VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota Basketball welcomes Southern Indiana to the Sanford Coyote Sports Center Wednesday night for a 7 p.m. tip. It will be the first meeting between the Coyotes and Screaming Eagles in Vermillion.  
 
Quick Hitters

• The Coyotes host Southern Indiana Wednesday night for the middle game of a three-game homestand. The Yotes picked up their first win Sunday, 121-65, against Ozark Christian.
• In his first action as a Coyote, Porter Ihnen poured in 20 points on 9-of-9 shooting against Ozark Christian and had a double-double with 13 rebounds.
• In the win, South Dakota set a new program record for points in a first half with 72, breaking the record of 70 points against Westmar in 1977.
• Preseason All-Summit League First Team selection Isaac Bruns ranks No. 3 in the conference at 17.7 points per game.
• In his first collegiate game, Vince Buzelis recorded his first double-digit rebound game with 11 to lead the Yotes. Buzelis scored in double-figures for the first time in last week's game at Creighton with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting and had three blocks.
• Evan Anderson, a redshirt freshman, has started the previous two games and has been a force on the offensive glass. Of his 15 rebounds on the season, 10 have been offensive.
• Bruns ranked No. 10 in the conference in scoring a season ago, and is the league's leading returner scorer at 14.6 points per game.
• South Dakota averaged 89.3 points per game on its home court a season ago, while holding visiting teams to a 77.3 points per game average. While the Yotes still averaged over 80 points per game on the road (81.6), they surrendered 89.5 points per game to the host teams.
• After scoring in the 70s in the first two games of the season, the Coyote offense found its rhythm at home Sunday putting up 121 points against OCC.
• South Dakota was picked to finish fifth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll and received one first place vote. Isaac Bruns was named to the conference's preseason first team. He was an All-Summit League Honorable Mention a season ago.
• Eric Peterson enters year four as the head coach of the South Dakota men's basketball team and holds a 44-55 overall record.

 
How to Follow

• Wednesday's matchup between the Coyotes and Screaming Eagles will be broadcasted on the Summit League Network and Midco Sports Plus.
• 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

• South Dakota and Southern Indiana will meet on the hardwood for the second year in a row and for the first time in Vermillion.
• The Screaming Eagles hold a 2-0 record over USD.
• Isaac Bruns and Cameron Fens had 12 points each in last year's meeting. Fens grabbed six boards and had a block, while Bruns had three rebounds and dished out two assists.
• Southern Indiana shot 52.9% from the field in last year's contest, while USD shot 38.7%.
   

72 in a Half

• The Coyotes set a new program record with 72 first half points against Ozark Christian College.
• The Yotes were 28-for-47 (59.6%) from the field in the first 20 minute sand knocked down eight 3-pointers.
• South Dakota had 23 points off turnovers, 25 on second chances and 42 bench points in the opening half.

 
Crashing the Glass

• Led by Evan Anderson's 10 offensive rebounds through three games, the Coyotes rank No. 10 and No. 1 in the conference in the NCAA in offensive rebounds per game (19.0).
• Eight Coyotes have grabbed 4+ offensive rebounds this season and five have 7+.
• In Porter Ihen's 20-point, 13-rebound double-double, seven of his boards were off the offensive glass.
• Ihnen is the first Coyote this season to record a double-double.

 
Coyote Debuts

• Ten Coyotes saw the floor in the season opener with six making their South Dakota debuts in three true freshmen (Vince Buzelis, Uzziah Buntyn, Jesse McIntosh), one redshirt freshman (Evan Anderson) and a pair of transfers (Jordan Crawford, Ethan Kizer).
• Evan Anderson scored 10 points and was perfect from the floor (3-3), the 3-point line (1-1) and from the free throw line (3-3). He also grabbed four boards (two offensive) and had a steal.
• Vince Buzelis corralled a team-high 11 rebounds (four offensive) and had eight points. Uzziah Buntyn had seven points and two assists, while Jesse McIntosh started and had four points, five rebounds and two assists.
• Jordan Crawford started for the Yotes and had eight points, four boards and a pair of assists. Ethan Kizer had one point, one steal and one rebound in four minutes off the bench.
   

Second Half Spark

• After a defensive first half that saw neither team shooting over .350 percent from the field, Isaac Bruns found the range in the second half with 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
• Bruns started the second half in a flurry, scoring nine of USD's first 11 points out of the intermission.
• The Yotes shot .448 percent from the field in the second half and took advantage of their trips to the free throw line going 12-for-15, while playing without fouling on the other end as Utah Tech only shot three free throws.
   

Home Sweet Home

• South Dakota put together a 14-2 overall record and a 6-2 mark in Summit League play on its home floor last season.
• The Coyotes averaged 89.3 points per game in the SCSC on a .480 shooting percentage, while holding visiting teams to a 77.3 average and a .436 shooting percentage.
• Isaac Bruns averaged 16.1 points per game in the SCSC on a .492 shooting percentage and was 52-for-62 at the free throw line.
• The Yotes often got out in front after the first half of play, averaging 42.3 points per game in the first 20 minutes of action, while holding teams to 34.4 points in the first half.
• The Coyotes started 10-0 in the SCSC last year, which was the best start in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center. USD's previous best start at home was during the 2016-17 season when they started 8-0.
• Previous to last year, the last time the Yotes started 10-0 or better at home was in the 2008-09 season when they 14 straight in the DakotaDome.