Box Score Las Vegas, N.M. – The Black Hills State men's basketball team lost a tough road game to New Mexico Highlands by a score of 91-78 on Saturday night.
Black Hills State played well throughout the contest, out-rebounding the Cowboys 42-37, including grabbing 22 offensive rebounds. They only turned the ball over nine times in 40 minutes of play.
For the second night in a row, the Yellow Jackets built a lead going into halftime. They led 17-9 after an Austin Maag three-point shot with 14 minutes left in the period. The two teams would battle back and forward, trading baskets late in the half. The Jackets entered the locker room at halftime with the lead, 38-34.
"I thought we played extremely hard tonight," said head coach Bradd Schafer. "I'm proud of the effort we showed on both ends of the floor."
In the first half, the Yellow Jackets were led by junior guard Tanner Adler who scored 16 points and pulled down five rebounds. Maag also had a strong showing in the first, scoring 10 points of his own. Cameron Anderson added six in the half for Black Hills State.
The Yellow Jackets started strong in the second half, scoring the first two baskets of the period to extend their lead. At the 15 minute mark in the second period, things took a turn for Black Hills State. Turnovers plagued the offense, and solid shooting by New Mexico Highlands put the Jackets in a hole. The Jackets trailed the Cowboys by 15 with just under 10 minutes left to play. Black Hills State pulled to within eight with six minutes left in the game, but that's as close as they would get. The Jackets fell to the Cowboys by a final score of 91-78.
"We had some costly turnovers in the second half, and we couldn't get back momentum," noted Schafer. "It's a continued learning process for us, we're still learning. Next weekend is another great opportunity for us to get better."
Adler recorded a double-double for Black Hills State, scoring a game-high 31 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Anderson tallied 11 points and six rebounds, and senior Ryan Allen scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Yellow Jackets.
Black Hills State will return home next weekend, January 25th and 26th, to take on the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and Colorado State-Pueblo. Both games tip off at 7:30PM at the Donald E. Young Center in Spearfish.
