The Game
The Coyotes head back out on the road as they travel to face Denver on Jan. 25 in Denver, Colorado. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. CT inside Hamilton Gymnasium.
 
The game will be 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 (9-11, 2-3 Summit) is coming off a split home weekend with a win against St. Thomas and a loss to in-state rival South Dakota State.
 
The Coyotes had a big 74-73 overtime victory over St. Thomas on Jan. 18 in Vermillion. Bostyn Holt made a go-ahead layup in overtime with 31 seconds left and the Coyotes survived four St. Thomas shots on the final possession. Max Burchill had five three-pointers and 17 points, Lahat Thioune tallied his ninth double-double of the season, and Jevon Hill provided a spark off the bench with some big shots down the stretch, including the offensive rebound and putback that sent the game into overtime.
 
Hill led the Coyotes on Jan. 20 against rival South Dakota State with a career-high 15 points. Hill went 5-of-9 from three-point range. Kaleb Stewart was the only other Coyote in double-figures with 10 points.
 
Thioune is the 12^th-leading rebounder in that nation and his nine double-doubles rank 13^th nationally. He has four more double-double performances than any other Summit player. The 6-10 forward is averaging a double-double with 13.2 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game.
 
The Pioneers   
Denver (12-8, 3-2 Summit) split last week against the North Dakota schools with a 78-70 win at NDSU but a 92-78 loss to North Dakota. Tommy Bruner had 32 points for his sixth 30+ point game of the season against North Dakota. Touko Tainamo scored 21 points to help the Pioneers snap an 11-game losing streak against the Bison and pick up Denver's first win in Fargo since 2018.
 
Bruner is the nation's leading scorer at 25.2 points per game and has scored in double-figures in 22-straight games. He scored his 1,000^th point against the Fighting Hawks on Jan. 20. Tainamo has nine-straight double-figure scoring games and averages 17.4 points per game for the Pioneers. The 6-9 forward leads Denver on the glass with 8.6 rebounds per game. Bruner and Tainamo are one of three Summit League duos to score at least 30 points in a game this season. Only nine Summit League players have hit the 30-point threshold this season.

The Series
Thursday's matchup marks the 26^th meeting between South Dakota and Denver. The Coyotes own a 15-10 record against the Pioneers.  
 
Up Next
South Dakota travels to Kansas City to take on the Roos on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. inside Swinney Center.