Men's Basketball Put Up Strong Effort Against Coyotes

VERMILLION, S.D. – The Waldorf men's basketball team had another exhibition game against the University of South Dakota Coyotes, NCAA Division I, on Tuesday evening. The Warriors battled tough and had a strong second half but fell 93-71.

"Today wasn't a bad day overall. I believe the guys competed pretty well overall," stated Head Coach Nigel Jenkins. "It wasn't for 40 but a lot of better effort overall."

1^st Half: Kaelon Harkema (JR/Louisville, KY) and Ugo Ejiofor (JR/Dallas, TX) scored the first four points for the Warriors. The Coyotes went on an eight-point run to extend the lead. Gabriel Sorensen (JR/West haven, UT) made a three-pointer and Khalil Grayson (JR/Milwaukee, WI) added two points to bring the game within 10-points. 

With 3-minutes left in the half, the Coyotes got their biggest lead at 40-20. A three-pointer from Grayson and two from Gene Noble (JR/Roy, UT) helped the Warriors gain some momentum. The Coyotes were up 46-30.

2^nd Half: Ejiofor opened the half with a layup. The Coyotes extended their lead by 25 points before Harkema and Noah Miller (JR/Forest City, IA) scored back-to-back threes. At the 13^th minute mark, the Coyotes had their biggest lead of the game at 68-39. Justin Wiggins (JR/West Palm Beach, FL) scored two three-pointers and Grayson added another, but the Warriors lost 93-71.

Jenkins added, "It was a really good experience for our guys to play against a D1 team. Now we have to build from this and continue to get better."

Wiggins finished with 12 points, going 3-6 from behind the arc and 5 rebounds. Grayson also added 12 points, going 2-4 from three-point. Harkema finished with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 1 block. Washington tallied 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists.

Next, the Warriors will be on the road for a game against Indiana South Bend on Friday, December 1^ststarting at 6 pm.