South Dakota looks to rebound after dropping its first Summit League contest of the season last Saturday with a 6 p.m. (CST) contest at Fort Wayne Thursday. South Dakota is 3-3 since joining the Summit League in its road conference opener.
 
The Game
South Dakota swept the season series last year but has never won three-straight games against Fort Wayne. The Coyotes also look to even its record inside the state lines of Indiana in the Division I era, currently holding a 6-7 record.
 
The Mastodons
Holding a 12-7 overall record, Fort Wayne is 1-1 in Summit League action with a victory over Denver on Saturday. Bryson Scott scored 20 points while Kason Harrell added 18 points. Fort Wayne shot 49.2 percent from the field for the game and went 12-of-13 from the free throw line.
 
Scott, a preseason second team all-Summit League selection, leads the Mastodons with 22.6 points per game. John Konchar, a first team selection last year, averages 12.9 points and 10 rebounds per contest while Kason Harrell averages 13.3 points per game.
 
Fort Wayne has posted victories over Southern Illinois – Edwadsville, Detroit Mercy, Stetson and Indiana. The victory over the Hoosiers was the second straight for the Mastodons and is also the highest RPI win of the year with Indiana sitting at 121.
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota plays its first road Summit League contest sporting a 14-5 overall record and 2-1 in league play after falling to North Dakota State on Saturday. Matt Mooney tallied a team-high 23 points and had 15 each from Trey Burch-Manning and Tyler Peterson.
 
Mooney leads the Coyotes with 17.7 points per contest, a mark that has risen to 19.0 points per game in three conference contests. Tyler Hagedorn has maintained a double-digit scoring average all year with 13.4 points per game. Burch-Manning leads the team with 7.2 rebounds per contest to go along with his 9.0 points per game.
 
The Series
Fort Wayne holds a slight 8-6 edge in the series, which began in 2011-12. South Dakota swept the season series for the first time last year, winning 66-63 at home and 93-82 in Fort Wayne.
 
One Last Thing
South Dakota returns to the Sanford Coyote Sports Center next Wednesday hosting Oral Roberts with a 7 p.m. tip-off. The game will be a Social Media night with #YoteSelfies and interaction with @SDCoyotes to win prizes.