The Game
The Coyotes will wrap up the road trip at St. Thomas as they face the Tommies on Feb. 16 inside Schoenecker Arena.
 
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. 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 (10-16, 3-8 Summit) is looking to bounce back from a tough 91-84 loss to Omaha on Thursday.
 
Bostyn Holt scored a team-high 22 points on 61.5 percent shooting to record his second-straight 20+ point scoring game. Lahat Thioune followed with his fifth 20-point scoring performance with 20 points on 69.2 percent shooting from the floor. Paul Bruns scored 14 points and recorded his 1,000^th career point to become the 33^rd Coyote to join the 1,000 point club. Kaleb Stewart rounded out the double-figure scorers with 18 points on 70 percent shooting.
 
In the first meeting between the Coyotes and the Tommies this season, South Dakota rallied to beat UST in overtime 74-73 in Vermillion. Holt made a go-ahead layup in overtime with 31 seconds left and the Coyotes survived four St. Thomas shots on the final possession to take the one-point win. South Dakota competed without Stewart due to illness but got five three pointers and 17 points from Max Burchill, another double-double performance from Thioune, and a spark off the bench from Jevon Hill. It was Hill's offensive rebound and putback at the end of regulation that forced the extra frame. He also drilled a step-back three pointer with 1:10 left in overtime that cut a 73-69 deficit to one. Hill scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting in 23 minutes off the bench.
 
The Tommies   
St. Thomas (16-10, 6-5 Summit) is coming into the rematch off a bye on Thursday. Last weekend, the Tommies split with an 83-65 win over Oral Roberts and a 94-77 loss to Denver.
 
The Tommies's defense has been the best in the Summit to start the conference schedule, holding their league opponents to 68.5 points per game. On the flip side, St. Thomas' conference scoring margin of +6.7 is the best in the league. The Tommies are tied for eighth in the nation for fewest turnovers per game (9.3) and only three teams in the NCAA have a better scoring defense and fewer turnovers than St. Thomas (Houston, Vermont, and Virginia).
 
Parker Bjorklund is the Tommies' leading scorer and a 2022-23 all-Summit second team selection. Bjorklund averages 13.7 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting from the field and 32.3 percent shooting from three-point range. The 6-7 guard has played in all five matchups against South Dakota and averages 15.0 points against the Yotes.

The Series
Saturday's matchup marks the sixth meeting between South Dakota and St. Thomas. The Coyotes own a 5-0 record against the Tommies since St. Thomas transitioned to Division I and joined the Summit League two years ago. South Dakota remains the only Summit team the Tommies have not beaten.
 
Up Next
South Dakota returns to Vermillion for a three-game home stretch. The Coyotes host Kansas City (Feb. 22), Oral Roberts (Feb. 24), and North Dakota State (Feb. 29) before traveling to North Dakota (March 2) to wrap up the regular season.