VERMILLION, S.D. (KELO) — The USD men’s basketball team played its first home conference game on Saturday and came away with a seven-point victory over Denver.
It was a slog of a game as the Coyotes attempted 51 free throws, just the sixth time in a Summit League game that a team shot at least 50 freebies. The Yotes converted on 32 of those attempts, but it was their fast-paced style that helped them create separation. South Dakota forced 14 Pioneer turnovers, which led to 15 points. Those helped contribute to USD shooting better than 50 percent from the floor in the second half to move to 9-0 at home this season.
“Just told the guys just stay focused and just keep putting pressure on them,” USD senior guard Chase Forte said. “We know when we foul and when they foul, it slows the game down. But if we keep applying pressure, it speeds them up. And that’s how we won the game.”
The Coyotes had a trio of players in double figures, led by Forte’s 22 and Isaac Bruns’ 21. Cameron Fens added 10 off the bench. After dropping the conference opener by 14 on the road at Kansas City, the Yotes showed some resilience with the bounce-back victory.
“This is tough,” USD head coach Eric Peterson said. “You go from UMKC and come back here. That’s a long road trip for our league. And I’m proud of our guys for how they played. So we just got to keep going.”
The Coyotes have a bye on Thursday’s Summit League action and will play on Saturday at St. Thomas before returning home for the following two games.
