SPEARFISH, S.D. – Overtime was not kind to the Black Hills State University men's basketball team as the Yellow Jackets fell 79-77 to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Saturday night.
The Yellow Jackets found themselves fighting to get into overtime after Padiet Wang hit a jumper in the paint with 28 seconds left. Taking control, Zach McLemore stepped into a shot and was fouled with 1.2 seconds left sending the junior to the free throw line where he sank both shots with ease to knot the game at 66-all and force the extra period.
In the overtime, UCCS went up by four points after Wang had a break-away dunk followed by a layup from Justin Smith.
The Yellow Jackets knotted the game at 70-70 thanks to a pair of free throws from Connor O'Hearn then a jumper from just outside the free throw line with 1:48 on the clock. The Mountain Lions regained the lead at 73-70 when Elijah Ross hit a 3-point basket followed by a pair of free throws from Smith.
Down 75-70, Fraser Malcolm sank a 3-point basket of his own but the Mountain Lions again converted two free throws to keep a four-point lead. On the ensuing Yellow Jacket possession, Malcolm again hit a trey, but this time was fouled for the four-point play and tie game at 77-77 with 16 seconds on the clock.
With time winding down, Ross hit a contested layup for UCCS with just 2.1 seconds remaining. After a BHSU time out, Malcolm received the pass at midcourt, turned to face the basket and had his game-winning attempt fall off the backboard.
For the third-straight game, Malcolm tallied more than 20 points, this time a 23-point effort while O'Hearn scored a season-best 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting. LD Thomas, making his second-career start, tallied a season-best 15 points. Stefan Desnica grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
UCCS was led by Blend Avdili with 16 points while Smith grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
Black Hills State shot 45.9 percent (28-of-61) from the field while the Mountain Lions countered with a 42.4 percent (28-of-66) from the field. UCCS recorded 12 second-chance points and dominated the paint with 34 points in the free throw lane.
Black Hills State, who falls to 7-17 overall and 4-14 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, held a 16-point lead with 16:54 to go in the game when Thomas sank a layup. It was the largest lead either team had in the game as UCCS largest lead was by five points in the overtime period. The Mountain Lions cling to the eighth spot in the RMAC with a 9-8 record in league play and 10-12 overall.
The Yellow Jackets close out their home season one week from tonight with a 6 p.m. contest against South Dakota Mines. The evening will be a night filled with remembrance, with a Round Ball Reunion and honoring senior Max Mueller.
