South Dakota travels to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a Wednesday night game with Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. inside the Mabee Center.
The Game
The Summit's two best defenses match up on Wednesday. Both teams hold opponents to 58 points per contest with South Dakota limiting its last two to under 45 points. While the Coyotes force more turnovers per game, the Golden Eagles hold opponents to 38 percent from the floor and just 29 percent outside the arc.
The Coyotes
While defense has been a point of emphasis for the Coyotes (13-5, 4-0 Summit) this season, this tough defensive mindset has in turn spurred the Coyote offense. South Dakota has surpassed 80 points in each of its last four contests, including shooting above 60 percent the last two games. USD's hot shooting streak has moved them to 23rd in the nation for field-goal percentage (46.2). The Coyotes had a 63 percent (34-54 FGs) performance against Fort Wayne on Saturday, just shy of USD's single game program record of 64.2 percent set in 1993. Back-to-back Summit League Player of the Week leads the team in Summit League play with 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.
The Golden Eagles
Oral Roberts (11-7, 3-2 Summit) has early league losses to defending champion Western Illinois and preseason favorite South Dakota State, but has handled its other league opponents with 20-point wins. Golden Eagle forward Faith Ihim scored a career high 24 points in Saturday's 77-70 loss to the Jackrabbits. She leads the team with 13.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, while Maria Martianez adds 12 points, 7.8 boards and 1.2 blocks a contest. Freshman Maya Mayberry, averaging 10.9 points, has worked her way into the starting lineup. She's the younger sister of three-year starter Kaylan Mayberry and ORU's graduate assistant coach Taleya Mayberry.
One Last Thing
After three-straight games of 13 made 3-pointers, the Coyotes used their inside game on Saturday to defeat Fort Wayne. South Dakota scored 54 points in the paint to Fort Wayne's 18. The Coyotes only shot nine threes in the game, displaying an offense that can win both inside and outside the arc.