SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University men's basketball team hosts two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games this weekend as the conference enters the home stretch of the season. The Yellow Jackets welcome No. 11/13 Colorado School of Mines February 22, before playing host to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on February 23.

THE GAME – Colorado School of Mines Orediggers

» In the first matchup in Golden, the Orediggers defeated the Yellow Jackets, 78-67. Fraser Malcolm (19), Dez Stoudamire (14), and Tyler Oliver (10) each scored in double figures in the game.

» The Orediggers are 22-3 overall, and have yet to lose in RMAC play. They have clinched the regular season title, and are currently ranked No. 11/13 in the national rankings. Most recently, CSM took down CSU-Pueblo (93-56) and New Mexico Highlands (100-73). Out of 19 conference games, Mines has won all but three by more than five points.

» The team scores 84.5 points per game, which is second in the league. Four Orediggers score in double figures, led by Mason Baker, who averages 15.0 ppg. Michael Glen, who scores 11.6 ppg, leads the squad in rebounding, pulling down 7.0 boards per game. CSM is in the top-five of every RMAC statistical category except three.

THE GAME – University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Mountain Lions

» The Yellow Jackets lost a heartbreaker to the Mountain Lions in the first meeting this season. With the game tied in Colorado Springs, UCCS made a free throw with one second remaining to win the game, 73-72.

» UCCS is 16-9 overall, and their 13-6 RMAC record is tied with BHSU and Dixie State for third place in the conference standings. Most recently, the Mountain Lions defeated New Mexico Highlands, 94-83, and CSU-Pueblo, 97-84. UCCS enters the weekend on a four game winning streak.

» The team scores 83.3 points per game, led by Padiet Wang, who scores 12.9 ppg. Wang also reads the Mountain Lions in rebounding, pulling down 5.8 boards per game.

THE COACHES

» Ryan Thompson enters his first year at the helm of the Yellow Jackets after spending the previous three years as the assistant coach. He recorded his first win as the head coach in a 65-62 victory over Augustana (Nov. 17, 2018).

» Pryor Orser is in his 17th year at the helm of Mines. He has led the Orediggers to eight NCAA tournament appearances.

» Jeff Culver is in his seventh season as the head coach of UCCS, coaching an NBA Draft pick, and two All-Americans.

 Last Time Out

The Yellow Jackets split the final road weekend of the season. BHSU fell to MSU Denver, 72-51, before coming back to defeat Chadron State, 77-71.

On Friday evening, Dez Stoudamire led the Green and Gold with 14 points, while Fraser Malcolm had 10 points and six rebounds.

At Chadron on Saturday, three players scored in double figures. Stoudamire led the way with 23 points, while Stefan Desnica tied his career-high with 20 points. Tyler Oliver added 14 points and six boards. Antonio Capley had eight points and 10 rebounds.

Where It Stands

With three games to play in the regular season, Black Hills State stands in a tie for third place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The top four seeds will host a first round game in the RMAC Shootout tournament.

Throw It Back

During Saturday's games, the Yellow Jackets will be wearing throw back uniforms as a celebration of BHSU basketball history.

Six in a Row

BHSU has two different six-game winning streaks this year. The team won six games between Jan. 25 and Feb. 9, while also opening Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play with six consecutive victories. The streak was the first time since the 2010-11 season that the Yellow Jackets won at least six games in a row. The Green and Gold won the Dakota Athletic Conference that year, and made it to the second round of the NAIA Tournament.

All-Academic

Stefan Desnica was named a member of the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll. The junior has a 3.507 in business administration, while averaging 4.1 ppg and 2.2 rpg.

Conference Accolades

Two Yellow Jackets have been named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week so far this year. Tyler Oliver earned the accolade on December 17 for his play against Adams State and Fort Lewis. He averaged 19.5 ppg, 10.5 rpg, and 4.0 apg in the two games. Fraser Malcolm was named the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on January 28 for his play in a pair of wins against New Mexico Highlands and CSU-Pueblo. The senior scored 27 points in each game, recording a double-double against the Cowboys with 10 rebounds.

Denied

The Yellow Jackets are averaging 2.7 blocks per game so far this season. That is good for eighth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Antonio Capley averages 1.0 blocks per game, which puts him ninth in the RMAC.

Score on 'Em

Fraser Malcolm is averaging 16.0 points per game to lead BHSU, which is also good for ninth in the league. He made 52.1 percent of his shots from the floor, ranking fourth in the RMAC. Dez Stoudamire averages 12.2 ppg, which sits 27th in the conference.

Dish It

Tyler Oliver currently ranks 13th in the RMAC, dishing out 3.2 assists per game. His 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio is 12th in the conference.

Defense First

The Yellow Jackets are allowing just 70.7 points per game scored against them, which is third in the RMAC. BHSU is one of just eight teams in the conference with a positive scoring margin (+2.4).

Charity Stripe Work

BHSU is currently third in the league in free throw percentage, making 74.9 percent from the line.

Downtown Living

The Green and Gold currently sit fourth in the conference in three-point field goals made per game, with 9.3. The team has made double-digit treys in 10 of 23 games so far. Individually, Dez Stoudamire's 2.5 three-pointers per game is sixth in the RMAC. Meanwhile, Fraser Malcolm made 2.0 treys per game, which is 11th in the conference.

Crash the Glass

Tyler Oliver is averaging 4.9 defensive rebounds per game, which is ninth in the league. BHSU has a +0.8 rebounding margin, which is sixth in the RMAC.

1000 Point/500 Rebound Club

Fraser Malcolm is the latest member of the Yellow Jackets to reach 1,000 career points. He surpassed the milestone on a three-pointer in the first half in a win against Dixie State (Dec. 8, 2018). With his season cut short due to injury, the senior has now finished his career at 1,260 total points. Malcolm also finished with over 500 rebounds to go with his 1,000 points. He grabbed his 500th board in a loss to UCCS (Jan. 18, 2019), and sits at 554 total. 

Weekend Sweep

The Yellow Jackets men's and women's basketball teams went 4-0 against Adams State and Fort Lewis on the road December 16-17. This was the first time since BHSU joined the RMAC (2012-13) that the two teams swept a weekend on the road. The Green and Gold are a combined 11-3 in league play during the 2018-19 season.  

Moving On Up

Fraser Malcolm makes a number of appearances in the BHSU career record lists. Malcolm sits fifth in free throws made (227), third in field goals made (452), third in rebounds (554), sixth in three point field goals made (129), and fourth in blocks (55). With one season to play, Malcolm was sixth in career points per game (11.2), fifth in field goal percentage (.459), seventh in rebounding average (5.5), and third in free throw percentage (.790). Also making an appearance in the career record lists is Antonio Capley, who currently has 49 blocks, good for sixth all time, and Stefan Desnica, who has 31 blocks to put him eighth. Patrick Mendes currently sits ninth in free throws made (152), while Dez Stoudamire's 116 three-point field goals made rank tied for eighth.

First of Many

Head coach Ryan Thompson earned his first career win as the head coach of Black Hills State University against Augustana University, Nov. 17, 2018. The Yellow Jackets got the win, 65-62, in a back-and-forth affair at the East-West Challenge.

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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.

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