VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota basketball opens Summit League Wednesday in Fargo, North Dakota when they face North Dakota State. The Coyotes head into conference play with an 8-7 record and have won three of their last four games.
 
Quick Hitters

• Junior guard Isaac Bruns was named to the Lou Henson Player of the Year Award Early Season Watch List. The award recognizes the top player in mid-major college basketball.
• Isaac Bruns has scored 20+ in seven of the last eight games and increased his scoring average to 20.7 points per game which ranks No. 2 in the conference and No. 21 in the NCAA. Bruns' 311 total points on the season ranks No. 2 in the NCAA.
• Bruns enters Wednesday's contest closing in on a career milestone with 996 career points.
• Bruns is No. 16 in the NCAA with 98 field goals made, No. 1 in free throws made (95) and No. 2 in free throw attempts (114).
• Bruns and Cameron Fens each set new career highs in USD's win over PVAMU. Bruns poured in 29 points, while Fens tallied a 22-point, 14-rebound double-double.
• Over the last four games, Bruns has averaged 23.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while Fens has averaged 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds with two double-doubles.
• The Coyotes rank No. 2 in the Summit League with an 83.5 points per game average and have scored 80+ points in nine games this season.
• The Coyotes have been among the best in the NCAA so far this season in crashing the offensive glass, ranking No. 22 in the country with 14.52offensive boards per game. USD has secured 10+ offensive rebounds in 13 of the first 15 games.
• South Dakota has gone to the line frequently through the first 15 games, ranking No. 7 in the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (28.5) and are No. 11 free throw makes per game (20.5).
• In the Coyotes win over Ozark Christian on Nov. 9, 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.
• 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 51-60 overall record.  

How to Follow

• Wednesday's matchup between the Coyotes and Bison will be available on the Summit League Network and Midco Sports Plus.
• The radio call by John Thayer can be found on the Coyote Sports Network on the Varsity Network app.

Series History

• NDSU holds a 22-10 record over South Dakota in the Division l era.
• The Bison got the better of the Yotes in last year's conference slate by sweeping the regular season series, but it was the Yotes who knocked out NDSU in the conference tournament with an 85-84 win.
• In a game that came down to the final minutes of regulation, NDSU pulled out an 82-78 win over USD at the Scheels Center in Fargo last year.
• Isaac Bruns had 17 points with three 3-pointers and four rebounds.

Lou Henson Award Watch List

• Isaac Bruns was named to the Lou Henson Award Early Season Watch List.
• The award is presented annually to the top player in Mid-Major Division I College Basketball.
• Bruns leads the Coyotes with a 20.7 points per game average and ranks No. 2 in the Summit League in scoring.
• Three other Summit League players were mentioned on the watch list in St. Thomas' Nolan Minessale, Omaha's Lance Waddles and North Dakota State's Demari Wheeler-Thomas.

Career Days

• A pair of Coyotes in Isaac Bruns and Cameron Fens had career days for the Yotes in Saturday's 97-85 win over Prairie View A&M.
• Bruns set another new career high point total, a common theme lately, with 29 points on 9-of-17 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. Bruns also grabbed eight rebounds and went 9-of-12 from the free throw line.
• Fens notched a double-double with new career highs of 22 points and 14 rebounds. Four of his boards were off the offensive glass. He connected on 10-of-13 field goal attempts and was 2-for-3 from the free throw line.
• Fens would make it back-to-back double-doubles Wednesday night when he scored 13 points and had 11 rebounds against Dakota State.

Ice is Heating Up

• Isaac Bruns has filled up the scoring column over the last month, scoring 20+ points in seven of the last eight games.
• Over that stretch of play, Bruns has averaged 24.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and is shooting 46.9% from the field.
• In three of those eight games, Bruns has rewrote his career-high point total most recently against PVAMU with 29 points.
• Bruns has taken advantage of his trips to the charity stripe going 64-for-75 in the last eight games.
• Bruns is among the best in the NCAA at getting to and converting at the free throw line as he ranks No. 1 in the country in free throw makes (95) and No. 2 in attempts (114).
• He ranks No. 16 in the NCAA in field goals (98) and No. 1 in field goal attempts (196).
• Bruns ranks No. 2 in the conference and No. 21 in the NCAA at 20.7 points per game.
• Bruns has scored the second most total points across the NCAA with 311. The only player who has more if fellow Summit League guard Nolan Minessale (St. Thomas) who has 335.

Feed the Big Fella

• Cameron Fens has scored in double-figures in eight of the last nine games and broke out for a career-high 22-point, 14-rebound game against PVAMU.
• Over the last four games, the Coyote center has averaged 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.
• Fens had back-to-back double-doubles against Prairie View A&M (22 pts, 14 reb) and against Dakota State (13 pts, 11 reb).
• Across the last eight games, Fens has scored on average 13.5 points, grabbed 8.4 rebounds and is shooting 64.3% from the field.
• Fens has been efficient from the field, shooting over 50.0% in seven of the last eight games.

PPOTW for Isaac

• Isaac Bruns became the first Coyote this season to be named a Kwik Star Summit League Peak Performer of the Week Tuesday.
• Bruns poured in a then career high 24 points against Air Force Saturday and had six rebounds (four offensive).
• Bruns was key to holding off a second half run by the Falcons, as he scored 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting in the final 20 minutes to lead the Yotes to an 80-63 win in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Crashing the Glass

• Behind seven players with 10+ offensive rebounds on the season, the Coyotes rank No. 22 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the conference in offensive rebounds per game (14.3).
• Cameron Fens is No. 5 in the conference and leads the Yotes with 31 offensive rebounds on the year, while Isaac Bruns is second with 27.
• The Yotes have pulled down 10+ offensive rebounds in 13 of 15 games to start the season.

Freebies

• South Dakota ranks No. 7 in the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (28.5) and No. 11 in free throw makes (20.5)
• Bruns has converted 95 of his 114 attempts at the charity stripe, while Uzziah Buntyn is second on the team and is 46-of-61.
• Four Coyotes with 40+ free throw attempts on the year are shooting at a 70.0% clip or higher.
• The Yotes have attempted 30+ free throws in six games this season, including a season-high 37-of-46 in the win over Southern Indiana. USD has made 20+ in seven contests.