VERMILLION, S.D. – The Coyotes are back in action Wednesday and Friday this week, hosting Mount Marty University and South Dakota Mines inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
 
The Coyotes and Lancers are set for action Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The two sides met last season, a 100-35 victory for the Coyotes. Friday night, South Dakota and South Dakota Mines meet for the second time in program history, and the first time in Vermillion.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m. starts inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. Both games are available to watch on the Summit League Network powered by Midco Sports Plus. You can also listen to the games on KVHT 106.3 FM or on the Varsity Network with the voice of South Dakota women's basketball, Jerry Palleschi, on the call.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
• Mount Marty (6-7) and South Dakota Mines (1-10) come to town this week.
• The Lancers are 6-0 in non-conference play, but 0-7 in Great Plains Athletic Conference action.
• The Hardrockers' lone win came in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action, a 66-56 win against Colorado Christian.
 
INSIDE THE MOUNT MARTY SERIES
• The Coyotes and Lancers meet for the 45th time in series history.
• Last season, South Dakota defeated Mount Marty 100-35, with Grace Larkins scoring 15 points.
• South Dakota has won 14 straight against the Lancers, all 14 of which have come in Vermillion.
• The Coyotes are 25-3 at home against Mount Marty.
 
INSIDE THE SOUTH DAKOTA MINES SERIES
• The Coyotes and Lumberjacks meet for the 2nd time in series history.
• The Coyotes and Hardrockers first met in 2013 in Rapid City, with South Dakota earning an 81-49 win.
• Five Coyotes scored in double figures in that game, led by Raeshel Contreras' 19 points off the bench.
• The Coyotes are hosting South Dakota Mines for the first time.
 
FIRST TEAM ALL-SUMMIT
• Grace Larkins (Sr., Altoona, Iowa) returns for her final season as a Coyote and she was named to the preseason all-Summit League First Team this fall.
• Larkins has recorded four double-doubles this season, bringing her career total to 18.
• Larkins has led the Coyotes in points in 10-of-12 games this season, including scoring 20+ points in seven of 12 games, and two 30-point games.
• Against Dayton, Larkins became the eighth player in USD history with over 1,500 points and 500 rebounds. The last to accomplish that feat is Hannah Sjerven (2018-22) with 1,793 points and 948 rebounds.
• With two 30-point games in Nashville, Larkins is up to six such games in her career, the second most in program history. The leading scorer in USD history, Mandy Koupal, had 20 such performances.
 
TAKING A STEP FORWARD
• Carley Duffney (Jr., Green Bay, Wis.) has emerged as a leader for the Coyotes, ranking second on the team in points (12.1), rebounds (5.3), and assists (2.5) per game this season.
• Duffney set a new career-high in points Nov. 18 against Bellevue, pouring in 23. She also tied a career best with six assists.
• Duffney has matched her career best in rebounds three times this season with nine.
• At the Music City Classic, she matched a career best with six assists against Dayton and scored 18 points against Arizona State.
• She is one of three Coyotes with 20-point scoring efforts in a USD uniform, totaling six 20-point scoring games.
 
WELCOME TO USD
• Gabby Wilke (Fr., Beaver Dam, Wis.) is the lone USD true freshman seeing action this season so far, and has seen her role grow through the first 12 games.
• Against Wyoming Sunday, Wilke made her first career start, playing 25 minutes and scoring four points.
• Against Northern Arizona, Wilke played 28 minutes, scoring in double figures for the first time with 13 points, and grabbed eight rebounds.
• Twelve games into the season, Wilke is averaging 4.3 points and 2.4 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game.