VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota will look to make it two road wins in a row Saturday when they travel up I-29 to face rival South Dakota State at 5:00 p.m. in Brookings, S.D.
 
Quick Hitters

• Chase Forte leads the Coyotes and ranks No. 6 in the Summit League in points per game at 16.3. Forte also has the conference lead with 37 steals on the season.
• Isaac Bruns is second on the squad at 14.3 points per game and is shooting at a .486 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 11.7 points per game.
• The Yotes feature one of the most explosive offenses in the NCAA, ranking No. 5 in the country in scoring offense at 86.6 points per game.
• The four teams scoring at a higher clip than the Yotes include Alabama (90.9), Kentucky (89.2), Gonzaga (88.4) and Iowa (87.3).
• Over the last five games, the Yotes have scored 90+ points in four games, 100+ twice and are averaging 93.2 points per contest.
• USD has scored 80+ points in all but five games on the season.
• Chase Forte (25 pts) and Isaac Bruns (20 pts) paced a Coyote squad that had six players reach double-digit scoring in Thursday's 102-93 win over North Dakota. Ashton Smith who has stepped into a starting role, scored 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. Smith was also perfect from the field (4-4) in USD's 92-82 win over Oral Roberts for 11 points.
• The Yotes are 3-3 in the Summit League and 1-2 in road conference games after downing the Fighting Hawks.
   

How to Follow

• Saturday's game vs South 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. South Dakota State
• South Dakota State holds a 137-98 lead in the all-time series against the Yotes and have won the previous eight meetings.
• The Jackrabbits are 85-24 when the game is played in Brookings.
• Kaleb Stewart dropped 27 points in the game in Brookings last year on 11-of-19 shooting with three triples. Paul Bruns scored 11 points and had five boards off the bench.

 
Scoring in Bunches

• South Dakota eclipsed the 100-point threshold for the third time this season in Thursday's 102-93 win over North Dakota Thursday night.
• The Yotes are now averaging 86.6 points per game, which ranks No. 5 in the NCAA.
• The four teams scoring at a higher clip than the Yotes include Alabama (90.9), Kentucky (89.2), Gonzaga (88.4) and Iowa (87.3).
• Over the last five games, the Yotes have scored 90+ points in four games, 100+ twice and are averaging 93.2 points per contest.
• USD has scored 80+ points in all but five games on the season.
• Part of the Coyotes offensive success has been its ability to reach the charity stripe. USD ranks No. 3 in free attempts per game (27.9) and No. 6 in free throw makes (19.7).

 
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.
• The Yotes went 15-for-18 at the free throw line against North Dakota Thursday night, marking just the fifth time this season the Yotes have shot less than 20 free throws in a game.
• It was also only the sixth Summit League conference game where a team shot 50+ free throws in a game.
• The Yotes rank No. 3 in the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (27.9) and No. 6 in free throws made per game (19.7). USD ranks No. 1 in the Summit League in both categories.
• Chase Forte is No. 6 in the NCAA in free throw attempts (155) and No. 22 in free throw makes (99).
• The Yotes have made and attempted the most free throws during the early part of the Summit League season (138-192) and are shooting .719 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%).

 
Cut to the Chase

• Chase Forte has scored in double-figures in all six Summit League games to kick off the conference slate.
• Forte ranks No. 6 in the Summit League in scoring at 16.3 points per game.
• In six conference games, Forte is averaging 18.8 points per game and has three games with 20+ points.
• 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.

 
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.
• Since making his first start on Jan. 4 against Denver, Isaac Bruns has started each of the last five games and is averaging 19.0 points per game over those games.
•  Bruns has shot 31-of-57 (54.5%) from the field in those five games with six triples.
• 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.

 
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.
• Stewart has knocked down two or more 3-pointers in each of the last five games and has knocked down a trifecta of treys twice since Jan. 4.

 
Everyone Eats

• Behind a balanced attack, the Coyotes boast the No. 5 ranked scoring offense in the NCAA at 86.6 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 18 of 21 games and is averaging 14.3 points per game which is second on the team.
• Kaleb Stewart is averaging double-digit scoring at 11.7 points per game and has 12 games with 10+ points and has hit the 20-point mark three times.
• Dre Bullock and Paul Bruns average 9.7 and 9.5 points per game, respectively.
• The Yotes had six players score in double-figures in Thursday's win over North Dakota led by a pair of 20-point performances from Chase Forte (25) and Isaac Bruns (20). Kaleb Stewart (15), Ashton Smith (11), Paul Bruns (11) and Dre Bullock (10) rounded out the double-digit scorer's vs the Hawks.

 
Bench Mob

• The Coyotes bolster the No. 9 ranked bench unit in the NCAA at 34.9 points per game.
• Isaac Bruns has started the last five games but was the top scorer off the bench in the first 16 games of the season. Bruns is currently averaging 14.3points per game.
• Dre Bullock has reached double-figures in eight game 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.