VERMILLION, S.D. — The Coyotes look to bounce back at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center when they welcome the No. 1 team in the Summit League, Omaha, Wednesday night for a 7:00 p.m. tip.
 
Quick Hitters

• Chase Forte leads the Coyotes and ranks No. 6 in the Summit League in points per game at 16.0. Forte also has the conference lead with 40 steals on the season.
• Isaac Bruns is second on the squad at 14.1 points per game and is shooting at a .478 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.
• 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 (90.4), Gonzaga (89.2), Kentucky (88.1) and Cornell (86.5).
• Over the last six games, the Yotes have scored 90+ points in four games, 100+ twice and are averaging 87.8 points per contest.
• USD has scored 80+ points in 16 games this season.
• The Yotes are averaging 90.0 points per game when playing in the SCSC and have held opponents to an average of 74.9 points for a 15.1 average margin of victory. The Yotes have got out to good starts at home and on average score 44.1 points in the first half of games, while limiting visiting teams to 32.7 points in the opening 20 minutes.
• USD also holds a 1.27 assist-to-turnover ratio at home, while forcing visiting teams into 14.7 turnovers and a .80 assist-to-turnover ratio.
• The Yotes are 10-1 at the SCSC, 3-4 in the Summit League and 2-1 in home conference games.
   

How to Follow

• Wednesday's game vs Omaha 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. Omaha

• The Coyotes hold a 64-53 lead all-time against the Mavericks in a series that dates back to 1912-13.
• Omaha has won the last three meetings between the two teams.
• Prior to that, South Dakota won seven straight over UNO from 2019-2023.
• Kaleb Stewart averaged 15.0 points per game against the Mavericks a season ago.
• Omaha won 67-51 in Vermillion last season and its leading returner scoring from that game was Marquel Sutton with 13 points and six rebounds.

 
Scoring in Bunches

• South Dakota eclipsed the 100-point threshold for the third time this season in a 102-93 win over North Dakota.
• The Yotes are now averaging 85.9 points per game, which ranks No. 5 in the NCAA.
• The four teams scoring at a higher clip than the Yotes include Alabama (90.4), Gonzaga (89.2), Kentucky (88.1) and Cornell (86.5).
• Over the last six games, the Yotes have scored 90+ points in four games, 100+ twice and are averaging 87.8 points per contest.
• USD has scored 80+ points in all but six 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 (28.0) and No. 4 in free throw makes (19.7).

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.
• South Dakota has attempted 30+ free throws in 12 games on the year, most recently at South Dakota State Saturday.
• The Yotes have attempted less than 20 free throws in just five games this season.
• The Yotes rank No. 3 in the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (28.0) 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. 5 in the NCAA in free throw attempts (164) and No. 24 in free throw makes (103).
• The Yotes have made and attempted the most free throws during the early part of the Summit League season (159-222) and are shooting .716 percent.
• USD has 12 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 90.0 points per game at the SCSC and hold opponents to an average of 74.9 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.
• On the flip side, the Yotes have struggled on the road averaging 80.8 points per game while giving up 92.4.
• USD has 148 assists to 117 turnovers (1.26 assist-to-turnover ratio) and has turned over visiting teams 162 times to 129 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 17.3 points, 4.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game while shooting .530 percent from the field. Forte also grabs 4.0 boards per game.
• Isaac Bruns adds 14.8 points per game on a .504 shooting percentage, while Paul Bruns and Kaleb Stewart scores 9.7 points per game.
• Paul Bruns had knocked the most triples at home with 21 on 45 attempts (43.8%)
• USD has held the lead at halftime in eight of 11 home games and the score has been tied at the intermission twice.
• On average, the Yotes score 44.1 points in the first half, while holding visiting teams to 32.6 points in the opening 20 minutes.

 
Cut to the Chase

• Chase Forte has scored in double-figures in all seven Summit League games to kick off the conference slate.
• Forte ranks No. 6 in the Summit League in scoring at 16.0 points per game.
• In six conference games, Forte is averaging 17.7 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 164 free throw attempts on the season.
• Forte ranks No. 24 in made free throws (103) 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 17.7 points per game over those games.
•  Bruns has shot 35-of-69 (50.7%) from the field in those five games with seven 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.

Everyone Eats

• Behind a balanced attack, the Coyotes boast the No. 5 ranked scoring offense in the NCAA at 85.9 points per game.
• Three Yotes average double-digit point totals and five score over 9.3 points per game.
• Chase Forte leads the Yotes in scoring at 16.0 points per game and in assists per game at 3.2.
• Isaac Bruns has scored in double figures in 19 of 22 games and is averaging 14.1 points per game which is second on the team.
• Kaleb Stewart is averaging double-digit scoring at 11.5 points per game and has 13 games with 10+ points and has hit the 20-point mark three times.
• Dre Bullock and Paul Bruns average 9.7 and 9.3 points per game, respectively.
• The Yotes had six players score in double-figures in the 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 scorers vs the Hawks.