F ighting S ioux M en ' s B asketball 2 0 0 4 - 0 5 1 - University of ...

Look no further than the 2003-04 Fighting Sioux basketball team
to find a prime example of the old coach’s saying “We have to
stay healthy to compete.” Losing starters from your rosters and
then their backups can make any battle an uphill one.
While Glas’ team knew it was losing one of the best players to
ever come through the program – in Jerome
Beasley – to graduation, several athletes the
team was counting on were unable to stay
healthy.
Glas was forced two use a total of 14
different players during the season,
including 10 different starters, however he
was able to garner a .500 record out of the
talent he had.
UND opened the season with a pair of losses
on the road, however a return to Hyslop
Sports Center produced a 113-59 blowout of
Minnesota-Morris on Nov. 24. Steve
Bradley led the way with 28 points,
including eight three-point baskets.
Less than a week later, the team collected its
first road victory of the season at Minot
State, against former Sioux guard Jeff
Brandt. Four of UND’s starting five scored
in double-figures, including Caro Nobles,
who led the way with 18 points.
The win set off a tidal wave, which saw the
team win seven of its final eight nonconference
games. The only blemish was a three-point overtime
loss to Minnesota Duluth on Dec. 13.
UND’s winning stretch included triumphs over Bemidji State,
Northern State and Winona State, who finished 1-2-3 in the
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
The Sioux also claimed a thrilling 79-69 overtime victory over
Colorado School of Mines in the South Dakota State Christmas
Tournament on Dec. 28. In the game, junior center Todd
Rypkema scored 25 points and grabbed a career-high 22 boards.
The next night, junior Mike Johnson led a second-half charge as
the Sioux erased a 12-point deficit to knock off Winona State 69-
65. Johnson scored a game-high 22 points, including 11 from the
foul line. Rypkema followed up his 20-20 performance with a 17point,
7-rebounds game. In the two games in the tournament,
Rypkema averaged 21 points and 14.5 rebounds.
The win meant the Sioux would enter play inside the North
Central Conference with an impressive 9-4 record.
After a rough opening weekend in southern Minnesota, the team
returned to Grand Forks and handed No. 17 South Dakota a 70-
4462
defeat. Sophomore Evan Lindahl went for 26 points as the
2003-04 Season in Review
Sioux earned their first conference victory of the season.
The momentum would be short-lived, however, as Nebraska-
Omaha’s Ty Graham burned UND with a last-second jumper in a
74-72 Maverick win the next night.
UND rebounded the next weekend, by knocking off Augustana
for the fifth straight time, 79-69 at
Elmen Center. Sophomore Adam
Jacobson scored a career-high 18
points, hitting four three-point baskets.
After a tough loss at the Bison Sports
Arena, the Sioux returned to Engelstad
Arena to earn a season split with
archrival North Dakota State.
Senior Jade Jahner’s last-second heave
at the buzzer tied the contest at 69-69.
In overtime, Rypkema scored four of
his career-high 31 points to give the
Sioux a 76-73 triumph over the Bison.
The win was especially sweet for Glas,
who earned his 300th victory at UND.
Glas, who entered the season as the
12th winningest active coach in
Division II, finished the season just 30
wins shy of the school record for
victories, held by Dave Gunther.
The overtime win over the Bison
propelled the Sioux into the next
Jade Jahner
weekend when it flattened Augustana
70-60. However, as they did three
times during the season, South Dakota State ended Sioux
momentum with a 73-66 victory at Hyslop Sports Center.
UND kept its slim hopes of hosting a first round game in the NCC
Tournament alive on Feb. 21 with a 68-64 triumph at South
Dakota. Rypkema led the charge with a season-high 33 points and
14 rebounds. It was the junior center’s fifth double-double of the
season.
However, it would be the team’s last stand as a sweep at home
was the precursor to a 74-63 loss at South Dakota State in the
NCC Tournament quarterfinals. Despite 19 points from Mike
Johnson, UND was sent home in a game that summed up the
Sioux season.
The Sioux let the Jacks out to a 12-0 lead before a furious secondhalf
rally to take the lead. The tank would run out of gas,
however, when foul trouble and a depleted bench signaled the end
of the journey.
The season ended with acolades for junior Todd Rypkema and
sophomore Evan Lindahl, who were both selected to the All-
North Central Conference team. It was the first time since 2002
that UND had as many as two players on the squad.
Fighting Sioux Men’s Basketball 2004-05