VERMILLION, S.D. — After picking up a road win Wednesday night, South Dakota basketball returns to the Sanford Coyote Sports Center for a three game homestand starting Saturday when they welcome St. Thomas to Vermillion.

Quick Hitters

• The Coyotes have been exceptional at home, improving to a 9-2 record in the SCSC after last Thursday's win over Kansas City and picked up their first road win Wednesday night 68-64 over Omaha. The Yotes are 1-0 in neutral site games.
• The Coyotes average 88.0 points per game while holding visiting teams to 75.3 points in the SCSC while shooting 47.4% from the field. The Yotes have scored 80+ in each of the last five home games with a pair of 90-point performances.
• USD has started to find the range over the last eight games, averaging 9.3 3-pointers per game at a 41.1% clip. South Dakota connected on average 6.0 triples per game in the first 13 games of the season. Jordan Crawford's been money over the last three games, knocking down 18 treys on a 54.5% connection rate.
• Trent Hudgens and Silas Bennion were added to the Coyote roster last week and are both averaging nearly 20 minutes per game.
• Hudgens, a Third Team NAIA All-American in 2023-24, found his groove in the second half against the Tommies with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
• After playing in only four conference games a season ago, Cameron Fens has been dominant in the paint to open the Summit League slate. He is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double in Summit League games at 16.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game while shooting 61.5% from the field.
• Junior guard Isaac Bruns was named to the Lou Henson Player of the Year Award Early Season Watch List in December. The award recognizes the top player in mid-major college basketball.
• Bruns has scored 20+ in 11 of his last 13 games played and increased his scoring average to 20.8 points per game which ranks No. 1 in the conference and No. 19 in the NCAA.
• Bruns is No. 29 in the NCAA with 134 field goals made, No. 13 in free throws made (118) and No. 29
• in free throw attempts (140).
• The Yotes lead the conference with an average of 12.38 offensive rebounds per game, which ranks No. 83 in the NCAA, but have been held to under 10 offensive boards in five of six Summit League games.
• South Dakota goes to the line frequently, ranking No. 19 in the NCAA in free throw attempts per game (26.2) and are No. 17 free throw makes per game (19.5). Through four Summit League games, USD is averaging 17.0 makes and 20.7 attempts.
• 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 is in year four as the head coach of the South Dakota men's basketball team and holds a 54-63 overall record.

How to Follow

• Saturday's matchup between the Coyotes and Tommies will be available on Midco Sports, 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

• The Coyotes are 6-3 all-time vs St. Thomas but it was the Tommies who earned a 99-86 win in the 2025-26 series opener in St. Paul, Minnesota.
• Saturday's matchup will be the first repeat conference opponent for the Yotes. South Dakota is yet to play Oral Roberts and South Dakota State.
• The first meeting was the first game as Coyotes for newcomers Silas Bennion and Trent Hudgens.
• Hudgens poured in 17 second half points in St. Paul, while had five points and three assists.
• Isaiah Johnson-Arigu had 25 points, while Nolan Minessale had 22 points and 12 assists to lead the Tommies.
• Isaac Bruns had a Coyote leading 24 points, and Ethan Kizer had 13 points with four 3-pointers off the bench.

 
Gritty Win

• Playing without one of the NCAA's top scorers in Isaac Bruns for the first time this season, the Coyotes picked up a gritty road win at Omaha 68-64 Wednesday night. It was the first road win of the season for USD.
• In the absence of Burns, Jordan Crawford let if fly on his way to a career high 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting with five 3-pointers. Uzziah Buntyn and Cameron Fens had 17 and 16 points, respectively as the trio combined to score 60 of USD's 68 points.
• Silas Bennion made his first career start as a Coyote and had a team-high four assists in a season-high 32 minutes of action.
• Wednesday also marked just the second time this season the Yotes won after trailing at halftime.
• The Coyotes scored just six points in the first 10 minutes of the game but held their own defensively allowing just 13 for the Mavs.
• South Dakota held Omaha to 1-for-19 (5.3%) from the 3-point line in the game.
• The trio of Crawford, Fens and Buntyn scored 39 of the 40 second half points.

 
Next Man Up

• South Dakota has seen eight players go down and miss extended time with injuries this season.
• Despite that the Coyotes still hold a record above .500 (11-10) and are No. 4 in the Summit League standings with a 3-3 in mark.
• Jake Brack made his return to the court for the first time since December 18 (vs. Dakota State) in Wednesday's game at Omaha and played15 minutes. He scored two points, had a rebound and an assist.
• Silas Bennion and Trent Hudgens were added to the roster prior to the first meeting with St. Thomas and have plugged right into the rotation. Bennion's averaging 24.2 minutes per game while Hudgens is averaging 20.0.

 
Finding the Range

• After averaging just 6.0 3-pointers made in the first 13 games of the year on a 32.4% rate, the Yotes are averaging 9.3 3-pointers per game at a 41.1% clip over the last eight games.
• The Yotes have made 10+ 3-pointers in three of six Summit League games, shooting over 40.0% in those three games.
• Jordan Crawford has been on a heater lately, knocking down 18 triples on a 54.5% shooting percentage from deep over the last four games. Crawford paces the team with 44 3-pointers and has 21 in six conference games.
• Crawford set a new career-high of 27 points against the Mavericks on 10-of-16 shooting with five 3-pointers.
• While Isaac Bruns does most of his work in the midrange and in the paint, the junior guard has connected at a 60.0% clip over his last seven games with 15 made 3-pointers.

 
Man in the Middle

• Cameron Fens had a monster night in the Coyotes last home game in a win over Kansas City. The Coyote center set new career highs of 31 points and 15 rebounds on 10-of-14 shooting.
• Fens' 15 rebounds are the most by a Coyote since Lahat Thioune's 19 rebounds against North Dakota State (12/29/23).
• The Coyote center has been nearly unstoppable over the last three games, as he's averaged 20.7 points and 11.07 rebounds while shooting 72.1% from the field (31-for-43).
• 16 of his 47 rebounds over the last four contests have been off the offensive glass.
• Fens has secured double-digit rebounds in four of the last five games and seven times this season.
• Fens has now set career highs in both points and rebounds in the same game twice this season, as he scored 22 points and had 14 rebounds earlier this season against Prairie View A&M.
• After playing in just four Summit League games a season ago due to injury, Fens has averaged 16.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks while shooting 61.5% from the floor in Summit League play.
• Fens has scored 10+ in 13 of the last 15 games with five double-doubles.

 
Bruns by the Numbers

• Isaac Bruns is one of the NCAA's elite scorers in his junior season, ranking No. 19 in the nation and No. 1 in the conference in points per game (20.8).
• Bruns is among the best in the NCAA at getting to and converting at the free throw line as he ranks No. 13 in the country in free throw makes (118), No. 29 in attempts (140) and is converting at an 84.3% clip.
• Bruns has scored in double-figures in every game he's played this season and has 12 games with 20+ points.
• He ranks No. 29 in the NCAA in field goals (134) and No. 10 in field goal attempts (300).
• Bruns rewrote his career-high point total with a 29-point performance in the win over Prairie View A&M.
• Over a stretch of six games (11/29-12/18), he scored 20+ points in all six games, averaging 25.7 ppg.
• Through the first four games of Summit League play, Bruns is averaging 20.8 points per game on .486/.563/.885 shooting splits.