THE GAME - Chadron State

• The Yellow Jackets ran over the Eagles 82-55 on December 17 in the Young Center led by a career-best game from Patrick Mendes with 19 points. Three other Yellow Jackets scored double-digit points including a near double-double from Max Mueller with 14 points and nine rebounds. Michael Johnson was the only Eagle in double digits with 17 points.
• Chadron State has lost 12-straight games and sits 2-22 on the season and 2-18 in the RMAC, with the last victory being a 66-58 triumph against Adams State. The other CSC win was against UCCS 75-71. With 10 days between games, Chadron last played on Valentine's day at Regis, falling 76-68 after leading by as many as six points late in the second half. 
• The Eagles are led by Darius Polley who averages 13.6 points per game in a team-high 32.1 minutes per contest. Warren Gordon is second on the team with 11.2 points as dual-sport athlete Matt Reader leads the team with 4.9 rebounds per game. 

THE GAME - Regis

• Black Hills State dropped a heartbreaker to Regis on December 16 when Noah King hit a 3-point basket with 2:07 remaining to give the Rangers a 57-56 lead. Neither team was able to convert a single point the rest of the way. Patrick Mendes was the only Yellow Jacket to score double-digit points with 15 as King led Regis with 11 points. 
• Regis sits 18-8 overall and 12-8 in conference action, sitting in fifth place entering the weekend. The Rangers had won five-straight games until falling 87-74 last Saturday to Westminster. 
• Jarrett Brodbeck leads the team with 17.4 points per game as Dexter Sienko pours in 15.8 points per contest. Sienko leads the team with 6.3 rebounds per game. Kevin Metoyer ranks second in the league with 4.7 assists per game. 

Last Time Out
Black Hills State earned its first victory away from the Donald E. Young Center last Saturday with a 68-66 victory at Colorado Mesa. It was a season sweep over the Mavericks for the Yellow Jackets, who earned their eighth victory of the season.

Fraser Malcolm scored 21 plus points for the fourth time in five games as he scored a game-best 21 points but it was freshman Hoyt Nicholas that came off the bench for 18 points that sparked BHSU to a 20-point lead. It was his back-to-back 3-point baskets that gave the Yellow Jackets their first lead of the game just over midway through the first half. 

From there, the lead ballooned to 20 points in the second half but Colorado Mesa clamped down on defense and fought its way back into the game to tie it at 61-61. Through a lengthy delay, BHSU was able to hold off CMU in the closing minutes, thanks to a pair of free throws from Antonio Capley with 11 seconds remaining. 

WHAT A WEEKEND SWEEP WOULD DO
If the Yellow Jackets pull off the weekend sweep, BHSU will end the season with double-digit victories for the fourth-straight season, and 13th time in at least the last 14 seasons. A victory at Regis would give the Yellow Jackets its third-straight year of closing out with a victory.

GRABBING THAT FIRST ROAD WIN
Black Hills State went 0-10 on the road this year until a 68-66 victory at Colorado Mesa. The mark came 365 days from the last road victory, which was leap year February 19, 2016 at UCCS. The 0-10 doubled the previous NCAA era worst start for a road season. Previously, the Yellow Jackets went 0-5 in the 2014-15 season. 

A LOOK AROUND THE RMAC
Black Hills State was officially eliminated from RMAC Tournament action with its loss to UCCS on February 4. Colorado Mines and Fort Lewis are tied atop the RMAC with identical 17-3 records in league play. CSU-Pueblo sits in third place with a 16-4 record while RMAC newcomer Westminster is fourth at 15-5. Westminster is 
ineligible for the RMAC Tournament due to transition rules.

HOYT NICHOLAS HAS A NIGHT
Freshman Hoyt Nicholas provided a much-needed spark off the Yellow Jacket bench at Colorado Mesa, promptly sinking 4-of-8 3-point field goal attempts. He gave the Green and Gold its first lead of the game with back-to-back treys and finished with a season-best 18 points. Previously, he had not scored more than eight points in a single game.