The Game
It's game one for South Dakota of the inaugural Big-Sky Summit Challenge as the Coyotes host Eastern Washington on Wednesday.
 
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. The game will be available to watch on Midco Sports Two and to stream 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.
 
All high school students will receive $1 admission to the game.
 
The Coyotes
South Dakota (8-7, 1-1 Summit) is looking to bounce back from a tough 67-51 loss to Omaha in Vermillion on Dec. 31. The Yotes opened Summit play with a big 75-66 win over North Dakota State in Fargo on Dec. 29.
 
Junior transfer Kaleb Stewart is back in the starting lineup after a lower leg injury against Air Force on Nov. 26 put him on the bench. Stewart has scored in double-figures in all four games since his return and dropped a career-high 33 points in South Dakota's win over NDSU on Dec. 29. He made four of his six three-point attempts and shot 59 percent from the field. In his four games back in the starting lineup, Stewart has averaged 18.3 points on 48.2 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent shooting from the three-point line.
 
Senior transfer Lahat Thioune is the Coyotes' leading rebounder at 10.6 rebounds per game. Thioune's seven double-doubles rank 10^th in the NCAA and lead the Summit. The 6'10 forward has three-straight double-doubles in the last three games and two more double-double performances than any other Summit player. Thioune grabbed a career-high 19 rebounds in South Dakota's Summit League opener win over North Dakota State.
 
The Eagles
Eastern Washington (6-7, 2-0 Big Sky) is coming off an undefeated opening weekend of Big Sky play. The Eagles cruised past Portland State 91-57 on Dec. 28 and Sacramento State 87-61 on Dec. 30.
 
The Eagles faced a tough nonconference schedule with five Pac-12 opponents, one SEC opponent, one Big 12 opponent, and one Mountain West team. It was the fourth toughest nonconference schedule in the country as ranked by NCAA NET ratings and KenPom.
 
Junior forward Ethan Price, a 2023-24 preseason all-Big Sky honoree, is a key returning starter for the Eagles. Price was the 2021-22 Big Sky Freshman of the Year and averages 11.2 points per game this season. Junior guard Casey Jones is another returning starter from EWU's stellar year a season ago. The Eagles won their first 16 games of conference play on their way to a regular season conference championship and Jones was the team's leading rebounder.
 
Cedric Coward is a 6-6 junior guard who came off the bench last season but is now a mainstay in this season's starting lineup. Coward is the Eagles' leading scorer at 12.9 points per game.

The Series
Wednesday's matchup marks the fifth meeting between the two programs all-time and the Eagles are making the trek to Vermillion for the third time. In the most recent meeting on Dec. 10, 2017, the Coyotes hosted EWU and won 75-73. In the very first meeting of the series, South Dakota hosted Eastern Washington on Dec. 20, 2010, and won 78-72. The Coyotes traveled to Eastern Washington on Nov. 15, 2011, where the Eagles picked up their first and only win of the series as they defeated the Yotes 70-61. On Nov. 29, 2015, South Dakota and Eastern Washington met on neutral ground in Sacramento, Calif., where the Yotes defeated the Eagles 77-71.
 
One Last Thing
Paul Bruns is the only current Coyote that has faced Eastern Washington. In his freshman season at North Dakota, Bruns scored 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting from the field and 3-of-10 shooting from three. In his fourth career start and 25 minutes of action, Bruns grabbed a career-high three steals against EWU.