The South Dakota men's basketball team concludes a short two-game homestand with Purdue Fort Wayne Sunday.
The Game
The Coyotes, who open with five of their first seven Summit League contests on the road, look to close their short two-game homestand on a high note against the Mastodons. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
Promotions
National Sticker Day: All kids and kids at heart will receive a sticker as they enter the Sanford Coyote Sports Center as we celebrate National Sticker Day.
Post-Game Layups: Kids are invited to line up in the aisle between Section 101 and 102 after the game to participate in our post-game layup line.
Beat Type 1 Diabetes: Join us & The Summit League increase awareness to #BeatType1 Diabetes! More info at
www.thesummitleague.org/beattype1
The Mastodons
Purdue Fort Wayne is the Summit League's lone undefeated team in conference action at 4-0 while holding a 12-7 overall record. Led by do-all guard John Konchar, the Mastodons have won six-straight games dating back to an 87-77 win over IUPUI before Summit play began. The Mastodons lead the nation with 209 made 3-point baskets on the year.
Konchar leads the Mastodons with 19.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game, both of which rank second in the Summit League. One of the top players in the league, he scores at a 57.9 percent clip and hits 41.9 percent of his long-range shots. He owns 43 career double-doubles, the fifth-most among active Division I players.
Although he is the top player, it isn't only the John Konchar show as Kason Harrell and Matt Holba also average double digits at 17.1 and 10.6 points per game. Harrell recently joined the 1,000-point club and tops the squad with 31-made 3-point baskets.
The Coyotes
South Dakota, 7-9 overall and 1-2 in the Summit League, is without its leading scorer and rebounder,
Trey Burch-Manning, who is out with a foot injury. That leaves junior
Triston Simpson as the team's active leading scorer at 12.4 points per game. However, it has been sophomore
Stanley Umude who has stepped up his offensive game with averages of 19 points and 7.4 rebounds per game over his last five games. For the season, Umude averages 12.1 points per game. Junior
Tyler Peterson totals 11.5 points per game and grabs 4.6 rebounds per outing.
Injuries have plagued the Coyotes with just eight players dressed for their last game against South Dakota State. Within that, just six played more than eight minutes as the Coyotes fell 79-61. Umude tallied a game-high 26 points and added nine rebounds. Junior
Cody Kelley hit double-digits with 11 points, aided by three 3-point baskets.
The Series
South Dakota has won the last four meetings to knot the series at eight-all through 16 contests. The four-game win streak is the longest by either team in the series dating back to the 2011-12 season.
One Last Thing
The Coyotes have proven strong with the ball, committing just 11.7 turnovers per game. That mark ranks just outside the top 50 in the nation. Within that, Kelley has proven an important cog as he ranks third in the Summit League with a 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
