The Game
No. 24 South Dakota hosts Coppin State at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion.
 
The Coyotes
No. 24 South Dakota has found numerous ways to win this season – whether it's driving to the basket and drawing the foul, making a school-record 17 3-pointers, or dominating the inside game like Wednesday night against Creighton. Junior center Hannah Sjerven had a huge night against the Bluejays, scoring a career high 28 points, pulling down nine boards and blocking five shots. It was her first five-block performance of the season and was precisely one year after she blocked a career-best seven shots at Missouri State (Dec. 4, 2018). The Coyotes continue its longest home stand of the season on Abbott Court, where they boast a 46-4 record in year four.
 
The Eagles
Coppin State (0-8) makes the trip west from Baltimore, Maryland, for a pair of games in the Rushmore State. South Dakota State handed the Eagles a 94-41 defeat on Thursday. All but two games in the Eagles' nonconference slate are on the road. They have already faced No. 25 West Virginia of the Big 12 and the Big Ten's Rutgers this season. Senior forward Chance Graham, the reigning MEAC Defensive Player of the Year, leads the Eagles with 11.8 points and eight boards per game.
 
The Series
This is the first meeting between South Dakota and Coppin State.
 
One Last Thing
The Summit League November Athlete of the Month, Ciara Duffy, is one of two players in the nation this season averaging more than 15 points, six boards and 5.5 assists per game. No. 5 Oregon State's Mikayla Pevic is the other.