South Dakota returns to league action by hosting Fort Wayne at 1 p.m. Saturday inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.

The Promotions
It's "We Love Verm Cats" day inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center! Join us as we pay homage to the Verm Cat. The first 300 students will receive a commemorative T-shirt, while donations will be accepted for Yankton's Heartland Humane Society. HHS will be on site with adoptable kittens and puppies to be loved and cuddled in the Hall of Fame area next to the main entrance.

The Game
The Coyotes are just over a week removed from league action, where a pair of road victories vaulted South Dakota to the top of the league standings at 3-0 for the first time in program history. While the Coyotes look to remain undefeated in league action, Fort Wayne is looking for its second-straight win. The Mastodons upset Omaha 76-65 on Tuesday with the aid of 13 offensive boards leading to 14 second-chance points. A 10-0 run in the fourth quarter gave the Dons a late lead and made free throws sealed the game down the stretch. 

The Coyotes
South Dakota is coming off its best shooting performance of the season by making 60 percent from the floor and 52 percent from downtown as the Coyotes topped Mount Marty 87-25 on Wednesday. In the midst of a six-game winning streak, the Coyotes have outscored opponents by 24 points and averaged 80 points a game in the run. USD's defense has also forced an average 22 turnovers with 13 steals a game in the last six contests. Sophomore guard Ciara Duffy and junior guard Jaycee Bradley have gotten the offense rolling with an average of 16.7 and 13 points, respectively, during the six game streak with both shooting above 50 percent from the field.

The Mastodons
Fort Wayne, as previously mentioned, is coming off a league win against Omaha on Tuesday. Five Mastodons scored in double figures in that game led by De'Jour Young's 16 points. Young leads the team in scoring for the second consecutive season. She's averaging 11.7 points and a team-high 6.1 boards per game. True freshman Jaelencia Williams is second in scoring (8.9) and rebounding (5.6) for the Dons. Saturday begins a season-long six-game road trip for Fort Wayne. Their next home game is against South Dakota on February 7.

One Last Thing
The Coyotes have jumped more than 30 spots to 15th in the nation for made 3s (148) behind three-straight games of at least 13 made 3-pointers.