VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota basketball heads West for a pair of games to round out the nonconference season this week starting on Thursday at Utah Tech and Saturday at Santa Clara.
 
Quick Hitters

• The Coyotes have spread the ball around offensively with six players averaging 9.4 or more points per game.
• Chase Forte is first on the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game and leads the Yotes in assists (3.6), steals (1.9) and minutes (26.3).
• Isaac Bruns has scored in double figures in 11 of the first 13 games to start the season and is averaging 13.4 points off the bench.
• Bruns and Bullock lead a South Dakota bench unit that ranks No. 9 in the NCAA in bench points at 38.2 points per game.
• Bullock is tied for fourth on the team at 9.8 points per game and second with 1.5 steals per contest.
• Kaleb Stewart is the other Coyote averaging double-digit scoring at 10.8 points per game and has six games with 10+ points and has hit the 20-point mark twice.
• Chase Forte has elevated his play of late, especially over the last seven games.
• Forte has averaged 18.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.9 steals and has shot .518 percent from the field.
• Over the last five games, Forte has four games with 20+ points, including a career-high matching 25 in a win over Wyoming
• South Dakota features one of the highest scoring offenses in the NCAA, as its 87.0 points per game ranks No. 13 in the NCAA.
• The Yotes are forcing 14.1 turnovers per game, while only committing 10.6 themselves, for a +3.5 turnover margin which ranks No. 45 in the NCAA.
• USD turned to defense to offense as they score on average 18.1 points per game off turnovers, while limiting opponents to 11.4 points off its own turnovers.
   

Where to Watch

• Thursday's game against Utah Tech can be found on the ESPN+.
   

Series History vs. Utah Tech

• Thursday's game will be the first meeting between the two teams.
  
  On the Rise
• Chase Forte has elevated his play of late, especially over the last seven games.
• Forte has averaged 18.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.9 steals and has shot .518 percent from the field.
• Over the last five games, Forte has four games with 20+ points, including a career-high matching 25 in a win over Wyoming.
• In each of the last four games, Forte has tallied 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists.
• Forte has had a knack for getting to the free throw line this season and ranks No. 6 in the NCAA and No. 1 among Summit League players with 90 free throws on the season.
• Forte earned his first Summit League weekly award as the Co-Peak Performer of the Week, as announced by the conference on Monday.
• Forte averaged 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists last week in a pair of Coyote wins over Wyoming and Western Illinois.

 
Everyone Eats

• Behind a balanced attack, the Coyotes boast the No. 13 ranked scoring offense in the NCAA at 87.0 points per game.
• Three Yotes average double-digit point totals and six score over 9.4 points per game.
• Chase Forte leads the Yotes in scoring at 15.2 points per game and in assists per game at 3.6.
• Isaac Bruns has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games to start the season and is averaging 13.4 points per game which is second on the team.
• Kaleb Stewart is averaging double-digit scoring at 10.8 points per game and has six games with 10+ points and has hit the 20-point mark twice.
• Cameron Fens (9.8), Dre Bullock (9.8) and Paul Bruns (9.4) and are 3-6 in scoring for the Yotes.

A Little Bit of Everything

• Chase Forte was all over the floor in the Coyotes 94-80 win over Idaho State as he poured in 21 points, six assists, five rebounds, five steals and one block.
• Forte has scored in double-figures in seven straight games, averaging 18.4 points per game over that stretch while shooting .518 percent from the field.
• He has five games this season with 20+ points
• Forte has a tallied a steal in all but one game this season, and has had multiple in six.
• He's dished out 4+ assists in six games and grabbed 5+ boards five times.

 
Bench Mob

• The Coyotes bolster the No. 9 ranked bench unit in the NCAA at 38.2 points per game.
• Isaac Bruns has provided instant offense for Eric Peterson's squad, as he's averaging a team-high 13.4 points per game in 20.2 minutes off the bench. 
• Bruns has scored in double-digits in 11 of 13 games.
• Dre Bullock has reached double-figures in six of 12 games he's played in and has had multiple steals in eight contests.
• Shey Eberwein set a career-high of 15 points in 21 minutes off the bench in USD's win over Mount Marty.
• It also marked the first game of his career where Eberwein led the Yotes in scoring
  
  Feed the Big Fella
• Cameron Fens has made his presence known in the middle of the Coyote lineup and tallied his first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds against Western Michigan.
• Fens set a new career-high with 17 points in the Yotes win over Western Illinois on 12/14/24 on 5-of-8 shooting, 7-of-9 from the free throw line and grabbed six boards.
• Fens has flexed his muscles on the other end of the floor, tallying two or more blocks in five games this season.
• The seven-footer rejected a season-high three blocks in the Yotes win over Mount Marty (11/10/24)
• Fens is active on the offensive glass, as he corrals 2.5 offensive boards per game.

 
Defensive Pressure

• Behind a rotation of players and a full court press, the Coyotes have forced on average 14.0 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 2 among Summit League teams.
• The Yotes turn defense to offense as they average 18.6 points per game off opponents turnovers.
• Chase Forte and Dre Bullock rank No. 1 and No. 3, respectively, in the Summit Leauge in steals with 25 and 20.
• Forte ranks No. 31 among all players in the NCAA in steals.
• South Dakota has held eight opponents to a negative assist-to-turnover ratio.
• USD forced a season-high 24 turnovers in the win over Mount Marty.
• The Yotes have held a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in eight games this season. USD had a season high 24 assists in its win over Randall.

Rebounding by Committee

• It has been a group effort on the boards to begin the season, with four Yotes averaging 4.2+ rebounds per game.
• Cameron Fens is the top rebounder for the Yotes at 5.2 boards per game (2.5 offensive). Fens notched his first career double-double against WMU (11/20/24) with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
• Ashton Smith is the team leader at 4.4 rebounds per game and is followed by Paul Bruns who grabs 4.4 and Isaac Bruns' 4.2.