BILLINGS, Mont. – Fraser Malcolm scored 29 points, but the Black Hills State University men's basketball team fell to the University of Alaska Fairbanks, 68-64, on Friday evening.  

Malcolm had his first double-double of the year, recording 29 points and 11 rebounds. Dez Stoudamire had 13 points for the Yellow Jackets (1-2).

The first five minutes were a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to pull away. With the score tied, 9-9, the Nanooks (2-4) made back-to-back three pointers to lead by six with 12:20 left in the first. They extended their lead to 16 with just over five minutes in the half, and led by 12 at the break.

For most of the second half, the Yellow Jackets were unable to get any closer than eight points. Down by 12 with 2:30, Malcolm made a three-pointer while being fouled, sinking the free throw to get it to eight again. After forcing a turnover, Malcolm hit another trey. With less than a minute to play, the Green and Gold got another stop. The Yellow Jackets' offense moved the ball around, finding Stefan Desnica, who hit a wide-open three-pointer of his own to cut the lead down to two points. With nine seconds remaining, BHSU had a shot to take the lead, but could not take advantage. Alaska Fairbanks sunk two free throws in the final seconds to secure the 68-64 win.

BHSU shot 32.3 percent from the field (20-for-62), while UAF was 37.7 percent from the floor (23-for-61). The Yellow Jackets were 7-for-31 (22.6 percent) from beyond the arc, while the Nanooks were 9-for-25 (36.0 percent) on three-pointers. The Green and Gold outrebounds Alaska Fairbanks, 44-37.

Spencer Sweet led the Nanooks with 20 points, while Michael Kluting had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

The Green and Gold will next play Montana State University Billings on Saturday, November 24. The Yellow Jackets and Yellowjackets will tip off at 7:30 p.m.

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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.

---BHSUAthletics.com---