired to push the Badgers' lead to 10. Perrott-Hunt spearheaded the run, scoring 17 of USD's 28 points in the first half to keep them in the game.
But in the second half, the Badgers found a rhythm and the Coyotes didn't take a large enough jump offensively to overcome 35.5% shooting in the first half while missing all seven of its 3-pointers.
South Dakota heads back to Vermillion for its home-opener against Lipscomb Wednesday.
South Dakota women's basketball cruises to season-opening win over Midland
South Dakota women's basketball picked up a 65-point win for the first victory for new head coach Kayla Karius. The Coyotes topped Midland 106-41 Monday at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
USD led the entire game, allowing 11 players to see the court, 10 of which were able to score. The Coyotes had four players in double figures. South Dakota's leading returning scorer Grace Larkins put up 18 points on just nine shots. Larkins also had six assists and four steals. Forward Alexi Hempe also had 18 points, pulling down four rebounds and knocking down four of six 3-pointers.
More:South Dakota women's basketball to show what new group can do following Sweet 16 run
Forward Morgan Hansen had 16 points while shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc and Cal Baptist transfer Nicole Avila-Ambrosi had 14 while hitting 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Guard Cassidy Carson led the second unit as point guard and tallied four assists while Utah Valley transfer Madison Grange, who started for USD, put in six points in just five shots.
The Coyotes face a much tougher battle against No. 21 Creighton in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center Thursday.
Follow Sioux Falls Argus Leader reporter Michael McCleary on Twitter @mikejmccleary.
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota MBB falls to Wisconsin on rough-shooting night, WBB wins
