DENVER, Colo. — South Dakota basketball outlasted the Denver Pioneers Thursday night in Hamilton Gymnasium 86-79 to pick up its second straight and 14th win of the season.
 
It was another night in the office for Chase Forte who matched his season-high with 25 points, a mark he's hit three times this year. Forte was 8-for-16 from the field and 7-of-11 from the free throw with six boards and three steals.
 
After pouring in a career high 31 points his last time out, Dre Bullock scored 20 tonight in his second consecutive start. Isaac Bruns continues to fill up the scoring column as he added 18 points with three 3-pointers. It was Bruns' eighth straight game in double-figures. Mayuom Buom provided big minutes off the bench with six points, six boards and a career-high tying three blocks.
 
The Yotes offense found its groove, while the defense settled in after the halftime intermission as USD outscored Denver 47-37 over the final 20 minutes. South Dakota shot .552 percent from the field, while holding the Pioneers to .406 percent and 0-of-12 from deep in the second half.
 
Denver held the lead coming out of the break and for the first eight minutes of the second half before a 7-2 run gave the Yotes its first lead in the final frame, 55-54. Dre Bullock capped off the Coyote run with a bucket, a steal and a slam. Denver briefly tied the contest at 55 with a free throw, but it was all Coyotes the rest of the way as they would build their lead to double-digits, 76-65, following a triple from Bullock at the five-minute mark.

South Dakota would hold its double-figure lead for the next three minutes, but Denver would cut the deficit to five with 1:07 left. The Yotes defense would stand firm, holding Denver scoreless over the final minute to secure the road win. Bullock scored 15 of his 20 points in the final 20, while Forte had 10 and Buom had four rebounds and a pair of blocks.
 
Forte and Isaac Bruns led the way for USD in the first half with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Both Coyote guards knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and had two steals in the opening 20. Isaac Bruns and Bullock scored the first 12 points for the Yotes to help build a narrow one-point advantage six minutes in. The lead went back-and-forth eight times in the opening 20, but the Yotes offense went cold over a three-minute stretch that saw the Pioneers grab a 33-28 advantage and would carry the lead into the halftime intermission.
 
South Dakota continues its road trip on Saturday when they head to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a meeting with Oral Roberts at 7:00 p.m.
 
Notes

• South Dakota moves to 14-10 on the season and 5-4 in Summit League play
• The Yotes have won back-to-back Summit League games for the first time this season
• Chase Forte notched his 10^th game of the season with 20+ points
• Isaac Bruns has now scored in double-figures in 21 of 24 games this season
• Bruns also knocked down three 3-pointers for the fourth time and has had multiple treys in 10 games
• Dre Bullock has scored 51 points over the past two games
• Mayuom Buom tied a career-high and set a season-high with three blocks tonight
• Max Burchill did a little bit of everything for the Yotes with five rebounds (three offensive), two assists, one steal and a block
• USD held Denver to four made 3-pointers, the third time this season the Yotes have held an opponent to just four triples in a game
• South Dakota also held the Pioneers to 0-of-12 from deep in the second half
• Tonight's game was the 10^th time that USD has held an opponent to a negative assist-to-turnover ratio
• The Yotes scored 17 points off turnovers and had 44 points in the paint
• South Dakota is now 7-1 on the season when holding a team to less than 80 points and 13-5 when scoring 80 or more points