Sioux Falls, S.D. – Minnesota Crookston men's basketball saw Sioux Falls bury five second half three-pointers to turn a one point halftime lead into a 71-64 win for the Cougars on Friday in the Stewart Center.
 
With the loss, Minnesota Crookston falls to 5-20 (4-15 NSIC).
 
It would be a great start for the Golden Eagles, who would trail 9-8, but a 6-0 run would give the Golden Eagles a 14-9 lead. Jordan Mitchell (R-Sr., F, Columbus, Ohio) would score four of the six points in that stretch.
 
USF would eventually turn the page and take a 25-18 lead, but Micah Garrett (Jr., G, Portland, Ore.) and Aguek Deng (R-Sr., F, Des Moines, Iowa) would score seven points in a row to tie the game at 25.
 
Andrew Stokes (Jr., F, Westchester, Ill.) would finish a layup late in the first half to cut the lead to one at the half for the Cougars.
 
Coming out of halftime, Minnesota Crookston would score the first five points of the half, highlighted by back-to-back jumpers from Garrett.
 
Later on in the half, USF would take a 45-38 lead, but Landon Dimler (Fr., G, Mankato, Minn.) would connect on a three, helping the Golden Eagles score five in a row and cut the lead to two.
 
USF would start to pull away and go on an 11-0 run, but that would be briefly halted by another Garrett jumper.
 
USF would extend their lead to 65-60, but a Reid Grant (Sr., G, Johnston, Iowa) layup with 1:16 left in the game would cap off an 8-0 run and make it 65-58 with under two minutes to go.
 
Minnesota Crookston would continue to try and chip away, but were unable to come all the way back, as USF would win by seven.
 
Grant had another outstanding game, finishing with 17 points, while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out six assists. Garrett would score 12, as Mitchell and Stokes would 11 and 10, respectively.
 
Minnesota Crookston held the Cougars to 37 percent shooting from the field.
 
What's Next
Minnesota Crookston will close out the road portion of their schedule tomorrow night at Southwest Minnesota State. Tip-off is set for 5 P.M.