GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- South Dakota travels to take on North Dakota on Saturday at 2 p.m. inside the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, North Dakota. 

The Game
This will be the first matchup of the season between the two squads. North Dakota will travel to Vermillion on Feb. 29 to complete the season series. South Dakota is winners of its last eight of its last nine as well as riding a six-game win streak. 

The Fighting Hawks 
North Dakota currently sit at 11-13 and 5-5 in conference play which puts them at sixth place in the standings behind Oral Roberts and ahead of Purdue Fort Wayne, Western Illinois and Denver. 

The Fighting Hawks started conference play 2-0 after defeating Denver and PFW but then went on a four-game skid to sit a 2-4 in the League. 

UND enters winners of its last three of four games including a 74-68 win over Oral Roberts on Thursday night in Grand Forks. 

The Fighting Hawks are led by Marlon Stewart, a two-time Summit League Player of the Week this year, who averages 17.9 points a contest on 43 percent shooting from the field. He also averages 5.1 assists a game which ranks first in the conference. 

UND has three other starters that average in double figures in De'Sean Allen-Eikens at 14, Filip Rebraca 13.5 and Kienan Walter at 11.6 points per game. 

As a team, the Fighting Hawks shoot 46.1 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from deep. UND is 7-1 at home this season and has been outscoring its opponents by a margin of 22.3 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from deep.

The Coyotes (17-8, 7-3 SL)
South Dakota enters on a six-game win streak after beating NAIA Peru State this past week. USD is also winners of its last eight of nine and sits in third place in the conference standings. 

Tyler Hagedorn leads the team with 19 points per game which ranks first in the Summit. Stanley Umude averages 16.5 points which rank seventh in the League as well. Cody Kelley (11.5), Triston Simpson (11.4) and Tyler Peterson (11) round out the starting five that all average in double figures for the Yotes. USD is one of 17 Division I schools that have five players average in double figures. 

As a team, the Yotes average  79.9 points per game while shooting 49 percent from the field and 41 percent from deep. 

The Series
North Dakota leads the overall series 99-90 and with games played in Grand Forks, 56-32. In its first games since the 2010-11 season, the Coyotes swept the season series last year. This will be the third time the two have played as Summit League foes.

One Last Thing
Kelley set a new career-high in points against Peru State. The senior netted 27 points on 6-of-8 shooting from deep and shot 10-of-12 overall. Tasos Kamateros also recorded a new season-high with a perfect 6-of-6 shooting performance for 15 points against the Bobcats.