SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Just over a month into the college basketball season, a trio of Summit League players are emerging as some of the best bucket-getters in Division I basketball. Preseason Player of the Year Nolan Minessale, a three-time Kwik Star Peak Performer of the Week recipient, has made 83 field goals, which are tied for the second most among DI scorers, while South Dakota's Isaac Bruns (73) and Omaha's Lance Waddles (70) both currently rank among the top 20 in that category. Waddles is also top five among DI players in 3-pointers made with 40 through the Mavericks' first 11 games.

These three scorers will look to increase those numbers as all nine teams are back in action coming off a 7-11 showing the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. Minessale capped this year's challenge, leading the Tommies to an 88-65 win over Weber State as he dropped a career-high 32 points on 12-of-16 shooting in the win over the Wildcats.

AROUND THE LEAGUE
• North Dakota State was the only men’s team to win both of its game in this year’s edition of the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. The Summit men’s teams combined to go 7-11 with the Bison picking up wins at Montana and vs. Northern Arizona in Fargo.
• JUCO transfer Trevian Carson led the Bison in scoring in those two victories, averaging 17.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg. He has hit double figures in four of his last five games, including three straight.
• Carson went 6-for-7 from the field to score 15 in the road win over the Grizzlies and added his first DI double-double with season-highs in points (19) and rebounds (12) in a 68-67 win over Northern Arizona.
• St. Thomas guard Nolan Minessale racked up his third Kwik Star weekly honor after scoring a career high 32 points in an 88-65 home win over Weber State. Those 32 points are the most by a Summit League player in a game this season and he also had his sixth game of five or more assists in the victory.
• South Dakota guard Isaac Bruns has put together four straight 20-plus point scoring outings, including back-to-back career-high outputs of 28 in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. Bruns had 22 points in the Coyotes’ road loss at Wyoming Tuesday and has his average up to 19.7 ppg, which is second among Summit League player.
• South Dakota State’s Kalen Garry stuffed the stat sheet in a 68-64 road win at Ball State, leading the Jacks in points (15), rebounds (8) and assists (7; career-high).
• SDSU split its two Big Sky-Summit Challenge games, winning at NAU and losing a home tilt to Idaho. Joe Sayler scored a season-high 20 to lead the Jacks in the road win at Lumberjacks. 
• Omaha also split its two Big Sky-Summit Challenge games, narrowly falling at home to a Northern Colorado squad ranked No. 17 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll before rallying for a 60-55 road win at Portland State.
• In the absence of veteran Tony Osburn (missed four straight games; 14.9 ppg), Lance Waddles and Ja’Sean Glover have both picked up the scoring slack for the Mavericks. Glover averaged 20.5 ppg and dropped a career-high 26 in the loss to the Bears. 
• Waddles has eight consecutive double-digit scoring efforts, including 19 in a 79-70 win over Doane. He has his season average up to 16.8 ppg and has accomplished a lot of his scoring from deep. His 40 makes from beyond the arc top all Summit League players and rank third nationally.
• Denver rounds out a quintet of teams that split its challenge clashes, winning at home over East Washington before dropping a road game at Idaho State. In the win over the Eagles, Jeremiah Burke paced a quintet of Pios in double figures with a career-high matching 23. It was the third time Burke has hit that figure in his first season with DU.
• DU opened a four-game homestand with a 95-59 win over Colorado Christian, marking its second straight 90-plus point output at home (93 vs. EWU).
• Oral Roberts’ staged one of the program’s greatest comebacks to earn a 72-68 win over Montana State in the Big Sky-Summit Challenge. The Golden Eagles, who had lost by 26 on the road at Weber State in their first game of the challenge, got a career-high 25 points from West Virginia transfer Ofri Naveh to spark the rally. He had 16 second-half points.
• Ty Harper added 20 for ORU as he pushed his team-leading average to 16.9 ppg. For Harper, the 20-plus point game was his fifth of the season and has reached double figures in all 11 games.
• Kansas City sandwiched the Big Sky-Summit Challenge between a home-and-home with another Big Sky foe in Weber State. The Roos will take on the Wildcats at home Wednesday, looking to snap an eight-game overall skid. 
• Weber State beat KC 82-61 in Ogden on Nov. 29. Jerome Palm chipped in a season-high 13 in that contest, matching Jayson Petty for team-high honors.
• The Roos dropped both of their Big Sky-Summit games, falling at home to Idaho State before losing on the road to Eastern Washington. CJ Evans leads KC in scoring (13.8 ppg) and assists (3.1 apg) in his first season with the Roos. 

UPCOMING
Game | Stream/TV | Local Time
Wednesday, Dec. 10
Weber State at Kansas City | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Crown College at North Dakota | SLN | 7 p.m. CT

Thursday, Dec. 11
St. John’s (Minn.) at St. Thomas | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Alaska Anchorage at Denver | SLN | 7 p.m. MT
NDSU at CSU Bakersfield | ESPN+ | 6:30 p.m. PT

Friday, Dec. 12
Dakota Wesleyan at SDSU | SLN | 7 p.m. CT

Saturday, Dec. 13
Western Illinois at North Dakota | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
NDSU at Drake | ESPN+ | 1 p.m. CT
Prairie View A&M at South Dakota | SLN | 1 p.m. CT
St. Thomas at UNC Asheville | ESPN+ | 2 p.m. ET
Cal State Fullerton at Denver | SLN | 2 p.m. MT 
Ecclesia at Oral Roberts | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Spurgeon at Kansas City | 7 p.m. CT

Monday, Dec. 15
Minnesota Crookston at NDSU | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Wyoming at SDSU | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
    (Sioux Falls, S.D.)

Tuesday, Dec. 16
Kansas City at Oklahoma | SECN | 6 p.m. CT 
York (Neb.) at Omaha | SLN | 7 p.m. CT
Oral Roberts at Missouri State | ESPN+ | 7 p.m. CT
UCCS at Denver | SLN | 7 p.m. MT

Key: ACCNX (ACC Network Xtra), BTN (Big Ten Network), CBSSN (CBS Sports Network), ESPN+ (ESPN Plus), FLO (FloSports), FOX9+ (Fox 9 Minneapolis), MS (MidcoSports), MWN (Mountain West Network), PC (Peacock), SECN (SEC Network), SLN (Summit League Network)

Polls: AP/Coaches

RESULTS
BIG SKY-SUMMIT CHALLENGE#
Wednesday, Dec. 3
Northern Colorado 75, Omaha 70#
Weber State 92, Oral Roberts 66#
Portland State 77, South Dakota 71#
Idaho State 68, Kansas City 59#
SDSU 75, Northern Arizona 62#
Montana State82, St. Thomas 74#
Idaho 90, North Dakota 58#
NDSU 81, Montana 72#
Denver 93, Eastern Washington 89#

Saturday, Dec. 6
Omaha 60, Portland State 55#
Idaho 84, SDSU 81#
Eastern Washington 90, Kansas City 66#
Idaho State 93, Denver 79#
Northern Colorado 89, South Dakota 87 (OT)#
Oral Roberts 72, Montana State 68#
NDSU 69, Northern Arizona 68#
Montana 79, North Dakota 75#

Sunday, Dec. 7
St. Thomas 88, Weber State 65#

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