The South Dakota men's basketball team leaves the state of South Dakota for the final time in regular season action for 2 p.m. contest at Western Illinois Saturday.
 
The Game
The Coyotes are looking to snap a four-game skid while the Leathernecks enter having lost three straight. Both teams are fighting for position in the Summit League standings with identical 3-8 league records. South Dakota looks for revenge against Western Illinois after the Leathernecks slipped past the Coyotes 65-59 in Vermillion on Jan. 26.
 
Saturday's game can be viewed on ESPN3, part of the WatchESPN platform. Live audio is available on the Coyote Sports Network, including KVHT 106.3 FM (flagship) in Yankton/Vermillion. Audio is also available on GoYotes.com/watch or on the TuneIn app.
 
The Leathernecks
Since topping the Coyotes on Jan. 26, Western Illinois has dropped three-straight games, two by two points or less, and most recently a 15-point setback at Purdue Fort Wayne. The Leathernecks are equal with the Coyotes in league play with a 3-8 record while holding an 8-16 overall record.
 
In the game with Purdue Fort Wayne, Brandon Gilbeck completed a triple-double of 16 rebounds, 12 points and 10 blocked shots, just the third triple-double in Summit League history and first with the blocked shots being one of the categories. Kobe Webster led Western Illinois with 15 points in the contest while CJ Duff added 11 points.
 
Webster leads Western Illinois with 17.4 points per game and is joined in double-figure scoring by Duff and Isaac Johnson. Duff adds 11.5 points and Johnson 11.4 points per game. Gilbeck, the nation's leader with 91 blocked shots, tops the team with 8.5 rebounds per game. His 8.5 rebounds rank him second in the Summit League.
 
The Coyotes
Junior Triston Simpson had one of his best all-around games of the season, if not career, with 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists against Oral Roberts on Sunday. Simpson went 5-of-8 from the field and sank seven free throws as part of his 20 points. However, USD fell 86-72 to the Golden Eagles, dropping the Coyotes to 9-15 overall and 3-8 in league play.
 
Sophomore Stanley Umude continues to lead the Coyotes at 14.6 points per game, a mark that increases to 19.3 points per game in Summit League play. That places him second in the Summit League in league-only games. Simpson has increased his offensive output to 13.8 points per game, a mark that also increases during league action to 16.0 points per game.
 
The Series
South Dakota leads the series at 11-8 while the series is knotted at four games apiece for games played in Macomb. The Coyotes have won two-straight games played in Western Hall.
 
One Last Thing
Simpson broke into the top-20 on USD's all-time assists list with 272 assists over his nearly three years of action. He currently ranks 19^th all time, and is set to pass Dustin Little and Luke Tibbetts in the near future. Simpson averages 3.2 assists per game and has tallied 78 assists this year.

17. Luke Tibbetts (2000-05).......................................... 274
18. Dustin Little (2004-08)............................................. 273
19. Triston Simpson (2016-Present).......................... 272
20. Greg Lansing (1986-90)...........................................266