vs Fort Wayne (Sat. 1/14 @ 1PM)

[canislatrans]

Jan 14, 2017 15:06:30 GMT -6 Cousin Eddie said:

Held #1 scoring team (90.5) to 2/3 avg at 60 points.

GATA defense!

Gotta love it

[coyotecrazie5]

[Coyote Fan]

I really think this was a big perception game. How this one went kind of set the tone for the next few games. Win and the Coyotes remain a contender for a high finish. Lose and suddenly the record slips to 3-3 with a tough road to go and with 2 home losses in a row. A split with the last two games is acceptable going forward. The Coyotes are still getting better but for the confidence it was big to get this win especially after another big second half rally. When Fort Wayne went on their 13-1 run the Coyotes could have folded a bit to the more experienced Mastadons. Instead they made sure NDSU's finish wouldn't repeat itself.

I think this is the best day to be a Coyote since April 2nd, 2016. That day was going to be on Wednesday but it didn't quite materialize.

The Coyotes are at a point of their schedule where they need to capitilize on the momentum. There are now 3 game in a row that are very much winnable games. at Oral Roberts, vs Western Illinois and vs Denver before things get difficult. If the Coyotes can sweep that trio we are looking at 7-2 in the Summit. That is pretty salty. Even with one stumble in there the record is still 6-3. Today's game effected the balance of the team and which way the proverbial arrow would be pointing going forward.

I am happy to see that this team has progressed nicely since the league started. The good thing is that there is still some room for improvement in the consistency department but that figures to improve with time. The spurtability factor has been good. The team steps up to the occasion when they really need to play good ball in situations where they are in some trouble. The Coyotes are just a couple of possessions away from being 6-0. Everything considered I think most everyone can be happy with where this team is at currently. I can't say I didn't have some doubts in the non conference but my mind has been eased for sure as of late.

[Coyote Fan]

Just a stat of note. After the afternoon games in the Summit today the Coyotes rank #1 in the league in conference games in point differential at a +35, NDSU is 2nd at +28. Also of note, all teams other than NDSU have at least 2 losses in the league so NDSU is in a good position. The thing about the Bison is that they did shown a tendency to not play very well for a stretch of games during the non con so despite their lead it's not over just yet. The Coyotes already have some nice head to head victories against Fort Wayne, IUPUI and Denver which could come into play later on when it comes to tie breakers for league positioning at the end of the year. I see the Jaguars as one of the teams that could improve their positioning in the standings as the year goes by.

[Yotes]

Very difficult to beat a great team and the refs. Getting word that IPFW just committed another travelling violation that wasn't called.

[yoteforever]

Great day for USD. Good for Coach Smith, staff, and players. One helluva defensive performance. Great job Mr. Moonie. Great job Tyler Hagedorn. Great job team.

[sdyotefan]

Super tough win! Down, came back, weathered another run, made free throws at the end (great FT finishes Matt!!) and played great D in the 2nd half (except their 3 3s late) and finished the deal!! Way to go Yotes!!

[Yotes]

What a fun game that was. So glad we finally have a basketball facility and two contenders to go with it.