SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University men's basketball team is set to open the 2017-18 season this weekend with two games against Yellowstone Christian. The two teams will meet on Friday, November 10, and will have a rematch on Saturday, November 11. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. on both days.

THE GAME - Yellowstone Christian
» Yellowstone Christian is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association. The Centurions finished third in the Christian College National Invitation Tournament last year, putting up a 11-14 record in the regular season.
» The Centurions return just two players from the 2016-17 season. Vallen Spang averaged 3.8 ppg and 1.4 rpg, while Fabricio Daher Valdivia scored 4.4 points per game. The team adds nine new faces.
» Yellowstone Christian had four players average over 10 ppg last season. However, Stefan Tellis (10.3 ppg), Aleksandar Brankovic (11.7 ppg), Taylan Barrett (11.6 ppg), and Aaron Munday-Rashid (13.1) all were lost after the year.
» Black Hills State University finished the 2016-17 season with a 9-19 overall record, and were 6-16 in conference. They were picked to finish 11th in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
» The Yellow Jackets leading returner is Fraser Malcolm, who earned All-RMAC Honorable Mention for his play last season. Malcolm averaged 14.0 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures in 23 of 28 games.
» Two other starters return for BHSU - Zach McLemore and Patrick Mendes. Five newcomers join the team, and two players who redshirted last year will also contribute.

THE COACHES
» Jeff Trumbauer enters his fourth season at the helm of the Yellow Jackets. He has a 31-52 record at BHSU.
» Isaiah Boxell is in his first year as the coach of the Centurions. He comes from NAIA Union College, where he was an assistant coach.

Malcolm in the Lead
Fraser Malcolm returns to the Yellow Jackets for his junior campaign after leading the squad with 14.0 points per game last season. He played 30.5 minutes per game, and earned All-RMAC Honorable Mention following the season.

Putting Up Numbers
Returning starters with Malcolm are Zach McLemore and Patrick Mendes. McLemore was second on the squad in scoring, with 11.5 ppg. Mendes averaged 9.5 ppg and 2.7 rpg.
 
New Blood
Despite returning eight players with playing time from last year, there will be a large group of newcomers to the Yellow Jackets. Three transfers will fight for playing time, while two freshman join the squad. Dez Stoudamire, Makaleb McInnis, and Jacob Perkins all come to BHSU from community colleges, while Jackson Ehrlin and Trey Winkler join up after their prep careers.

BHSU Picked 11th by RMAC Coaches
Black Hills State was tabbed 11th in the RMAC Coaches' Poll with 59 points. Fort Lewis was voted to finish first, with 183 points, while Colorado Mines (178), and Regis (177), were selected to finish second and third, respectively.
  Black Hills State is located in the Northern Black Hills of South Dakota, sponsoring 13 NCAA sports with membership in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the NCAA emerging sport of women's triathlon and NIRA rodeo. For all information regarding Yellow Jacket Athletics, please visit BHSUAthletics.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram @BHSUAthletics.