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The University of Saint Mary men split their games at the US Bank Thanksgiving Classic hosted by South Dakota School of Mines & Technology over the weekend, beating the host Hardrockers Friday night before falling to No. 8 Black Hills State University on Saturday. USM held off the Hardrockers 70-66 but couldn’t find an offensive rhythm against the Yellowjackets to suffer an 85-61 setback. After playing their fourth game in five days, with Thanksgiving day as the only break, head coach Jon Bishop said he felt like his team had a solid outing at the holiday tournament.
“I thought we overcame a lot of obstacles, especially with the quick turnaround and a long trip,” Bishop said. “I was happy with how we performed, we got better and that was the main thing.”
Against South Dakota School of Mines, the Spires saw a narrow 35-29 halftime lead erased before a rally helped Saint Mary get back on top and maintain the advantage en route to the 70-66 win.
“I thought they came out after making some adjustments at halftime and got back on us, but our guys did a great job of countering with a run of our own,” Bishop said. “Once we retook the lead, we controlled it up until the last minute or so of the game.”
USM shot 50 percent from beyond the arc to down the Hardrockers — Brandon Coleman going 4-for-8, Korie Fisher 3-for-3 and JEB Greenberg 2-3 from 3-point range in the game. Coleman scored a team-best 21 points in the game, with Fisher and Greenberg each chipping in 13. Nick White also put up double figures in the game with 12 points.
Justin Crutchfield was 1-for-1 from 3-point range and had a team-best seven rebounds on Friday. Fisher added six boards and five assists, leading the team along with Chris Wing who had five assists as well. Coleman added four assists and Greenberg had three assists and two of four USM steals in the game.
The Spires made 15-of-21 free throws, including 9-of-15 in the second half, on Friday night. Coleman was 9-for-10, while Combs and Fisher were each 2-for-2.
“Offensively we did real well,” Bishop said of the Friday victory. “We started out the game making shots and when we’re making shots that dictates a lot of what we do, fortunately or unfortunately.”
The Spires lost their touch on Saturday, shooting just 27 percent from 3-point range (7-for-26) and getting to the free-throw line just five times in the game. Black Hills State, on the other hand, was 6-for-18 from beyond the arc and hit all 15 of their attempts from the charity stripe.
“We started the game with the same looks we were getting on Friday, we just couldn’t make them,” Bishop said. “Our shooters had good looks, we just couldn’t knock them down and that carried over. Our tanks weren’t as full because it was a quick turnaround, and they’re really good. They’ve got a chance to win the national championship at our level, and they played like it.”
Fisher continued to have a solid tournament for the Spires, scoring 14 on 5-for-8 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3. He had a team-high six rebounds in the loss. Greenberg led the team with 19 points on Saturday, and he also pulled down five rebounds. Wing had five assists and three steals for USM in the loss.
USM is back in action Thursday night, opening Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play on the road in an 8 p.m. contest at Tabor. Bishop said the team feels good about heading into league play.
“The big thing we’ve done that I’m really proud of and happy about is we’ve gotten better from day one. We’ve made steps forward and fixed some things,” the Spire coach said. “I like where we’re at as a team right now, we still have to go out and play well, but if we keep getting better I think we have a good shot.”
The University of Saint Mary men split their games at the US Bank Thanksgiving Classic hosted by South Dakota School of Mines & Technology over the weekend, beating the host Hardrockers Friday night before falling to No. 8 Black Hills State University on Saturday. USM held off the Hardrockers 70-66 but couldn’t find an offensive rhythm against the Yellowjackets to suffer an 85-61 setback. After playing their fourth game in five days, with Thanksgiving day as the only break, head coach Jon Bishop said he felt like his team had a solid outing at the holiday tournament.
“I thought we overcame a lot of obstacles, especially with the quick turnaround and a long trip,” Bishop said. “I was happy with how we performed, we got better and that was the main thing.”
Against South Dakota School of Mines, the Spires saw a narrow 35-29 halftime lead erased before a rally helped Saint Mary get back on top and maintain the advantage en route to the 70-66 win.
“I thought they came out after making some adjustments at halftime and got back on us, but our guys did a great job of countering with a run of our own,” Bishop said. “Once we retook the lead, we controlled it up until the last minute or so of the game.”
USM shot 50 percent from beyond the arc to down the Hardrockers — Brandon Coleman going 4-for-8, Korie Fisher 3-for-3 and JEB Greenberg 2-3 from 3-point range in the game. Coleman scored a team-best 21 points in the game, with Fisher and Greenberg each chipping in 13. Nick White also put up double figures in the game with 12 points.
Justin Crutchfield was 1-for-1 from 3-point range and had a team-best seven rebounds on Friday. Fisher added six boards and five assists, leading the team along with Chris Wing who had five assists as well. Coleman added four assists and Greenberg had three assists and two of four USM steals in the game.
The Spires made 15-of-21 free throws, including 9-of-15 in the second half, on Friday night. Coleman was 9-for-10, while Combs and Fisher were each 2-for-2.
“Offensively we did real well,” Bishop said of the Friday victory. “We started out the game making shots and when we’re making shots that dictates a lot of what we do, fortunately or unfortunately.”
The Spires lost their touch on Saturday, shooting just 27 percent from 3-point range (7-for-26) and getting to the free-throw line just five times in the game. Black Hills State, on the other hand, was 6-for-18 from beyond the arc and hit all 15 of their attempts from the charity stripe.
“We started the game with the same looks we were getting on Friday, we just couldn’t make them,” Bishop said. “Our shooters had good looks, we just couldn’t knock them down and that carried over. Our tanks weren’t as full because it was a quick turnaround, and they’re really good. They’ve got a chance to win the national championship at our level, and they played like it.”
Fisher continued to have a solid tournament for the Spires, scoring 14 on 5-for-8 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3. He had a team-high six rebounds in the loss. Greenberg led the team with 19 points on Saturday, and he also pulled down five rebounds. Wing had five assists and three steals for USM in the loss.
USM is back in action Thursday night, opening Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play on the road in an 8 p.m. contest at Tabor. Bishop said the team feels good about heading into league play.
“The big thing we’ve done that I’m really proud of and happy about is we’ve gotten better from day one. We’ve made steps forward and fixed some things,” the Spire coach said. “I like where we’re at as a team right now, we still have to go out and play well, but if we keep getting better I think we have a good shot.”
