The Game
South Dakota goes for its first regular season sweep of Fort Wayne tonight in a 6 p.m. game at Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Coyotes beat the preseason Summit League favorites 66-63 at home back on Jan. 14 behind a career-high 30 points from sophomore guard
Matt Mooney. The Coyotes are tied for second place in the Summit League standings and are coming off one of their more impressive performances of the season, a 10-point win at first-place North Dakota State Saturday. Fort Wayne, right in the middle of the pack at 5-5, is coming off an overtime loss at Denver Saturday. The Mastodons are at the start of a four-game home stand. They are 5-0 at Memorial Coliseum, but haven't played there since Dec. 10.
The Mastodons
Five of Fort Wayne's last six games have been on the road where all but one of the Mastodons' league losses have occurred. Fort Wayne remains one of the top offensive teams in the nation. The Mastodons rank sixth nationally in scoring (87 ppg) and eighth in both field goal percentage (.499) and 3-point field goal percentage (.414). They attempt 25 3's per game and make 10 on average. Senior guard Mo Evans (17.8 ppg) is the Summit's third-leading scorer and one of the nation's top 3-point shooters. Purdue transfer Bryson Scott adds 16 points per game. Sophomore John Konchar averages 14 points and leads the Summit in rebounding at 9.0 per game.
The Coyotes
South Dakota has been the top defensive team in Summit League play and that was certainly the difference in the Coyotes' win against Fort Wayne earlier this season. The Mastodons shot a season-low 35 percent against USD and were 11 of 32 from 3-point range. The Mastodons' 63 points in that game remain their second-lowest total of the season.
Offensively, Mooney has been spectacular of late. He has averaged 24 points in his last six games on 50 percent shooting from the field. His 30 points against Fort Wayne was the start of six consecutive contests in which he has been the game's top scorer for either side. Senior
Tyler Flack has averaged 19 points, five boards and three blocks in three games back from injury. He has shot 56 percent from the field in that span. Freshman
Tyler Peterson has provided double-digit scoring off the bench in each of the team's last three games.
Series History
Fort Wayne leads the all-time series 8-5 ... the Mastodons won all three meeting last year ... these two teams have met in the first round of the Summit League Tournament in each of the past two seasons ... the Coyotes' only win in Fort Wayne was 64-62 during the 2014-15 season ... the teams have split their regular season series in three of five years
One Last Thing
At the end of tonight, the Coyotes could find themselves in first place of the Summit League standings, or second, or tied for third. South Dakota can clinch its fifth consecutive bid to the Summit League Tournament with a win tonight coupled with a Western Illinois win at Oral Roberts.
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