GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Black Hills State University men's basketball team fell in a heartbreaking overtime contest to Colorado Mesa, 68-67.

The Yellow Jackets fall to 11-7 on the season and 8-6 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while the Mavericks improve to 9-11 overall and 5-9 in RMAC action.

In the first half, the Yellow Jackets kept up with the Mavericks and the two teams traded off points for the first six minutes, as it was tied 5-5 with 14:12 remaining. However, the Mavericks then claimed the lead, 8-5, when Kolten Peterson knocked one down from beyond the arc.

However, Antonio Capley followed that up when Dez Stoudamire hit him mid-air and he slammed it down for a dunk to trail, 8-7. Trent Clay for the Mavericks took the lead back up to three though at 10-7.

From there, Stefan Desnica received a pass from Wyatt Krogman under the basket and laid in to give BHSU their first lead of the game, 11-10, but Peterson reclaimed the lead for CMU dropping one in from downtown again to go up 13-11.

Later on in the half, with 7:06 remaining, Patrick Mendes hit a shot from the top of the key to give BHSU an 18-15 lead over the Mavericks. The Green and Gold managed to hold on to the lead until 4:39 remaining in the half, when Connor Nichols laid one in to tie the game at 19-all.

From there, the Mavericks looked to keep the lead as Clay went 1-of-2 from the line, giving CMU a 20-19 lead. CJ Davis increased it with a three-pointer, 23-19. However, in the final minute, Fraser Malcolm and Krogman scored four points combined to trail by three heading into halftime at 26-23.

At the start of the second half, the Yellow Jackets went on a 9-0 run to claim the lead over the Mavericks, 32-26. Desnica and Malcolm each hit a shot from the top of the key. Malcolm hit a second shot from beyond the arc, and Mendes finished the run with a layup under the basket, before Emilio Acedo hit a shot from downtown to end the BHSU run at 32-29.

With 15:50 left to go, Krogman hit Malcolm mid-air for a dunk to give the Green and Gold a nine-point lead at 40-31. However, Colorado Mesa cut in on the lead to come within three at 43-40 with 11:23 remaining in the game.

Under 2:30 left, the game was knotted at 53-all, but Krogman drove the length of the floor to flip in a shot to give BHSU the lead, 55-53. Desnica followed up right behind, knocking one in from beyond the arc to increase the Yellow Jackets lead, 58-53.

In the final seconds, Acedo dropped two in from the line for the Mavericks to trail by three at 58-55 with less than 30 seconds to go. In the final seven seconds, Trent Clay made a free throw to trail by two at 58-56, but a too many men technical foul on CMU placed Makaleb McInnis at the line to take the lead back up to three at 59-56.

As the clock expired, Clay popped up a three-pointer and tied the game at 59 to send it into overtime.

BHSU had the lead with three minutes left to go at 65-64, but a shot by Connor Nichols gave CMU the one-point lead at 66-65, and the Mavericks managed to claim the victory, 68-67.

Black Hills State shot 40 percent from the field, 31 percent from beyond the arc, and 66.7 percent from the line. The Green and Gold edged out the Mavericks on rebounds, 45-40.

Connor Nichols led all scorers with 23 points, going 8-of-19 (42.1 percent) from the field and 7-of-10 (70 percent) from downtown.

Malcolm registered his sixth season and ninth career double-double with 13 points and 12 assists. Krogman notched 13 points and a season-high nine assists. Patrick Mendes and Desnica each registered 12 points.

Defensively, Antonio Capley grabbed 12 boards, tying his career and season-high. Desnica had seven rebounds.

The Green and Gold return to action on Saturday, January 27, at Western State with tipoff slated for 7 p.m.