LAKEWOOD, Colo. – After leading by as many as 20 points, the Black Hills State University men's basketball team dropped a 71-65 contest to Colorado Christian on New Year's Eve in Lakewood, Colorado.
 
The Yellow Jackets opened the game with an 11-8 lead then went on a 17-0 run to open a 28-8 lead with 9:46 remaining in the first half. The run began when Connor O'Hearn pushed a pass to Fraser Malcolm for the 3-point basket. The run concluded with a Max Mueller jumper.
 
The Cougars then embarked on a 16-3 run of their own to cut the Yellow Jacket deficit to 7 points with 5:47 remaining in the half. Black Hills State entered the half with a 10-point advantage at 39-29.
 
Colorado Christian, 10-4 overall and 7-1 in the RMAC, chipped away at the 10-point advantage throughout the second half until taking its first lead of the game at 52-50 with 11:25 remaining in the game when Brett Brady sank a 3-point basket.
 
The Yellow Jackets, 5-9 overall and 2-6 in the loop, then retook the lead at 55-53 on a Jonas Anderson 3-point basket and then led 57-54 when Anderson made a jumper with 8:19 remaining in the game.
 
The two squads would then trade baskets until CCU knotted the game at 61-all, then took a lead it wouldn't relinquish at 63-61 with 3:00 remaining.
 
Taking the Cougars to the wire, the Yellow Jackets have proven they are here to compete after going toe-to-toe with several top teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference including last night's one-point loss to CSU-Pueblo. Colorado Christian and CSUP are both in second place in the RMAC while the Yellow Jackets defeated Colorado Mines who is currently in fourth place in the league standings.
 
Anderson tallied a career-best 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting with Fraser Malcolm adding 13 points and seven rebounds. Max Mueller totaled 10 points and six rebounds for the Yellow Jackets.

Brett Brady led Colorado Christian with 21 points.
 
Black Hills State won the battle of field-goal percentage, shooting 48.1 percent from the field on 26-of-54 shooting. CCU made 36.2 percent of its shots on 21-of-58 shooting.
 
Black Hills State opens 2017 at home on Friday against New Mexico Highlands at 7:30 p.m. and CSU-Pueblo on Saturday at 6 p.m.