VERMILLION, S.D. — South Dakota led wire-to-wire in its 89-72 win over Omaha Wednesday night inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center behind 26 points from Jordan Crawford.
 
Crawford, who had a solid first half with nine points on 50.0% shooting, caught fire in the second half for 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting with three 3-pointers. Crawford ended the night with five treys.
 
Uzziah Buntyn who paced the Yotes to a 10-point lead at halftime with 12 points, finished the contest with 18 points and three assists. Vince Buzelis stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Jesse McIntosh added 13 points and six boards in 14 minutes off the bench.
 
The Yotes shot 48.3% from the field and found the range with 10 triples for the first time since the February 7 win over SDSU. USD held the Mavericks to 42.9% shooting and 5-of-14 from deep. South Dakota dished out 14 assists as a team, while limiting turnovers to just eight, and forced 10 Omaha turnovers on the defensive front.
 
Cameron Fens gave the Yotes its first double-digit lead of the night at the 10-minute mark with a slam dunk, but the Mavericks would chip away and eventually pulled within two with five minutes to go in the first. The freshmen, Buntyn, Buzelis and McIntosh, combined to score 14 of the Coyotes final 15 points of the half, as the Yotes built their lead back up to 10 points, 45-35, heading into the break.
 
After trading baskets to start the second half, it was all South Dakota over a six-minute stretch as the Yotes rattled off a 16-1 run to take a 67-43 lead with 11 minutes remaining. The deep ball was falling in the run, as the Yotes knocked down four 3-pointers, with two from Crawford and one each from Ethan Kizer and McIntosh. South Dakota's largest lead of the night, 76-51, followed Kizer's second triple of the half with seven minutes to go. The Mavs put together a 10-0 run, but the Yotes continued to hold onto a 15+ point advantage as they coasted to an 89-72 win.
 
The Coyotes close out the regular season this Saturday in the SCSC when they host South Dakota State for an Interstate Series presented by First Interstate Bank. matchup at 1 p.m.
 
Notes

• South Dakota moves to 15-15 on the season, 11-5 at home and 7-8 in the Summit League
• Crawford posted his sixth 20+ point game of the season
• Ethan Kizer made his first start as a Coyote
• Jesse McIntosh scored 13 points, his first Summit League game in double-figures
• Vince Buzelis stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals
• Buzelis' five assists were a new career high