VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota is back in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center for a pair of games this week starting on Thursday night with Oral Roberts before hosting North Dakota State Saturday.
 
Quick Hitters

• The Coyotes will look to start 10-0 in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center with a win on Thursday for the first time since opening its doors in 2016-17.
• The 2016-17 team held the best start in the SCSC, as they won the first eight games at home and finished the season 13-1 on the home court.
• A 10-0 start at home would be the best start at home since the 2008-09 season, when the Yotes won the first 14 games at home in the DakotaDome.
• Chase Forte leads the Coyotes and ranks No. 7 in the Summit League in points per game at 15.8. Forte is also tied for the conference lead with 31 steals on the season.
• Isaac Bruns is second on the squad at 13.8 points per game and is shooting at a .480 clip. The 6'4 guard is active on the boards as the second leading rebounder on the team at 4.5 boards per game.
• Kaleb Stewart is the third Yote to average in double-digits at 11.5 points per game.
• USD has been one of the top teams in the country at getting to the free throw line, as they rank No. 2 in free throw attempts per game (28.7) and makes per game (20.1).
• The Yotes have shot 30+ free throws in 10 games and 40+ twice. Over the past two games, USD has connected on 63-of-94 attempts from the charity stripe.
• The Yotes found the mark from deep in their last game against St. Thomas, knocking down 13-of-23 attempts from deep. It was the sixth game this season with 10+ triples, and the first time since December 4's win over Idaho State where they shot 11-of-21.
• South Dakota features one of the highest scoring offenses in the NCAA, as its 86.0 points per game ranks No. 10 in the NCAA.

How to Follow

• Thursday's game vs Oral Roberts can be found on Midco Sports Plus and the Summit League Network.
• The radio call by John Thayer can be found on the Coyote Sports Network, KVHT 106.3 fm, or 95.7 fm, or on the Varsity Network app.

Series History vs. Oral Roberts

• Oral Roberts holds a 14-10 lead all-time against South Dakota. The series is knotted at 6-6 in games played in Vermillion.
• The teams split the regular season series 1-1 a season ago, but ORU knocked the Yotes out of the Summit League Tournament, 77-62 in the first round.
• Kaleb Stewart averaged 16.3 points per game across the three contests against ORU and knocked down multiple 3-pointers in all three.
• Issac McBride scored 21.0 points per game and led ORU in scoring in all three games.

Protecting Home Court

• With a win on Thursday, the Coyotes can secure their first 10-0 start inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center since opening its doors in 2016-17.
• The Yotes best start in the SCSC was during the 2016-17 season when they started 8-0 and ended the year with a 13-1 mark at home.
• South Dakota has had four years with double-digits wins in the SCSC (2016-17, 2017-18, 2019-20 and 2021-22).
• In their ninth season in the SCSC, the Yotes hold a 90-28 (.763%) record at home.
• The last time the Yotes started 10-0 or better at home was in the 2008-09 season when they won 14 straight in the DakotaDome to begin the season.

Getting to the Line

• The Coyotes 51 free throw attempts in last Saturday's game against Denver was the third most in a game this season across the NCAA.
• It was the also only the sixth Summit League conference game where a team shot 50+ free throws in a game.
• The Yotes rank No. 2 in the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (28.7) and No. 3 in free throws made per game (20.1). USD ranks No. 1 in the Summit League in both categories.
• Chase Forte is No. 6 in the NCAA in free throw attempts (137) and No. 24 in free throw makes (88).
• Over the last two games, the Yotes have gone 63-for-94 from the free throw line.
• USD has 10 games with 30+ free throw attempts and has twice shot 40+ in a single game. 

Home Sweet Home

• The Coyotes improved to 9-0 at the SCSC with a 91-84 win over Denver Saturday night.
• The Yotes are averaging 91.2 points per game at the SCSC and hold opponents to an average of 71.0 points.
• USD has scored 90+ points in five home games and reached 100+ once (112 against Randall 11/25).
• The Yotes hold a .502 shooting percentage and have held teams to a .404 shooting percentage.
• USD averages 8.4 3-pointers made
• USD has 125 assists to 98 turnovers (1.56 assist-to-turnover ratio) and has turned over visiting teams 139 times to 95 assists.
• All eight of the Coyotes wins at the SCSC have been by 10 or more points.
• At the SCSC, Chase Forte averages a team high 17.4 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game while shooting .531 percent from the field. Forte also grabs 3.4 boards per game.
• Isaac Bruns adds 14.6 points per game off the bench on a .505 shooting percentage. Paul Bruns and Dre Bullock add 10.2 and 9.8 ppg.
• Paul Bruns had knocked the most triples at home with 17 on 39 attempts (43.6%)
• USD has held the lead at halftime in seven of nine home games and the score has been tied at the intermission twice.
• On average, the Yotes score 44.4 points in the first half, while holding visiting teams to 30.2 points in the opening 20.

Cut to the Chase

• Chase Forte has scored in double-figures in all three Summit League games to kick off the conference slate.
• Forte ranks No. 7 in the Summit League in scoring at 15.8 points per game.
• Forte poured in back-to-back 20+ point games, scoring 22 to go with seven rebounds at the SCSC against Denver. The senior guard had 21 points in the most recent game against St. Thomas with six boards.
• Forte elevated his play especially over a six game stretch in November-December.
• Forte averaged 21.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.2 steals and has shot .489 percent from the field from Nov. 27 to Dec. 19.
• Over that stretch of play, Forte had five games with 20+ points, including a career-high matching 25 in a win over Wyoming.
• In five of those games, Forte tallied 5+ rebounds and 4+ 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 115 free throws on the season.
• Forte ranks No. 24 in made free throws (73) and second in the Summit League.
• Forte earned his first Summit League weekly award as the Co-Peak Performer of the Week, after averaging 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists in a pair of Coyote wins over Wyoming and Western Illinois.

Bruns²

• Isaac Bruns made his first career start as a Coyote Saturday against Denver, marking the first time both Bruns brothers, Isaac and Paul have started a game together at USD.
• Isaac Bruns made the most of his opportunity against the Pioneers. The Yotes' second highest average scorer poured in 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting and went 11-of-14 from the free throw line to go with five rebounds and two steals.
• Isaac followed that up with a team-high 22 points in his second career start at St. Thomas Saturday.
• Paul Bruns also scored in double-figures against the Tommie with 15 points.
• Both Bruns' knocked down three 3-pointers each and combined to shoot 6-of-7 from deep vs the Tommies. 

KS1

• Kaleb Stewart matched a season-high with 26 points in a USD loss to Utah Tech Thursday.
• Stewart was efficient on the night going 11-for-16 from the field and 3-of-5 from deep.
• Stewart also scored 26 points earlier this season on the road at Iowa.
• Stewart has reached 20+ points in three games this season and double-digit scoring nine times. 

Bench Mob

• The Coyotes bolster the No. 10 ranked bench unit in the NCAA at 34.9 points per game.
• Isaac Bruns has started the last two games but was the top scorer off the bench in the first 16 games of the season. Bruns is currently averaging 13.8 points per game.
• Dre Bullock has reached double-figures in seven of 15 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.