BROOKINGS, S.D. — For just the second time in the 21^st century, the South Dakota basketball team won in Brookings, South Dakota 68-67 over SDSU Saturday night to take the first game of the Interstate Series, presented by First Interstate Bank.
 
The Coyotes felt right at home from the jump, taking a 13-4 lead six minutes into the game on a Jordan Crawford 3-pointer, one of three triples from the Yotes in the opening six minutes. South Dakota was 15-for-31 from the field in the opener, while holding the Jackrabbits to 10-of-28. Behind six rebounds from Cameron Fens and four from Vince Buzelis, the Coyotes won the rebounding battle 21-14 and allowed just one offensive rebound for the Jacks.
 
The Yotes, who held the lead for 16 minutes in the first half, took their largest lead of the half off a Jake Brack layup to go up 24-12 with 10 minutes left. The Jacks would go on a run of their own over the next five minutes, tying the score at 28-all. South Dakota, however, controlled the rest of the first half by outscoring the Jacks 15-4 with a combined 10 points from Crawford and Fens. Crawford gave the Yotes a double-digit lead at the break, knocking down his third trey of the half and the Yotes took a 43-32 lead into half.
 
The Jackrabbits stormed out for the second half, putting together a 19-2 run in the first seven minutes to pull ahead 51-45. A jumper from Crawford weathered the storm, and the Yotes scored six straight to regain the lead, 52-51. The lead changed hands 11 times in the final 12 minutes with neither team held a lead larger than four points.
 
The Jacks grabbed a 3-point lead with two minutes left, on a jumper from Joe Sayler, but Crawford answered right back with his fifth 3-pointer to tie the game at 67-67 with under two minutes left. Uzziah Buntyn's free throw was the difference in the final minute and a half, putting the Yotes up 68-67. The Coyote defense held firm in the final minute, forcing three straight empty SDSU possessions to secure the rivalry win.
 
South Dakota returns to the SCSC Wednesday to host North Dakota at 7 p.m.
 
Notes

• South Dakota moves to 14-12 on the season, 6-5 in the conference and won its third straight road game
• The win marks the third win since 2000 in Brookings for the Yotes and the first since the 2020-21 season
• Fens notched his ninth double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds
• Crawford has connected on multiple 3-pointers in eight of the last nine games