The Game
South Dakota, in its final game of a 3-game road stretch, looks to bounce back from its lowest scoring week of the season. The Coyotes were held below 60 points twice, the first time it has happened all season, and shot under 25 percent beyond the arc in both games. USD plays five of its final seven games on the road, more than any other team in the Summit. Fort Wayne looks to snap a two-game skid. The Mastodons knocked off Omaha for their lone Summit win two weeks ago. That same Omaha team went on to beat South Dakota State on a banked 3-pointer three days later.
The Series
South Dakota has won seven straight in a series that began with the Coyotes joining the Summit in 2011-12. The Coyotes lead 9-3 with all three of Fort Wayne's wins coming in Indiana.
The Coyotes
South Dakota is led by a trio of guards in
Allison Arens,
Jaycee Bradley and
Ciara Duffy. The two sophomore and freshman make up 60 percent of the team's scoring. Arens leads the Summit at 19.0 points per game and leads the team with 5.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Bradley's 13.7 points per game ranks 10th in the Summit this season while her 66 made 3-pointers ranks 27th in the nation. Duffy, who led the Coyotes in scoring at Denver and South Dakota State, averages 11.1 points per game as the Coyotes' third leading scorer. The Coyotes continue to lead the nation in free-throw shooting at 81.1 percent.
The Mastodons
Fort Wayne gives up an average 70.2 points per game while opponents shoot 48 percent against them. De'Jour Young is the only player in double figures at 12.7 points per game with 5.3 rebounds. Young ranks second int he league for free-throw percentage at 87.7 percent. In Summit League play, Rachel Rinehart leads the league with 2.6 steals per game. She's also averaging 10.7 points per game in Summit action.
Summit Race
South Dakota State (9-2 Summit) moved into sole possession of first place in the Summit with the win Saturday. South Dakota (8-3) and Western Illinois (8-3) are one game back in the race for the regular season title. IUPUI (7-4) fell over the weekend as well to drop two games back. The Jackrabbits face tests from fifth-place Oral Roberts and IUPUI this week.
