VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota completes a stretch of play this week where they were on the road for four of five games. The Coyotes kick off the road week with Denver Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. (CT).
 
Quick Hitters

• It was a career day for Dre Bullock the last time out, as the senior guard poured in a career-best 31 points in his second career start as a Coyote in the win over Omaha. Bullock also received his first Kwik Star Summit League Peak Performer of the Week honor Monday.
• Bullock's 31 points is the most by a Coyote in a single game this season and the sixth highest point total by a Summit League player this year.
• 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 44 steals on the season.
• Isaac Bruns is second on the squad at 14.5 points per game and is shooting at a .488 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 and Dre Bullock average 11.5 and 10.8 points per game, respectively.
• The Yotes feature one of the most explosive offenses in the NCAA, ranking No. 4 in the country in scoring offense at 86.1 points per game.
• The four teams scoring at a higher clip than the Yotes include Alabama (90.2), Gonzaga (88.2) and Kentucky (87.2).
• Over the last seven games, the Yotes have scored 90+ points in five games, 100+ twice and are averaging 89.7 points per contest.
• USD has scored 80+ points in 17 games this season.
• It was a back-and-forth month of January for the Yotes as they never won or lost more than one game in a row to finish with a 4-4 record in the month.

How to Follow

• Thursday's game at Denver 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. Denver

• South Dakota is 17-11 all-time against the Pioneers. The series is tied at 5-5 in games played in Denver.
• Chase Forte and Isaac Bruns paced the Yotes in a 91-84 win over the Pioneers earlier this season with 22 and 21 points, respectively.
• DeAndre Craig and Nicholas Shogbonyo led Denver with a combined 28 points.
• It was a marathon of a game in the Mile High City last year with Denver taking a 111-110 double overtime win over the Yotes.
• Kaleb Stewart erupted for 44 points and eight 3-pointers on 16-of-31 shooting.
• Stewart's 44-point performance is the fourth highest single-game scoring performance in program history.
• Stewart was matched by Denver's Tommy Bruner who poured in 49 points.
• Bruner has spent time on the Texas Legends and Long Island Nets NBA G League teams this year. 

Forgot About Dre

• Dre Bullock erupted for a career high 31 points in Wednesday's 91-87 win over Omaha and had a career-best six 3-pointers.
• Bullock made his second career start as a Yote in the contest and went 10-for-17 from the field with six rebounds and two steals.
• He is the first Coyote this season to eclipse the 30-point mark in a game and it's the sixth most points scored by a Summit League player in a single game.
• Bullock was key in the Yotes 15-point second half comeback, scoring 13 points while going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. He buried all three of those treys in the final seven minutes of the second half.
• Bullock earned his first Kwik Star Summit League Men's Basketball Peak Performer of the Week honor after the performance against the Mavs. 

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 averaging 86.1 points per game, which ranks No. 4 in the NCAA.
• The three teams scoring at a higher clip than the Yotes include Alabama (90.2), Gonzaga (88.2) and Kentucky (87.2).
• Over the last seven games, the Yotes have scored 90+ points in five games, 100+ twice and are averaging 89.7 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).
• The Yotes are 9-1 on the season when scoring 90+ points.

Protecting Home Court

• South Dakota got back to its winning ways at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center Wednesday as they won 91-87 over previously unbeaten Omaha. The 10-0 start at the SCSC was 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 five years with double-digits wins in the SCSC (2016-17, 2017-18, 2019-20 and 2021-22, 2024-25).
• In their ninth season in the SCSC, the Yotes hold a 92-29 (.760%) 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 against Denver (1/4/25) 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 13 games on the year, most recently vs Omaha last Wednesday.
• The Yotes have attempted less than 20 free throws in just five games this season.
• The Yotes rank No. 2 in the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (28.1) and No. 4 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 (177) and No. 29 in free throw makes (109).
• The Yotes have made and attempted the most free throws during the early part of the Summit League season (178-253) and are shooting .704 percent.
• USD has 13 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 eight 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 eight conference games, Forte is averaging 17.3 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. 6 in the NCAA and No. 1 among Summit League players with 177 free throw attempts on the season.
• Forte ranks No. 29 in made free throws (109) 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 seven games and is averaging 18.4 points per game over those games.
•  Bruns has shot 47-of-91 (51.6%) from the field in those seven games with nine 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. 4 ranked scoring offense in the NCAA at 86.1 points per game.
• Three Yotes average double-digit point totals and five score over 9.0 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 20 of 23 games and is averaging 14.5 points per game which is second on the team.
• Kaleb Stewart is averaging double-digit scoring at 11.5 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 10.8 and 9.0 points per game, respectively.