SPEARFISH, S.D. – Junior Makaleb McInnis led the Black Hills State University men's basketball team to its second win of the season in its rematch against Yellowstone Christian, 99-64, on Saturday night. McInnis notched is his first collegiate double-figure game with 22 points.
McInnis went 8-of-15 from the field, 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, and 2-for-2 from the line.
Fraser Malcolm was right behind with 19 points.
In the first half, the Yellow Jackets jumped out to an 8-0 lead over the Centurions. A three-pointer by Alfredo Pena ended the Green and Gold run and got Yellowstone on the board.
Halfway through the first half, with 9:50 remaining, two shots by Jackson Ehrlin at the line increased the Yellow Jacket lead to 10, at 22-12. From there, the Green and Gold went on a 13-0 run, starting at 31-16, with Malcolm hitting a layup.
The Centurions were able to end the Black Hills State run off two free throws by Joseph Hooker. However, it was not enough as the Green and Gold ended the half with a 24-point lead at 49-25.
After halftime, the Yellow Jackets came out on fire, as McInnis hit Malcolm down the court for a dunk to go up 51-25. That set the momentum for the Green and Gold, however, the Centurions tried cutting in on the lead at 12:56 to trail by 21 at 62-41.
However, it was not enough, as Black Hills State increased the lead to over 30, and grabbed its second win of the season defeating Yellowstone, 99-64.
Alongside McInnis and Malcolm,
Patrick Mendes was the third leading scorer with 13 points on the night. McInnis and
Wyatt Krogman each tallied four assists.
On defense, McInnis and Ehrlin each had a team-high six rebounds, with Ehrlin grabbing four of his offensively.
The Yellow Jackets out-rebounded the Centurions, 37-29. Black Hills State went 40-of-67 (59.7 percent) from the field and 11-of-26 (42.3 percent) from downtown. Yellowstone Christian went 16-of-18 (88.9 percent) from the line.
Leonardo Lupiano and Harry Sun were the leading scorers for Yellowstone, knocking down 13 points each, while Joseph Hooker had 10. Hooker had a team high six rebounds.
Black Hills State returns to action Saturday, November 18, hosting Johnson & Wales University, with tipoff set for 6 p.m.
