After going a full 5 minutes without a basket in the second half Wednesday against Sioux Falls, the Dakota Wizards were in danger of letting a game they had controlled all night slip away.

Enter Dontell Jefferson.

When the Wizards needed him most, Jefferson scored 10 points and dished out an assist in a whirlwind 2-minute span. That put the Wizards back on track en route to a 99-88 win over the Skyforce.

The second-year guard finished the night with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists.

"When one guy gets going, we have to keep feeding him and feeding him," Jefferson said. "I guess tonight it was my number, and Itried to come through for my teammates."

Jefferson certainly did that.

"When (Sioux Falls) got it down to six, we ran three straight isos for him," Wizards coach Duane Ticknor said. "He got to the basket twice, then hit a three, then got an assist the next play.

"That kind of put the game out of reach."

The Wizards (10-7) never trailed after the midpoint of the first quarter and their lead was comfortably in double-digits most of the night.

But Dakota went into a 6-for-23 funk in the third quarter, eventually grinding to a halt. For a full 5 minutes, spanning the last 1:52 of the third and first 3:08 of the fourth, the Wizards didn't manage a single field goal and just three free throws.

So when Jahsha Bluntt drained a long 3-pointer, the Skyforce was suddenly within 77-71 with plenty of time remaining.

Jefferson finally snapped the Wizards out of their drought by hitting a tough shot in the lane, only to have Bluntt answer with a pair of free throws.

But Jefferson wasn't to be denied. He went to the hoop for two more buckets, the second time drawing a foul and turning it into a three-point play.

After a Skyforce miss, Blake Ahearn whipped a long pass to Jefferson, who bounced one to Kevin Lyde for an easy bucket.

Jefferson then knocked down a 3-pointer, and Maurice Baker added a putback, completing a decisive 12-0 run.

"I think the key was the defensive intensity," Jefferson said. "We tried to clamp down and let our offense dictate the tempo."

Baker - who finished with 27 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists - carried the offense in the first half. The Wizards' game plan was to attack the basket and get to the line, and Baker did that, taking 16 of their 41 free throw attempts.

While the Wizards made 32 of 41 free throw attempts, Sioux Falls got to the line less frequently (26 times) and didn't have much success (57.7 percent) when it got there.

Another reason the Wizards were able to survive such a poor shooting night - they shot just 37.6 percent from the floor - was their rebounding. Paced by Kevin Lyde's 17 boards, Dakota compiled a 58-40 edge on the glass.

Wil Frisby had a strong night for the Wizards, coming off the bench to contribute a season-high 15 points and seven rebounds.

"Wil's contribution off the bench was huge," Ticknor said. "He was aggressive offensively, he took it to the rim and he made some great offensive moves. Alot of that's from putting the time in practice with (assistant coach Dean) Martin. It's starting to pay off for us."

Former Wizard Kasib Powell paced the Skyforce with 20 points. Another former Wizard, Chris Alexander, had no points, but six rebounds and five blocked shots before fouling out.

The Wizards, who have won five straight home games, host Iowa onFriday.

"We just want to take care of business at home and be around .500 on the road," Ticknor said. "That's right where we're at."

Sioux Falls 23 41 64 88

Wizards 31 54 73 99

SIOUXFALLS(88):Kasib Powell 7-15 5-6 20, Michael Joiner 3-9 1-2 8, Jason Klotz 6-8 1-3 13, Elton Nesbitt 7-15 2-5 17, David Bailey 4-10 1-2 10, Ronald Allen 1-2 0-0 2, Chris Alexander 0-2 0-2 0, Carl Elliott 3-10 0-0 6, J.C. Mathis 0-0 1-2 1, Jahsha Bluntt 3-9 4-4 11. Totals 34-80 15-26 88.

WIZARDS(99):Carlos Powell 6-18 4-5 17, Rod Benson 3-12 2-4 8, Kevin Lyde 4-13 2-3 10, Maurice Baker 7-14 13-16 27, Dontell Jefferson 6-12 4-5 18, Wil Frisby 5-10 5-6 15, Blake Ahearn 1-5 2-2 4, Perrin Johnson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-85 32-41 99.

3-pointers:SF 5-23 (Powell 1-3, Bailey 1-3, Nesbitt 1-4, Bluntt 1-4, Joiner 1-5, Elliott 0-4), W 3-7 (Jefferson 2-3, Powell 1-2, Ahearn 0-2). Rebounds:SF32 (Alexander 6), W 58 (Lyde 17, Baker 11, Jefferson 11). Assists: SF18 (Nesbitt 4, Bailey 4), W 18 (Baker 7, Jefferson 7). Fouls:SF 29, W 22. Fouled out:Alexander, Klotz. Technical fouls:SF - Powell, coach Nate Tibbetts, defensive 3 seconds 2. Steals:SF7 (Powell 2, Nesbitt 2), W 4 (Benson 2, Baker 2). Turnovers:SF 9,W 15. Blocked shots:SF 6 (Alexander 5), W (Lyde 3).

A: 2,074.

Records:SF 7-11. W 10-7.