THE GAME - South Dakota Mines

• South Dakota Mines swept the season series last year with a 78-73 victory in Spearfish on December 3, 2015, while claiming a 55-53 victory in the season finale on February 24, 2016.
• have dropped four of their last five games including getting swept last weekend at Adams State and Fort Lewis. Adams State won by a single point, 60-59 while FLC ran over SD Mines 98-75. HardrockersThe
• Taylor also averages double-digit points with 10.1 points per game.Jamall also ranking second with 8.6 rebounds per game. whiel ranks second in the league making 63.9 percent of his field goal attempts Kulas with his 17.9 point per game average. RMAC selection, leads the team and ranks fifth in the All-RMAC, a Preseason Kulas Konor
• Black Hills State has had a rough go of it lately against its rival South Dakota Mines, going 2-9 over the last 11 meetings dating back to the 2011-12 season. The last Black Hills State victory in the rivalry was November 17, 2014, a 72-67 victory in the Young Center.
• Although the Yellow Jackets haven't claimed a victory, the three losses in the Jeff Trumbauer era have come by a combined 10 points or 3.3 points each loss.
• This is the third meeting with the Yellow Jackets and Hardrockers playing the Ice Arena of the Rushmore plaza Civic Center. The first time was in the 2014 season with the second meeting in the arena last year. South Dakota Mines has won both games in the facility against the Yellow Jackets.

Looking Ahead

• Black Hills State plays its final game of a four-game road trip on Saturday at Westminster in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Yellow Jackets and Griffins tipoff at 7:30 p.m. in just the third-ever meeting between the two schools. Black Hills State swept the season series last year winning by five points on January 1 and by four points on February 13.

Welcome to the 1,000-point cluB

• Junior Zach McLemore surpassed 1,000 points in his collegiate career with a 3-point basket against Adams State on January 14. McLemore transferred to BHSU from Colorado Christian where he tallied 787 points including 441 as a sophomore.

Winless on the Road

• Black Hills State is 0-8 in the 2016-17 season on the road. BHSU started the 2014-15 campaign off with an 0-5 record in true away contests with another loss on a neutral court, which was previously the worst road start in the NCAA era. The first victory on an opponents floor was December 20 at Regis when Myles Henry hit the game-winning basket with time expiring.

Looking for a win

• The Yellow Jackets are currently on a six-game losing skid which matches the longest losing streak of last year. However the longest losing streak in the NCAA era was in the 2012-13 season when the Yellow Jackets dropped eight-straight games from January 26, 2013 to February 22, 2013. That season the Green and Gold won its final two games of the year with a 65-62 triumph over UCCS and a 57-51 victory over Chadron State. 

Defense, Defense & Defense

• Black Hills State ranks highly in the nation in three defensive categories including 3-point field goal percentage defense. The Yellow Jackets rank 15th in the nation and lead the RMAC allowing just 29.7 3-point baskets to be made. The Green and Gold rank 23rd in scoring defense and 24th in field goal percentage defense. The 66.4 points per game the Yellow Jackets give up is second in the RMAC while the 40.4 percent of made field goals allowed leads the league.