SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University women's basketball team returns home to host Grace University and Johnson & Wales on Friday, November 17 and Saturday, November 18. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 4 p.m. on Saturday.

THE GAME - Grace University

• The two teams meet for the first time on the hardwood on Friday with a tipoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
• Darielle Evans leads the team averaging 23 points per game. Marisa Brown ranks second on the team for points with a 13.0 ppg average. Brown leads the defense with 12 total rebounds, 10 of them defensively.
• The Royals are a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association.

THE GAME - Johnson & Wales

• Black Hills State and Johnson & Wales meet for the fifth time on the hardwood on Saturday with a tipoff slated for 4:00 p.m. BHSU leads the all-time series, 4-0.
• The Wildcats are members of the Association of Independent Institutions and rank ninth in the conference at 1-4 on the season.
• Andromeda Sales leads the Wildcats with 13.3 ppg. The senior is averaging 36 minutes per game. Freshman Brianna Aluya leads the defense with 11 rebounds.

THE COACHES

• Black Hills State University head coach Mark Nore enters his 16th season with the Yellow Jackets and owns a 265-175 record. He is the all-time wins leader for the Yellow Jacket basketball team.
• Brandon Rogers enters his first year at the helm of the Royals women's basketball program. Rogers joined Grace after playing at the University of Maine, capturing USCAA First Team All-American honors three times, and First Team All-Conference YSCC three times. Rogers was named the 2015-16 Yankee Small College Conference Player of the Year.
• Bob Kintzel enters his second year as head coach of the Wildcats. Kintzel came from Mount Mercy University, where he served as an interim head coach in 2015-16 and assistant coach in 2014-15. The Mustangs advanced to the postseason both years. Kintzel is a Hall of Fame player for Mount Mercy, where he led in scoring and rebounding.

3-0 START
Since joining the NCAA in 2012, this is the best start the Yellow Jackets have had. The last time BHSU started 3-0, was back in the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. In 2007-08 when starting 3-0, the Green and Gold went 28-6 overall and 14-3 in the Dakota Athletic Conference. The 08-09 season, Black Hills State went 26-8 overall and 11-3 in the DAC.

ERICKSON ON FIRE
Rachel Erickson continues to tear up the floor, as she notched her second 20-point game of the season. Erickson notched 23 points against Minnesota State-Mankato (11/14/17) going 10-of-16 from the field, setting a new career-high for field goals made and attempted. The Cheyenne, Wyoming, native is averaging 22.7 points per game, three games into the season. Erickson tied the program record for 3-pointers made in a game with seven against Texas A&M International (11/11/17). The senior is shooting .600 percent from the field.
 
BREAKING RECORDS
Rachel Erickson set a new career-high, 26 points, and is in a three way tie for the program individual
game record of 3-pointers made in a game with seven during the contest against Texas A&M International. Hannah Cass scored her first collegiate double-figure game with 11 points as a redshirt freshman, while Keely Bertram notched her first career double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds in the game against Texas A&M International. Bertram's 13 rebounds was a new career-high for her as well.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Black Hills State earned its first win over the Minnesota State University- Mankato Mavericks on Tuesday, November 14, 67-44.
 
Julia Seamans registered her first career double-double, knocking down 16 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Erickson worked alongside Seamans, scoring her second 20-point game of the season with 23 points.
 
Seamans played a season-high 34 minutes and went 5-of-10 from the field, 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-4 from the line. Seamans grabbed the team high 10 rebounds with six of them offensively.  Erickson set a new career-high from the field, going 10-of-16.

Following the weekend, the Yellow Jackets will host Yellowstone Christian College on Tuesday, November 21 for their final non-conference contest before starting Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action on December 1 and 2. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m.