VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota will look to make it a 2-0 week at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center Saturday when they host North Dakota State at 2:00 p.m. The Yotes earned their 10th win in the SCSC Thursday with a 92-82 victory over Oral Roberts.
 
Quick Hitters

• With Thursday's win, the Coyotes are off to their best start in the SCSC since opening its doors in 2016-17 with a 10-0 record at home.
• The 2016-17 team held the best start in the SCSC previously, as they won the first eight games at home and finished the season 13-1 on the home court.
• The 10-0 start at home is the best start at home since the 2008-09 season, when the Yotes won the first 14 games in the DakotaDome.
• Chase Forte leads the Coyotes and ranks No. 7 in the Summit League in points per game at 15.9. Forte also has the conference lead with 34 steals on the season.
• Isaac Bruns is second on the squad at 13.8 points per game and is shooting at a .479 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 11.6 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 (28.8) and makes per game (20.3).
• The Yotes have shot 30+ free throws in 11 games and 40+ twice. Over the past two games, USD has connected on 88-for-124 (71.0%) from the free throw line.
• The Yotes found the mark from deep in last Saturday's 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 86.3 points per game ranks No. 10 in the NCAA.

How to Follow

• Saturday's game vs North Dakota State 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. North Dakota State

• The Bison hold a 107-86 lead in the all-time series against the Yotes.
• South Dakota won both games over the Bison last year, including an 88-68 victory in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
• Max Burchill scored 17 points with five 3-pointers against the Bison in the SCSC last season and had two assists and a block.
• USD had five players score in double-figures in the win at the SCSC.
• In South Dakota's nine point win in Fargo last season, Kaleb Stewart dropped 33 points with four 3-pointers on 13-of-22 shooting.

Protecting Home Court

• South Dakota improved to10-0 at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center for the first time since opening its doors in the 2016-17 season.
• The Yotes previous 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 91-28 (.765%) 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 (28.8) and No. 3 in free throws made per game (20.3). USD ranks No. 1 in the Summit League in both categories.
• Chase Forte is No. 6 in the NCAA in free throw attempts (146) and No. 24 in free throw makes (95).
• Over the last two games, the Yotes have gone 88-for-124 from the free throw line.
• USD has 11 games with 30+ free throw attempts and has twice shot 40+ in a single game.
• The Yotes were 25-for-30 (83.3%) from the free throw line against Oral Roberts Thursday night, which was the second highest percentage from the charity stripe in a game this year.
• USD was 17-for-18 from the free throw line at Southern Indiana on Nov. 22 (94.4%). 

Home Sweet Home

• 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 six home games and reached 100+ once (112 against Randall 11/25).
• The Yotes hold a .503 shooting percentage and have held teams to a .407 shooting percentage.
• USD averages 8.3 3-pointers made at home.
• USD has 139 assists to 110 turnovers (1.26 assist-to-turnover ratio) and has turned over visiting teams 139 times to 95 assists.
• Nine of the Coyotes wins at the SCSC have been by 10 or more points.
• At the SCSC, Chase Forte averages a team high 17.5 points, 4.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game while shooting .533 percent from the field. Forte also grabs 3.8 boards per game.
• Isaac Bruns adds 14.6 points per game on a .500 shooting percentage, while Paul Bruns scores 10.7 points per game.
• Paul Bruns had knocked the most triples at home with 21 on 45 attempts (46.7%)
• USD has held the lead at halftime in eight of 10 home games and the score has been tied at the intermission twice.
• On average, the Yotes score 44.3 points in the first half, while holding visiting teams to 30.5 points in the opening 20 minutes.

Cut to the Chase

• Chase Forte has scored in double-figures in all four 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 followed that up with 21 points 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 146 free throws on the season.
• Forte ranks No. 19 in made free throws (95) and first 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.
• 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. 

Everyone Eats

• Behind a balanced attack, the Coyotes boast the No. 10 ranked scoring offense in the NCAA at 86.3 points per game.
• Three Yotes average double-digit point totals and six score over 8.96 points per game.
• Chase Forte leads the Yotes in scoring at 15.9 points per game and in assists per game at 3.4.
• Isaac Bruns has scored in double figures in 16 of 19 games and is averaging 13.8 points per game which is second on the team.
• Kaleb Stewart is averaging double-digit scoring at 11.6 points per game and has 10 games with 10+ points and has hit the 20-point mark three times.
• Dre Bullock (9.9), Paul Bruns (9.9) and Cameron Fens (8.6) are 3-6 in scoring for the Yotes.
• The Yotes had five players score in double-figures in Thursday's win over Oral Roberts, led by Forte's 18 points. The Bruns brothers added 15 points each, while Stewart and Ashton Smith added 12 and 11 points, respectively.