VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota basketball earned an 85-84 quarterfinals win over North Dakota State Friday night behind 28 points from Chase Forte. The Coyotes continue their Summit League Tournament trek Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. against the No. 1 seed Omaha.
 
Coyote Hospitality Room
Join fellow USD fans, friends, and alumni, in the Coyote Hospitality Room for every USD game during the 2025 Summit League Basketball Championships! Located in Midco Ballroom A within the main hall of the Sioux Falls Convention Center, our Hospitality Room will open two hours prior every game and remain open for one hour following the final whistle. Indulge in a fully stocked bar (credit cards only) and light snacks. Marcus Destin will be the room's emcee. Plus, don't miss out on the chance to snag some Coyote merchandise from Charlie's Bookstore and Fan Shop.
 
Coyote Walk
Cheer on the Coyotes as they arrive for the Summit League Tournament! Led by our spirit squads and Sound of USD 90 minutes before each men's and women's basketball tip-off, the Coyotes will arrive on-site and walk through the Convention Center hallway to enter the arena. Fans will be encouraged to form a tunnel to cheer them on to victory!
 
 
Quick Hitters

• Chase Forte leads the Coyotes and ranks No. 4 in the Summit League in points per game at 17.47
• Forte also has the conference lead with 59 steals on the season and has 12 more steals than the next highest player (KC's Jamar Brown, 47).
• Isaac Bruns is second on the squad and ranks No. 9 in the SL at 15.0 points per game and is shooting at a .471 clip. The 6'4 guard is active on the boards as the third leading rebounder on the team at 4.4 boards per game.
• Dre Bullock and Kaleb Stewart average 12.1 and 9.7 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 85.5 points per game.
• South Dakota ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in free throw makes per game (20.0) and No. 2 in free throw attempts per contest (28.0).
• The four teams scoring at a higher clip than the Yotes include Alabama (91.1), Gonzaga (87.6) and Kentucky (85.6).
• Over the last 16 games, the Yotes have scored 90+ points in seven games and 100+ twice.
• USD has scored 80+ points in 22 games this season and are 15-7 when scoring 80+.
• The Coyotes and Mavericks split the regular season series with each team winning on its respective home floor.
   

How to Follow

• Saturday's game can be found on CBS Sports 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. Omaha

• South Dakota is 65-54 all-time against the Mavericks after the two teams split the regular season series. Both teams earned wins on their respective home floors.
• The Coyotes and Mavericks have only met once in the Summit League Tournament with the Yotes earning an 87-73 win in the 2017-18 season.
• In the Coyotes win over Omaha at the SCSC, Dre Bullock scored a career high 31 points with six 3-pointers, while Isaac Bruns added 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting.
• Bullock averaged 25.0 points per game against the Mavericks in the regular season.
• Chase Forte had 25 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in the USD loss at Baxter Arena on Feb. 22.
• Marquel Sutton had a pair of monster games against the Coyotes, averaging 32.5 points and 12.0 rebounds per game.
• Sutton scored 36 points on 14-of-20 shooting with 12 rebounds in the Mavericks win at Baxter Arena.
   

Coyotes at the SLT

• South Dakota is now 7-12 all-time at the Summit League Tournament after the 85-84 win over NDSU yesterday.
• The Yotes have advanced to the championship game once in the 2016-17 season but fell to South Dakota State 74-71.
• The Yotes fell in the play-in game last year to Oral Roberts 77-62.
• Kaleb Stewart had a team high 18 points and six assists, while Paul Bruns added 11 points.

 
Double-Double for Ice

•  Isaac Bruns notched his first career double-double as a Coyote in yesterday's quarterfinals win over North Dakota State.
• The guard from North Sioux City, S.D. had 21 points and 10 rebounds, with five coming off the offensive glass.
• Bruns has been one of the top scoring options for the Coyotes all season long averaging 15.0 points per game, but has also been busy on the glass averaging 4.4 rebounds per game.

 
All-Summit League Awards

•  Chase Forte was named the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year after leading the League in steals with 32.
• Forte was also named to the All-Summit League First Team, All-Defensive Team and All-Newcomer Team.
• Isaac Bruns was an All-Summit League Honorable Mention and was No. 10 in the conference in scoring at 16.3 points per game.
• Bruns scored in double-figures in 14 conference games and eclipsed 20 points six times. Bruns was also third in the league with 20 steals.
• After playing through the first half of the conference season with a broken thumb, Bullock emerged as one of the top scoring threats in the conference at the midway points of the league slate. He ended the conference season at 13.3 points per game, ranking No. 13 in the conference.
• Bullock erupted for a career-high 31 points to help USD knock off Omaha with six 3-pointers.
• Bullock ranked No. 6 in the conference with 19 steals and No. 7 in blocked shots with 10.

 
Basketball is his Forte

• Chase Forte dropped a new NCAA DI career-high with 31 points in the Coyotes Senior Day win over North Dakota last Saturday on 11-of-19 shooting while going 3-for-3 from deep.
• Forte also tied for a team highs with seven rebounds and three assists.
• Forte has been on a tear to close out the regular season, averaging 26.8 points per game while shooting .578 percent from the floor over the last four contests of the regular season.
• Forte has scored 20+ points in all four of those games and crossed the 30-point mark twice.
• He is also averaged 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and1.8 steals over that span.

 
1-2 Punch

• Since Isaac Bruns was inserted into the starting lineup on Jan. 4 against Denver, the 1-2 punch of Bruns and Chase Forte has been among the best in the Summit League.
• Bruns has started in 15 of the last 16 games games and is averaging 17.2 points per game, up from his season average of 15.0 ppg.
• Bruns has seven 20+ point games and 15 games with 10+ points in the last 16 contests
• He has eight games with two or more 3-pointers.
• Over the last 16, Forte's scoring output has increased slightly at 20.4 ppg compared to his season's average of 17.7.
• He has nine 20+ point games, 16 games with 10+ points and seven games with 3+ steals in the last 16 games.

May the Forte Be With You

• Chase Forte dropped a career-high 30 points in the Coyotes 85-80 win over St. Thomas Wednesday on Star Wars night in the SCSC.
• Forte nearly recorded his first double-double as a Yote with nine rebounds to go with four assists and three steals.
• He was 10-of-18 from the field and knocked down a season-high from beyond the arc going 4-of-7.

100+ games as a Coyote

• Max Burchill appeared in his 100th career game as a Coyote against South Dakota State Feb. 16.
• The Sioux Falls, S.D. native has made 63 starts in his career.
• Burchill is averaging 4.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists on the season.

 
Three Headed Monster

• The combination of Dre Bullock, Chase Forte and Isaac Bruns combined to score 131 of the Yotes 177 points in wins over Omaha and Denver.
• Bullock's scored 51 points in the two contests over the Mavs and Pios. Following a career-high 31 points against Omaha, Bullock scored 20 on 7-of-11 shooting against the Pioneers.
• Forte matched his then career-high with 25 as he led the Yotes to a win over the Pios.
• Bruns has scored in double-figures in 14 of the last 15 games.
• In the win over Kansas City at the SCSC, the trio of guards scored 57 of the Yotes 79 points.
• Both Bruns and Bullock scored 20+ points in back-to-back games against Kansas City and South Dakota Stat e.
   

Forgot About Dre

• Dre Bullock erupted for a career high 31 points in a 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 was the first Coyote this season to eclipse the 30-point mark in a game and it's tied for the eighth most points scored by a Summit League player in a single game this season.
• 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.
• Over the last eight games, Bullock has four games with 20+ points and is averaging 16.8 points per game during that stretch.

 
Scoring in Bunches

• South Dakota have eclipsed the 100-point mark in three games this season, most recently in a 102-93 win over North Dakota on Jan. 23.
• The Yotes are averaging 85.5 points per game, which ranks No. 4 in the NCAA.
• The three teams scoring at a higher clip than the Yotes include Alabama (91.1), Gonzaga (87.6) and Kentucky (85.6).
• Over the last 16 games, the Yotes have scored 90+ points in seven games and 100+ twice.
• USD has scored 80+ points in all but nine games on the season.
• Part of the Coyotes offensive success has been its ability to reach the charity stripe. USD ranks No. 2 in free attempts per game (28.0) and No. 1 in free throw makes (20.0).
• The Yotes are 10-2 on the season when scoring 90+ points.

Protecting Home Court

• South Dakota closed out the regular season with a 92-79 win over North Dakota to secure a 14-2 record at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center this season. The Yotes started the home slate at 10-0, which 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 95-30 (.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 tied for the seventh 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 15 games on the year, most recently in the regular season finale vs North Dakota.
• 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 (28.0) and No. 1 in free throws made per game (20.0). USD ranks No. 1 in the Summit League in both categories.
• Chase Forte is one of the best in the country at getting down hill and drawing fouls. Forte is No. 3 in the NCAA in free throw attempts (247) and No. 22 in free throw makes (160).
• The Yotes made and attempted the most free throws during the Summit League season (345-473) and shot .729 percent.
• USD has 16 games with 30+ free throw attempts and has twice shot 40+ in a single game.
• USD connected on 24-of-25 free throws against St. Thomas Wednesday night, which was the highest percentage the Yotes have shot in a single game this season (.960).