THE GAME - South Dakota Mines

• The two teams meet for the second time this season on the hardwood with tipoff slated for 4 p.m. Saturday. SDSMT leads the season series, 1-0
• The two teams previously met in Rapid City at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center where the Hardrockers defeated the Yellow Jackets 61-42.
• Megan Rohrer and Anna Haugen are the top leaders for scoring and rebounding for the Hardrockers. Rohrer averages 10.3 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. Haugen is right beside Rohrer with 7.3 rebounds per game and 8.4 points per game. Both Rohrer and Haugen have received Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Players of the Week honors.
• The Hardrockers and the Yellow Jackets are tied in eighth in the RMAC standings with records of 8-10 in the conference. 

THE COACHES

• Black Hills State University head coach Mark Nore owns a 261-171 record over 14 seasons with the Yellow Jackets. He is the all-time wins leader for Yellow Jacket basketball.
• Ryan Larsen is in his fourth year as the Hardrockers head coach. Prior to South Dakota Mines, Larsen served five years in Vermillion, S.D. as the assistant women's basketball coach at the University of South Dakota. He served as the recruiting coordinator, scouting director, position coach for guards and posts, and scheduled games and off-season camps for the program. He also aided in the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. 

WHAT'S AT STAKE

• The two teams are battling for a spot in the RMAC Tournament. The top eight teams make it and both teams are right on the edge as the Hardrockers and the Yellow Jackets are tied for eighth place.

LAST TIME OUT
Black Hills State fell to MSU Denver and UCCS this past weekend by scores of 76-68 and 55-42.
 
Against MSU Denver, Rachel Erickson led the Yellow Jacket offense scoring a career-high 25 points. She went 7-of-12 from the field and 11-of-13 from the line in 28 minutes of action. Alongside Erickson on the offense was Julia Seamans. Seamans scored 13 points going 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in 31 minutes of action. Seamans grabbed four steals and tallied four assists.
 
Against UCCS, Cheyanne Balster led the Yellow Jacket offense with 12 points. Balster went 6-of-13 from the floor and grabbed four steals in the 55-42 loss. On defense, Taylor Trohkimoinen grabbed a team high and tied her season-high nine rebounds, eight of them defensively.
 
RACHEL ERICKSON STREAKIN'
Rachel Erickson had a career-high game against MSU Denver this past weekend. Erickson scored 25 points being the first Yellow Jacket this season to break a 20-point game on the season. For the second time in her career, Erickson made seven from the field and set a new career-high from the line with 11 out of 13 attempts. Erickson leads the team with points averaging 10.0 per game.
 
A LOOK AROUND THE RMAC
With only four games left in the season, Black Hills State is looking to claim a spot into the RMAC Tournament. The top eight teams make it into the tournament and the Yellow Jackets are right on the edge with an 8-10 RMAC record tying with South Dakota Mines who is also 8-10 in the conference. Both SD Mines and BHSU are in eighth place. CSU-Pueblo leads the conference with a perfect 19-0 conference record and a 23-0 overall record. Regis, Colorado Mesa, UCCS, Fort Lewis, MSU Denver and Colorado Mines are among the other eight teams that could make the tournament.
 
ALL-ACADEMIC SELECTIONS
For the third time in her career, Taylor Trohkimoinen earned First Team All-Academic honors. Trohkimoinen owns a 4.00 GPA in elementary education. The Yellow Jackets saw six others make the Academic Honor Roll with Remi Wientjes leading the way with a 3.80 in elementary education. Sierra Toms is right behind with a 3.71 GPA in psychology followed by Gabby Haefs and Julia Seamans each with a 3.62 GPA. Haefs is majoring in elementary education and Seamans is majoring in mathematics. Keely
Bertram makes the list with a 3.51 GPA in elementary education and Rachel Erickson owns a 3.30 GPA
in science.