KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball team hits the road for the second straight weekend as it travels out to South Dakota for a Sunday matinee against the Coyotes.
 

GAME INFO

Matchup: Western Michigan (2-2) at South Dakota (2-2)

Date/Time: Sunday, Nov. 16 – 2 pm

Site: Sanford Coyote Sports Center (Vermillion, S.D.)

Video: Summit League Network

Radio: Bronco Media Network

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

OPENING TIP

• Western Michigan begins a stretch of five out of seven on the road with a trip to South Dakota on Sunday afternoon.
• The Broncos are coming off of an 83-71 comeback victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday night.
• Jayden Brewer went 10-of-12 from the field to net a career-high 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the year.
• Brady Swartz hit six three-pointers on the way to a career-high 20 points.
• WMU grabbed a season-high 53 rebounds, including 18 offensive boards, on the way to a 53-38 edge on the glass. 
• Sunday's contest is just the second all-time meeting between Western Michigan and South Dakota.
• The only prior meeting came last season, with the Coyotes coming away with an 80-76 victory in Kalamazoo.
• South Dakota was picked to finish fifth in the Summit League preseason poll.

THE ROAD AHEAD
Western Michigan begins a stretch of five out of seven on the road over the course of the next month on Sunday afternoon as it visits South Dakota. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos are coming off of an 83-71 come-from-behind victory over Purdue Fort Wayne on Wednesday night at University Arena. Trailing by 13 at one point in the first half, Western Michigan closed the opening period with an 8-0 run and then erupted for 51 points in the second half to complete the comeback and earn the victory. Jayden Brewer netted a career-high 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for WMU, while Brady Swartz hit six three-pointers on the way to a career-high 20 points off of the bench.

LET JAYDEN BREW
Jayden Brewer had the most efficient scoring night of his career on Wednesday against Purdue Fort Wayne, going 10-for-12 from the field to net a career-high 26 points. The senior also snagged 12 rebounds to collect his second double-double of the campaign. Through four games, Brewer is in the top-10 in the MAC in both scoring (16.5 PPG, 6th) and rebounding (8.8 RPG, 4th) and is one of four players in the league to already have multiple double-doubles this season.

SIZZLING SWARTZ
After having not attempted a single three-pointer in the first three games of his collegiate career, Brady Swartz caught fire on Wednesday night. The freshman went 6-for-9 from three-point range, including draining each of his first four attempts from distance. The six three-pointers were the most for a WMU freshman in more than a decade, and the most in a single game by any Bronco since JaVaughn Hannah hit six triples on Feb. 27, 2024, at Eastern Michigan.

CLEANING THE GLASS
One of the staples for the Broncos under fourth-year head coach Dwayne Stephens has been rebounding, and WMU has started off strong on the glass again this year, winning the rebounding battle in each of its first four games. Wednesday was the most dominant performance yet for the Broncos on the boards, as they set season highs in total rebounds (53), offensive rebounds (18) and rebounding margin (+15). Jayden Brewer led the way with 12 rebounds, while Max Burton added nine. Brewer (8.8, 4th) and Burton (6.8, 9th) are one of just two pairs of teammates to both rank in the top-10 in the conference in rebounding. 

DYNAMIC DUO
Transfers Jayden Brewer and Jalen Griffith have formed quite the dynamic duo for the Broncos, with Brewer ranked sixth in the MAC in scoring at 16.5 points per game and Griffith eighth in the league at 16.3 per contest. Kent State is the only other team in the league to boast two players in the top-10 in the conference in scoring. 

DIALING LONG DISTANCE
WMU comes into Sunday having made at least one three-pointer in 459 straight games, dating back to the 2010-11 season. The Broncos hit a season-high eight three-pointers in Wednesday's victory. 

BRONCOS VS THE SUMMIT LEAGUE
Until the last few years, the Broncos had not matched up with Summit League teams too often in their history. Sunday's game marks the sixth in the last three seasons against Summit League foes for Western Michigan, having scheduled home-and-home series with North Dakota State, South Dakota and St. Thomas. The Brown and Gold have gone 0-5 in the previous matchups during this stretch of home-and-homes, with Sunday's game closing out the series with USD.

SERIES HISTORY
Western Michigan and South Dakota have met just once prior to Sunday afternoon's encounter and it came last season. The Broncos were dominant on the glass in that contest, owning a 53-38 advantage, and grabbing 24 offensive boards in the tilt. Western Michigan took a one-point edge into the halftime locker room, but the Coyotes used an 11-2 run early in the second half to take a lead they did not relinquish for the rest of the night in an 80-76 victory. 

UP NEXT
Western Michigan continues its road stretch on Thursday night as it heads down to Columbus to take on Ohio State.