The Game
The Coyotes return home to host St. Thomas inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, S.D.
 
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Midco Sports Two and streamed on the Summit League Network available via the Midco Sports Plus app. Fans can also tune into the game on the Coyote Sports Network with John Thayer on KVHT 106.3 FM in Yankton/Vermillion, KQSF 95.7 in Sioux Falls, or by using the Varsity Network app.
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota (8-10, 1-2 Summit) is looking to snap a four-game skid that started with a home loss to Omaha on Dec. 31. The Coyotes started Summit play with a road win at North Dakota State as they defeated the Bison 75-66 in Fargo.
 
Junior transfer Kaleb Stewart scored a career-high 33 points in the win over NDSU. He returned to the starting lineup after a lower leg injury against Air Force on Nov. 26 put him on the bench. Stewart has put up double-digit points in all but one game since returning to the starting lineup seven games ago. Stewart recorded his first 20-point scoring game of the season at Oral Roberts on Jan. 11. He matched the game-high of 21 points on 44.4 percent shooting from the field and knocked down three triples. Stewart leads the Summit in three-point field goals made per game in league play this season (3.0/game).
 
Bostyn Holt is the only other Coyote to put up 30 points in a game this season. He scored a career-high 30 points in game one of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge against Eastern Washington on Jan. 3. Holt drew nine fouls and went 10-of-12 from the free throw line. Holt and Stewart are one of just three Summit League duos to score 30 points in a game. Eight Summit players from five teams have scored at least 30 points in a game this season.
 
Senior transfer Lahat Thioune is the Coyotes' leading rebounder and is averaging a double-double with 13.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. His eight double-doubles on the season rank 14^th in the NCAA and lead the Summit. He has three more double-doubles than any other Summit player. Thioune ranks 11^th in the country in rebounds per game (10.2) and 12^th in rebounds (173).
 
The Tommies  
St. Thomas (13-6, 3-1 Summit) sits atop the league standings tied with Omaha, both with three league wins and one loss so far on the season. The Tommies opened league play with 70-45 win at North Dakota and a 77-56 win at Kansas City. South Dakota State handed St. Thomas its first league loss of the season on a buzzer-beater, but the Tommies bounced back to defeat Oral Roberts 87-76 in Tulsa.
 
The Tommies boast the best scoring margin in the league, scoring 73.4 points per game while holding opponents to 62.5 points per game (10^th NCAA). St. Thomas also holds its opponents to a league-low 31.3 percent shooting percentage from three while averaging a league-best 9.5 three-pointers per game.
 
Parker Bjorklund is the Tommies' leading scorer and a 2022-23 all-Summit second team selection. Bjorklund averages 13.3 points per game on 49.0 percent shooting from the field and 34.4 percent shooting from three-point range. The 6-7 guard has played in all four matchups against South Dakota and averages 14.5 points against the Yotes.
 
Four of the Tommies' starting five are averaging double-figure scoring. Transfer Raheem Anthony is St. Thomas' second leading scorer with 10.7 points per game. Anthony played four seasons at Saint Mary's prior to joining the Tommies, where he was named the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Offensive Player of the Year and ranked third in the country in scoring at 24.6 points per game.  
 
The Series
Thursday's matchup marks the fifth meeting between South Dakota and St. Thomas. The Coyotes own a 4-0 record against the Tommies since St. Thomas transitioned to Division I and joined the Summit League two years ago.
 
One Last Thing
South Dakota is now the only Summit League team that St. Thomas has not defeated since joining the league two years ago.