SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University men's basketball team is set to host a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games this weekend. The Yellow Jackets will play Regis University on Friday, December 15, beginning at 7:30 p.m., before welcoming Chadron State College on Saturday, December 16, with tip scheduled for 6 p.m.

THE GAME - Regis University
 
» The Rangers were selected to finish in third in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, and are currently in a tie for third in the standings.
 
» Regis averages 85.0 ppg, led by Christian Little and Dexter Sienko, who both score 16.2 ppg. Little also leads the Rangers with 5.8 rebounds per game.
 
» RU's one loss this year came at the hands of nationally ranked Colorado School of Mines, 69-58. Most recently the Rangers defeated MSU Denver and UCCS.
 
THE GAME - Chadron State College
 
» The Eagles were selected to finish in a tie for 14th in the Preseason RMAC Coaches' Poll, and currently sit in seven-way tie for ninth at 1-3 in conference.
 
» The team averages 67.2 points per game, and are led by Dru Kuxhausen (11.9 ppg) and Jaisean Jackson (11.7 ppg). Jeremy Ruffin leads Chadron State with 6.6 rebounds per game.
 
» CSC is coming off a weekend where they lost to UCCS, 69-63, and MSU Denver, 79-67.
 
THE COACHES
 
» Jeff Trumbauer enters his fourth season at the helm of the Yellow Jackets. He has a 35-56 record at BHSU.
 
» Brady Bergeson, in his third year as head coach of the Rangers, has already had a 20-win season and RMAC tournament appearance.
 
» Houston Reed is in his second year as the head coach of the Eagles. Prior to that, he was the head coach of Otero Junior College, where he was 174-140.

Last Time Out
The Yellow Jackets dropped a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games last weekend. BHSU fell to #6 Colorado School of Mines, 70-51, before losing, 85-80, to Colorado Christian.

In Friday's game against Mines, Makaleb McInnis had 11 points, while Antonio Capley and Wyatt Krogman each added nine points.

In Saturday's game at CCU, Dez Stoudamire scored 19 points, while Stefan Desnica recorded a career-high 11 rebounds.

Pull it down
Stefan Desnica grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds against Colorado Christian (Dec. 9), while Fraser Malcolm leads the RMAC in offensive rebounds (3.6).
 
South dakota hold 'em
BHSU leads the RMAC and is 37th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 67.1 points per game.

Take care of the ball
The Green and Gold's +2.12 turnover margin is good for first in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

99 Problems, But a win ain't one
The Yellow Jackets scored 99 points against Yellowstone Christian (Nov. 11). This was the most points scored by BHSU since they scored 101 in an overtime loss to Colorado Christian in 2013 (Dec. 14).

Share the rock
BHSU has begun the season averaging 12.5 assists though four games. The 18 assists against Yellowstone Christian (Nov. 11) are the most in a single game since the Yellow Jackets had 19 in an 84-59 victory over Regis in 2015 (Dec. 12).

Settling in
Some of the new players on the Yellow Jackets this season are already making a large impact. Junior transfer Mckaleb McInnis is second on the team in scoring, with 12.6 ppg, while junior transfer Dez Stoudamire has earned a starting role on the squad. Freshman Jackson Ehrlin averages 3.0 rebounds per game.

Home Sweet home
Black Hills State's record last season was starkly different at home and on the road. The team did not win a road game until Feb. 18. The Yellow Jackets were 7-8 at home, but just 2-11 away from the Young Center. So far this year, BHSU is 4-1 at home, and 0-3 on the road.

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.