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VERMILLION, S.D. – The UNO basketball team had it tied in the final minute but was unable to secure its first win over a Division I opponent, falling 83-81 to South Dakota at the DakotaDome on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Mavericks drop to 1-3 on the year, while USD improves to 1-2.

Senior guard Mitch Albers had his third straight game of 20 or more points, finishing with 23 on 8-for-16 shooting from the field and a 7-for-9 effort at the free throw line. Junior forward Alex Welhouse had 19 points, going 5-for-10 from the field with a 6-for-7 performance at the charity stripe, while adding a team-leading seven rebounds.

Sophomore center John Karhoff also put up 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal, while freshman guard CJ Carter had 14 points, a season-high six rebounds, a pair of assists and a steal of his own. Eleven of Carter's points came in the first half alone, when he was 5-for-5 to open the game.

As a team, UNO shot 43.1 percent from the field, while South Dakota finished at 43.5 percent.

Four Coyotes also had double-figure scoring efforts, topped by Louie Krogman's 16 points with four 3-pointers. Charlie Westbrook and Ricardo Andreotti contributed 15 points each, and Jordan Boots had 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting. In addition, Westbrook had six rebounds, six assists, four steals and a block, and Steve Tecker had a game-leading eight boards.

Welhouse hit the first basket of the game with a 3-pointer, but USD responded immediately and took the lead on Krogman's first trey of the day. Carter cut off the 7-0 USD run, totaling six straight points to put UNO ahead at 11-10. He then hit a three to push it to UNO's largest lead of the game at 16-10 -- making him the first Maverick with double-figure scoring – but South Dakota's Westbrook chipped in a fastbreak dunk followed by a Boots layup to close in on the tally at 16-15.

With eight minutes remaining, Karhoff hit a jumper to bring the Mavs within one at 25-24, but USD held off and got it out to 30-26 on a 3-pointer from Krogman. A 9-2 South Dakota run gave the Coyotes a 36-28 lead, and the Mavericks narrowed it to 36-34 when Karhoff worked inside with a pass from Welhouse. A final 8-2 run helped South Dakota cap the first half with a score of 44-36.

In the second stanza, the Mavericks got off to a hot start, bringing it within one at 50-49. Nimrod Hilliard's three gave South Dakota a 57-53 lead, and back-to-back jumpers from Welhouse and Freeman later cut it to 64-62 USD. With the Coyotes ahead 70-64, Albers' shot and a free throw brought the Mavs within three, and four straight charity shots from Welhouse made it 72-71 with 6:13 left. Welhouse then had a key steal and a fastbreak layup, also drawing the foul from USD's Brandon Bos. The junior dropped in a free throw to keep the Mavs within one with just under five minutes remaining.

At 4:13, Albers' layup put Nebraska Omaha back in charge at 76-75, and despite a USD basket, Welhouse responded with a quick three to knot the score at 79-all. Albers extended the lead to 81-79 with a pair of free throws, but South Dakota managed to tie it at 81-81. With 6.3 seconds remaining, Gruis drew a foul from Steffensmeier and hit both of his free throws, giving the Coyotes all they needed for their first win of the year.

UNO returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 22, traveling to future Summit League opponent North Dakota State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. at Bison Sports Arena in Fargo, N.D.