VERMILLION, S.D. (AP) — Trevor Gruis sank two free throws with 7 seconds left to give South Dakota an 83-81 victory over Nebraska-Omaha on Sunday.
Louie Krogman’s 16 points led the Coyotes (1-2). Charlie Westbrook and Gruis hit 15 apiece, and Jordan Boots scored 11. Westbrook also had game highs of six assists and four steals.
In his third straight 20-plus game, Mitch Albers led the Mavericks (1-3) with 23 points. Alex Welhouse added 19, John Karhoff 15 and C.J. Carter 14.
The Coyotes led by nine early in the second half, but Albers’ layup gave the Mavericks a 76-75 edge with 4:18 left. Albers’ two free throws later put Nebraska-Omaha ahead 81-79 with 1:38 to go.
But Steve Tecker’s jumper tied it for South Dakota with 47 seconds left. After an Albers miss, Gruis hit his key foul shots. Ricardo Andreotti blocked Carter’s shot in the final second to preserve the victory.
