VERMILLION, S.D. — The Coyotes look to bounce back on the road after dropping their first game at the SCSC this season on Saturday. USD travels to Grand Forks, N.D. Thursday to face North Dakota at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center at 7:00 p.m.
 
Quick Hitters

• Chase Forte leads the Coyotes and ranks No. 6 in the Summit League in points per game at 15.9. Forte also has the conference lead with 36 steals on the season.
• Isaac Bruns is second on the squad at 14.0 points per game and is shooting at a .483 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 (28.4) and makes per game (19.9).
• The Yotes have shot 30+ free throws in 11 games and 40+ twice. The Yotes have made and attempted the most free throws during the early part of the Summit League season (123-174) and are shooting .707 percent.
• The last time the Yotes were on the road, they found the mark from deep 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 85.9 points per game ranks No. 9 in the NCAA.
• The Yotes are 0-2 in road Summit League games, falling to Kansas City and St. Thomas.
• USD scored 100+ points for the second time this season at St. Thomas on 1/11/25 but would fall 119-104 in a game that saw 84 combined free throws.
   

How to Follow

• Thursday's game vs North Dakota 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

• The Fighting Hawks hold a 106-95 lead in the all-time series against the Yotes.
• North Dakota won both meetings in last year's series.
• The Fighting Hawks scored 95 points in both contests while USD was held to an average of 73.5 points.
• Kaleb Stewart averaged 16 points per game against the Fighting Hawks last season and had 14 points, five rebounds and three assists at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.
• For UND, Treysen Eaglestaff averaged 16.5 points per contest and had 19 with three 3-pointers at the Betty last year.

 
Protecting Home Court

• South Dakota dropped its first contest at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center this season and are 10-1 at the SCSC. The 10-0 start at the SCSC is the best start at home 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 91-29 (.758%) 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 against Denver is the sixth most in a game this season across the NCAA.
• It was 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 (28.4) and No. 4 in free throws made per game (19.9). USD ranks No. 1 in the Summit League in both categories.
• Chase Forte is No. 5 in the NCAA in free throw attempts (154) and No. 22 in free throw makes (98).
• The Yotes have made and attempted the most free throws during the early part of the Summit League season (123-174) and are shooting .707 percent.
• 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%).

 
Everyone Eats

• Behind a balanced attack, the Coyotes boast the No. 9 ranked scoring offense in the NCAA at 85.9 points per game.
• Three Yotes average double-digit point totals and five score over 9.5 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 17 of 20 games and is averaging 14.0 points per game which is second on the team.
• Kaleb Stewart is averaging double-digit scoring at 11.5 points per game and has 11 games with 10+ points and has hit the 20-point mark three times.
• Dre Bullock and Paul Bruns average 9.6 and 9.5 points per game, respectively.
• The Yotes had five players score in double-figures in last 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.

 
Cut to the Chase

• Chase Forte has scored in double-figures in all five Summit League games to kick off the conference slate.
• Forte ranks No. 6 in the Summit League in scoring at 15.9 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. 5 in the NCAA and No. 1 among Summit League players with 154 free throw attempts on the season.
• Forte ranks No. 2 in made free throws (98) 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.
   

Defensive Pressure

• Behind a rotation of players and a full court press, the Coyotes have forced on average 13.2 turnovers per game, which ranks No. 2 among Summit League teams.
• The Yotes turn defense to offense as they average 16.9 points per game off opponents turnovers.
• Chase Forte is tied for the Summit League lead with 36 steals on the season.
• South Dakota has held nine 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 12 games this season. USD had a season high 24 assists in its win over Randall.
   

Bruns²

• Isaac Bruns made his first career start as a Coyote 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.
• 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.