SPEARFISH, S.D. – For 27:23, the Black Hills State University men's basketball team led the No. 15 team in the country but fell 80-73 to Fort Lewis College Saturday in the Young Center.

The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 10 points lead with 13:24 remaining in the first half when Tate Hilgenkamp assisted Riley Ryan on a 3-point basket. For the next nine minutes, the Yellow Jacket lead would hover around that point until a 6-0 Skyhawk run cut the deficit to just one point with 1:57 remaining in the first.

However, Black Hills State staved off FLC as Nick Ongarato sank a 3-point basket followed by a jumper from Fraser Malcom boosted the lead back to six points at 50-34. Kody Salcido sank a pair of free throws before the intermission break for Fort Lewis as Black Hills State entered the break with a 40-36 lead.

The Yellow Jackets (9-12, 7-10 RMAC) continued to lead through the second half until Salcido hit a jumper in the paint to give Fort Lewis its first lead of the game at 53-52 with 12:14 remaining. Sam Mayer and the Yellow Jackets had a quick answer as Mayer scored an old-fashioned 3-point play to regain the lead at 55-53.

Over the next three minutes, the squads played hot potato with the lead until Will Morse broke a 59-59 tie with 7:24 remaining, when he sank a trey to give Fort Lewis a lead it would not lose the rest of the way. After FLC climbed to an 11-point lead with 43 seconds left, a pair of 3-point baskets, one from Ongarato and the other Malcom, the Yellow Jackets tried to make the comeback. However, it fell short in the 80-73 defeat.

Fort Lewis, ranked No. 15 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Poll, improves to 19-3 overall and 14-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Three Yellow Jackets scored in double figures, led by Wyatt Krogman with 17 points, while Ongarato added 16. Ryan nearly had a double-double with 15 points and nine rebounds, before fouling out with under a minute remaining in regulation.

The Skyhawks were led by Joshua Blaylock with 22 points while Salcido added 16, Rasmus Bach 13 and Cade Kloster 10.

Black Hills State closes out its 2015-16 home schedule next weekend, hosting Colorado Mesa on Friday and the inaugural visit from Westminster on Saturday. Both games have a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. Saturday's game is also dubbed as a "Round Ball Reunion" with the Yellow Jackets sporting throwback Purple and Gold uniforms.