USD men avenge earlier loss to Denver in another overtime 'thriller'

VERMILLION — Two weeks removed from Denver’s double-overtime home victory over South Dakota in Summit League men’s basketball action, the Coyotes returned the favor.

Behind 27 points from Bostyn Holt, USD grabbed a dramatic 92-86 overtime win over the visiting Pioneers, snapping a five-game losing streak.

Knotted at 86 in overtime, Max Burchill drew a foul with 29 seconds left and buried a pair of free throws to take the lead. Denver missed a layup on the other end, and Paul Bruns sank two free throws to clinch the game.

“What a thriller, man; credit to them, they’re a good team, they can really score it,” USD coach Eric Peterson told Midco Sports in a postgame television interview. “ … I thought we did a good job making them take some tough shots.”

The Coyotes nearly won the game in regulation, as Holt’s traditional three-point play gave them a 79-77 lead with 37 seconds remaining. However, the Pioneers responded with a bucket by Tommy Bruner with 22 seconds left, and Holt’s jumper missed at the horn.

But the USD defense, which allowed 111 points in the double-overtime loss in Colorado, stepped up during extra time, holding the Pioneers to 20 percent from the field and outrebounding them 6-3.

For the game, Denver shot 43.5 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from 3-point range. The Coyotes had their hands full with Bruner, the nation’s leading scorer who dropped in 30 points and Touko Tainamo, who had 21 points.

But USD had plenty of offense of its own to keep itself in the game. Holt’s team-high came on 10-of-26 shooting, while Lahat Thioune added 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, and Bruns delivered 18 points on four 3-pointers.

Behind 26 combined points from Holt and Bruns, the Coyotes led 46-41 after the first half, but the Pioneers took control of the game in the second half and led 75-70 with four minutes remaining. A Bruns 3-ball, followed by a Thioune layup, tied the game at 75 with two minutes to play, and USD managed to force overtime.

The win, which comes days after the Coyotes showed life in a narrow road loss to South Dakota State, puts USD a game back of Denver and Kansas City for seventh-place in the conference with six regular-season games remaining.

USD is off Saturday, and will visit Omaha at 7 p.m. Feb. 15.

Jacob Nielson is a sports reporter for the Mitchell Republic. He joined the Mitchell Republic in July 2023 after graduating from Utah State University in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minor in history. He covers a variety of prep and collegiate sports throughout South Dakota.