GAME NOTES: The Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Webster Bank Arena continues on Saturday evening when the South Dakota Coyotes take on the Wofford Terriers.

This round-robin tournament has South Dakota, Wofford, Sam Houston State and host Fairfield all playing each other over the course of the three-day event.

South Dakota has yet to secure a win this season in three tries. After suffering losses at Utah Valley (60-52) and Stanford (84-73), the Coyotes put forth their best effort of the year to start this event by taking Sam Houston State to triple overtime before eventually falling, 93-85.

Wofford opened up the event with a win over host Fairfield, 54-36. The Terriers have won two in a row since losing their opener at Stanford (74-59), having previous defeated Iona at home on Tuesday, 86-73.

The Coyotes and the Terriers have never before played one another in men's basketball.

The Coyotes endured a back-and-forth battle throughout their contest with Sam Houston State, exchanging 17 ties and 16 leads, and they showed a flair for the dramatic by tying the game with under 10 second left in regulation on a Tyler Larson three-point play. After two well-matched overtime periods, however, they were outscored by SHSU in the third extra session, 14-6. They were outshot from the field in the loss, 45.6 percent to 42 percent, and they had a poor night from beyond the arc (4-of-15) and the free-throw line (13- of-24). Brandon Bos did his best to lift the team to victory with a game-high 21 points. Larson (17 points, 13 rebounds) and Tre Burnette (13 points, 12 rebounds) both logged double-doubles, while Trey Norris came off the bench to register 10 points and six assists.

Although Friday's game was South Dakota's best offensive performance of the season, that's not saying much considering it averaged just 62.5 ppg coming in. Bos nets a team-best 17.3 ppg, but he's shooting less than 33 percent from the floor. Larson (13.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Brunette (10.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg) are also playing well.

The Terriers' outstanding defense led them to victory in the opening game of the event, as they held Fairfield to a lowly 23.1 percent from the field while forcing 16 turnovers. The defensive performance was more than enough for a modest field-goal shooting night (.444). Justin Gordon came off the bench to put up a game-high 11 points. Karl Cochran tallied a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Eric Garcia had eight points and six assists.

On the season, Wofford scores just 66.3 ppg, but it boasts an impressive field goal percentage (.478), and its scoring defense (61.0 ppg) has been a staple. Cochran (13.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg) is the top option, but he's shooting just 35.9 percent from the floor. Gordon (10.3 ppg), Spencer Collins (9.7 ppg) and Lee Skinner (9.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg) are also off to solid starts.

Wofford may not be a flashy team, but its stellar team defense is more than good enough to take care of business against a lackluster South Dakota squad.