RAPID CITY, S.D. — South Dakota basketball outscored Air Force 32-16 over the final 11 minutes of the game to secure an 80-63 win Saturday at The Monument in Rapid City, South Dakota.
 
The Coyotes had four players score in double-figures led by Isaac Bruns' 22 points and six rebounds. Uzziah Buntyn added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting with six rebounds and four assists, while Cameron Fens and Jesse McIntosh each had 11 points. Fens was 5-of-6 from the floor and had eight rebounds, while McIntosh had four assists and was 5-for-9 from the field.
 
The Yotes shot 48.3 percent from the floor, had 38 points in the paint and went 18-for-25 from the free throw line. USD connected on just four 3-pointers but held Air Force to 1-of-10 shooting from deep. The Falcons shot 40.9 percent, had 34 paint points and was 26-for-35 at the charity stripe.
 
After Air Force scored the first basket of the game, the next seven minutes was all South Dakota as they rattled off 16 straight points to take a 16-2 lead at the 13-minute mark. The Coyotes would take their largest lead of the first half (17) when a Jake Brack free throw made it 32-15 with 3:35 left in the first half. The Yotes ended the first half scoring the final five points after Bruns got a tough layup to go with just seconds remaining in the half, as USD held a 37-21 advantage at the intermission.
 
Nine of the 11 Coyotes that saw the floor in the opening 20 minutes scored, led by Bruns' seven points and Ethan Kizer's six.
 
South Dakota continued its run to start the second half extending the lead to 20 a minute and a half into the half. Air Force, however, would put together a 15-0 run over a four-minute span to cut the Coyote lead to one, 48-47, with 11:19 left. The Yotes wouldn't relinquish the lead and pushed their advantage back to double-digits, 62-51, after a quick four points on a Bruns jumper and a steal and a score from McIntosh off the press defense. The Yotes held a 10+ lead over the final five minutes of the game to cruise to an 80-63 win.
 
The Coyotes were efficient in the final 20 minutes going 16-for-28 from the field (57.1%) and went 10-for-12 from the free throw line. Five Coyotes connected on over half of their shot attempts in the second half, led by Bruns' 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
 
Next up for the Coyotes in the Big Sky – Summit Challenge starting on Wednesday in the Sanford Coyote Sports Center at 7 p.m. against Portland State.
 
Notes

• South Dakota improves to 5-3 on the season with its second straight win
• Isaac Bruns scored 20+ points for the second time this season
• Cameron Fens set a season high with eight rebounds, his fourth straight game with 5+
• Over the last two games, Uzziah Buntyn has averaged 10.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists
• Ethan Kizer has knocked down multiple 3-pointers in four games this season
• Four Coyotes pulled down 6+ rebounds on the night
• The Yotes won the rebounding battle 43-22
• The Coyotes have recorded 10+ offensive rebounds in each game so far this season and had 17 tonight