USD Tops Milwaukee in Double OT and Snags a Spot on Sportscenter

The short tenure of Craig Smith as University of South Dakota head men's basketball coach has turned out to be a very good venture by the university.

He has improved recruiting and on the court the Coyotes are winning some games that they wouldn't of won in recent history.

The win over the University of Minnesota was a big win a couple of weeks ago and last night they beat Milwaukee in double overtime.

And if that wasn't a great enough night, USD followed it up on Friday morning with a spot on Sportscenter with their highlights from that game.

They will have another chance to pull off a upset as they take on Illinois next form the Big 10 Conference.

The state of South Dakota has been run by South Dakota State when it comes to men's basketball but that gap is closing and this year could be the biggest step the program has taken in a long long time.

Here is the full release from last nights game.

MILWAUKEE, Wis.—South Dakota senior Tre Burnette hit a spinning jumper from the left side of the lane with 1.2 seconds left to give the Coyotes a 92-91, double-overtime win against Milwaukee Thursday at Panther Arena.

It was the sixth win in seven games for South Dakota (7-4) and their second double-overtime victory in that span. Milwaukee (8-4) lost for the first time at home this season and had a season-long, four-game win streak come to an end. USD beat Milwaukee 84-60 last season in Vermillion.

Burnette's jumper was the fourth lead change in the final 50 seconds. He caught an inbounds pass with six seconds left, drove to the left side of the lane and spun back to his right for an off-balance shot that touched nothing but net. It was Burnette's first points since the 6:23 mark of the first half. He finished with eight.

"Coach [Smith] had faith in me even though I was sitting for such a long time," said Burnette, who grew up 80 miles west in Madison. "I stayed in the game and cheered on my teammates while they were going. When it came down to it, he trusted me with the shot."

Milwaukee forward Matt Tiby scored a career-high 31 points and tied his career high with 17 rebounds. He had 10 points in the two overtimes including a runner in the paint with 14 seconds left that put the Panthers ahead 91-90.

On the other side, it was Coyote freshman Tyler Hagedorn who scored a season-high 17 points off the bench and finished one rebound shy of a double-double. He fouled out with a minute to go in the second overtime which forced Burnette back into the game.

USD guard D.J. Davis also had a career-high 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double. His layup with 1:07 left in the second half tied the game at 67 and were the final points scored in regulation.

"We made some big-time plays down the stretch to win this one," said USD head coach Craig Smith. "We have played in so many close games the past two seasons. With the exception of a few, we have learned to win those games."

South Dakota led 38-27 at halftime and by nine, 56-47, on a layup by Shy McClelland with 8:32 remaining. Shortly thereafter, Milwaukee hit two of its 14 3-pointers during a 10-0 run that gave the Panthers a 60-58 lead. Milwaukee's largest lead during the game was two points and the Panthers trailed for nearly 38 minutes.

Milwaukee erased a five-point lead in both overtimes and had the final possession of regulation and the first overtime. Tiby missed a 3 that ended the second half and Jordan Johnson missed a tough jumper near the hoop at the end of overtime one on a play when Milwaukee's timer inadvertently stopped the clock with 1.7 seconds left. A review gave Milwaukee possession with 0.4 seconds remaining but the Panthers couldn't score.

USD forward Eric Robertson scored eight of his 15 points during the overtime period and had seven rebounds. McClelland, a Milwaukee native, had 10 points before fouling out with 4:38 left in regulation.

"To be able to come to an athlete's home state and win is awesome," said Smith. "Our guys knew it meant a lot to Shy and Tre to play here. It's fun to see those guys lock in and want to win it for their teammates more than anything."

South Dakota shot 47 percent from the field to overcome the Panther's 14 of 43 effort from beyond the arc and 21 of 25 shooting from the free-throw line. Tiby made 13 out of 14 from the stripe. The Panthers also got 16 points from Austin Arians and 13 from Akeem Springs.

South Dakota will travel to Champaign, Ill., to take on the Illinois Fighting Illini at 2 p.m. Saturday at the State Farm Center.

*** Press Release Courtesy of Bryan Boettcher, USD Sports Information