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Complete NDSU Game Notes
Feb. 4 vs. South Dakota  Watch  |  Live Stats  |  Listen
 
The Game: The first-place North Dakota State men's basketball team (15-7, 7-2) takes on second-place South Dakota (15-10, 6-4) at the Scheels Center on Saturday, Feb. 4, to open a three-game homestand for the Bison. NDSU pulled off a 70-69 win at South Dakota on Jan. 11 this season.
                Feb. 4    vs. South Dakota      2 p.m. CT    MidcoSN, ESPN3
 
Where to Watch: Saturday's game will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network, as well as being available on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app, in addition to GoBison.com. Brian Shawn (play-by-play) and Greg Stemen (analyst) will call the action.
 
Radio: The game will be broadcast on 107.9 The Fox, as well as being streamed on the 107.9 The Fox app and GoBison.com/allaccess. Jeff Culhane (play-by-play) and Jeremy Jorgenson (analyst) will call the action.
 
About South Dakota: The Coyotes are 15-10 overall and 6-4 in The Summit League following a 91-83 loss at Omaha on Wednesday evening. South Dakota is 4-9 away from home this season. Head coach Craig Smith is in his third season at South Dakota.
                Sophomore guard Matt Mooney leads the Coyotes with 17.2 points per game. Junior guard Trey Dickerson is averaging 10.2 points and 3.0 assists per contest. USD does a majority of its scoring inside the three-point arc, as the Coyotes rank in the bottom 100 schools in Division I in three-pointers per game and three-point percentage.
 
The Series with South Dakota: Saturday will be the 173rd meeting between North Dakota State and South Dakota dating back to 1922-23. The Bison hold a 94-78 lead in the series. NDSU is 9-2 against the Coyotes as Division I opponents following a win in Vermillion on Jan. 11. South Dakota has not won in Fargo since Feb. 8, 2002, in North Central Conference play.
 
Last Time vs. South Dakota: Dexter Werner made a pair of free throws with 5.3 seconds remaining to lift the Bison to a 70-69 road victory over South Dakota on Jan. 11 at the Sanford Coyote Sports Center.
                With NDSU trailing 69-68 and 28 seconds on the clock, South Dakota's Matt Mooney missed two free throws that would have expanded the Coyotes' lead. Werner ripped down the rebound and ultimately drew a foul at the other end with 5.3 seconds left.
                Paul Miller finished with 26 points and a then-career-high six three-pointers. Werner posted 17 points and seven rebounds.
 
New Look: North Dakota State will debut brand new Nike 'Anthracite' uniforms for Saturday's game vs. South Dakota. The uniforms include new Nike Zoom KD 9 shoes.
 
Ward's Breakout: Freshman guard Tyson Ward has scored in double figures in three straight games, including a season-high output of 22 points at IUPUI on Feb. 1. Against the Jaguars, Ward made 9-of-13 shots, including the game-tying dunk with 22 seconds remaining, and totaled seven rebounds and three steals.
 
Magnificent Seven: Seven different Bison have scored at least 18 points in a game this season: Paul Miller, Dexter Werner, A.J. Jacobson, Khy Kabellis, Carlin Dupree, Tyson Ward and Deng Geu.
 
Comeback vs. Oral Roberts: The Bison trailed Oral Roberts by 13 points with 15 minutes remaining, but closed with a furious comeback to earn an 81-71 victory on Jan. 25 in Fargo. NDSU made 9 of its final 10 shots and outscored Oral Roberts 42-20 in the final 13:54.
 
Strong Start: With a 7-1 start in league play, the first-place Bison matched their best eight-game start since joining The Summit League. NDSU also started 7-1 in the 2008-09 and 2012-13 seasons.
 
Eighty-Plus: The Bison have scored 80-plus points in seven out of nine games to open the Summit League slate. NDSU only reached 80 points in a league game one time in the previous two seasons -- a 91-82 loss to Omaha on Jan. 7, 2016.
 
Program Staples: The Bison have committed an average of only nine turnovers per game and have limited their opponents to 43 percent shooting in conference play – both numbers that lead The Summit League.
 
From Downtown: NDSU is shooting 45 percent from three-point range in Summit League play. The Bison made 68 percent from three-point range in two victories over Fort Wayne and Western Illinois on Jan. 19 and Jan. 21, including a school record 81 percent (13-for-16) vs. WIU.
 
Career High for Miller: NDSU junior guard Paul Miller poured in a career-high 33 points and made a career-best seven three-pointers in NDSU's win over Fort Wayne on Jan. 19. Miller's 33 points were the most by a Bison since Taylor Braun scored 34 at North Dakota on Nov. 24, 2013.
 
Career High for Kabellis: Sophomore point guard Khy Kabellis scored a career-high 25 points in NDSU's victory over Fort Wayne on Jan. 19. Kabellis had 19 points at halftime after making his first four three-point attempts.
 
Heating Up: NDSU registered its two highest field goal percentages and two highest three-point percentages of the season in back-to-back games on Jan. 19 and Jan. 21.
 
Impressive Numbers: In the month of January, Paul Miller made 24-of-41 attempts from beyond the arc for an impressive 59 percent. In that same stretch, the Bison shot 50 percent from three-point range as a team.
 
Home Court: NDSU is 58-4 at home since the start of the 2012-13 season.
 
Tale of Two Halves: The Bison have flipped the switch at halftime this season, posting a significant shooting advantage in the second half of games. NDSU is shooting 49 percent in the second half, and Bison opponents are shooting 40 percent after halftime.
 
The Closer: Dexter Werner has made 51-of-74 shots after halftime this season for an impressive 69 percent.
 
Take Care: NDSU committed an average of 13.5 turnovers per game during the non-conference portion of the schedule. Through nine Summit League games, the Bison are averaging only 9.2 turnovers per game.
 
Against The Summit League: NDSU is 46-17 in its last 63 games against Summit League opponents.
 
Streak Snappers: NDSU is the only team to win at South Dakota this season with a 70-69 triumph on Jan. 11. The Coyotes are 11-1 at home this year.