SPEARFISH, S.D. – Dez Stoudamire scored 25 points, as the Black Hills State University men's basketball team took down the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, 79-76, on Saturday evening. The Yellow Jackets have now clinched a spot in the RMAC Tournament.  

Stoudamire led the Yellow Jackets (15-10, 14-7 RMAC) with 25 points and eight rebounds. The senior made five three-pointers, and had 20 points at halftime. Tyler Oliver finished with 15 points, while Sava Dukic added a career-high 12 points.

The first two minutes were a back-and-forth affair. The score was tied, 5-5, with 18 minutes remaining in the first half, before the Mountain Lions (17-10, 14-7 RMAC) knocked down a three-pointer to take an 8-5 lead. The Yellow Jackets responded with a 13-2 run to take an eight-point lead on their home floor with 13:03 left in the first. UCCS remained within touching distance, but the Green and Gold took a seven-point lead, 38-31, into the break.

The second half was a game of runs. A 6-0 run, including two buckets by Makaleb McInnnis, opened the second half for BHSU, and gave the home squad a game-high 13-point lead. The Mountain Lions then used a 17-2 run of their own to retake the lead, 50-48. With 10 minutes to play, and the game tied, 54-54, the Yellow Jackets pushed ahead by 13 points once again. As time ticked down, the Green and Gold made enough free throws to hang on for the victory, 79-76.

BHSU shot 49.1 percent from the field (28-for-57), while UCCS was 44.4 percent from the floor (28-for-63). The Yellow Jackets were 10-for-26 (38.5 percent) from beyond the arc, while the Mountain Lions were 11-for-28 (39.3 percent) on three-pointers. BHSU was 13-for-19 (68.4 percent) from the charity stripe, and UCCS was 9-for-15 (60.0 percent) from the free throw line. The Green and Gold was outrebounded, 39-32.

Elijah Ross led the Mountain Lions with 22 points, while Dalton Walker had 13 and Padiet Wang added 12.

BHSU and UCCS are now tied with a 14-7 RMAC record, and sit in fourth place with one game to play in the regular season. The Yellow Jackets, along with Colorado School of Mines, Dixie State, Regis, and UCCS, have clinched a spot in the eight-team tournament. The Green and Gold will meet South Dakota School of Mines and Technology on Friday, March 1, as the Yellow Jackets battle for playoff position, and the chance to host a first round game. The rivalry game will start 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---