SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University men's basketball team wraps up the regular season on March 1, when the team hosts South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. The rivalry game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.

THE GAME – South Dakota Mines Hardrockers
» The Yellow Jackets and Hardrockers met Dec. 1 in the first game of the RMAC schedule, with BHSU earning the 57-56 overtime victory. Dez Stoudamire hit a buzzer-beating three at the end of regulation to tie up the game, and Tyler Oliver made a game-winning buzzer-beating layup to earn the win. The game began a six-game winning streak for the Green and Gold. The Yellow Jackets now lead the all-time series with their in-state rivals, 103-88.

» The Hardrockers are 12-17 overall, and 9-12 in conference play. Most recently, SDM handed nationally ranked Colorado School of Mines their first conference loss. South Dakota Mines won, 67-58, after falling, 74-73, to UCCS. The nine conference wins for the Hardrockers are the most since they joined the RMAC.

» The team scores 69.2 points per game, led by Mitchell Sueker, who scores 14.7 ppg. Allec Williams (13.0 ppg) and Logan Elers (11.9 ppg) also score in double figures, while Elers is also tied for the lead in rebounding, pulling down 6.3 boards per game. Damani Hayes (8.9 ppg) also tallies 6.3 rpg.

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).

»  Eric Glen is in his first season as the head coach of the Hardrockers. He spent 14 years as the assistant coach.

Where It Stands
With one game to play in the regular season, Black Hills State is tied for fourth with UCCS, and have clinched a spot in the RMAC Tournament. In order to host a first round game, the Yellow Jackets need to be in the top four seeds. The easiest among many scenarios is a BHSU win along with a Colorado School of Mines win on Friday, and the Green and Gold will clinch a top-four spot.
 
Senior Day
Friday evening's game will serve as Senior Night for four Yellow Jackets. Fraser Malcolm, Patrick Mendes, Dez Stoudamire, and Makaleb McInnis will all be honored for their contributions to the program prior to the start of the game.
 
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.  It is also the first time that the team has won at least five games in a row twice in a season.
 
Road Warriors
The Yellow Jackets have recorded the most wins away from Spearfish since the 2010-11 season (12). The eight wins on the road so far this year are the most while playing in the RMAC.
 
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. His 24 blocks this season are the most since the 2010-11 season, and tied for fifth most all time.  
 
Score on 'Em
Despite his season-ending injury, Fraser Malcolm is averaging 16.0 points per game to lead BHSU, which is also good for eighth in the league. He made 52.1 percent of his shots from the floor, ranking fourth in the RMAC. Dez Stoudamire averages 12.6 ppg, which sits 23rd in the conference.
 
Dish It
Tyler Oliver currently ranks 11th in the RMAC, dishing out 3.2 assists per game. His 1.3 assist-to-turnover ratio is 11th in the conference.
 
Defense First
The Yellow Jackets are allowing just 71.0 points per game scored against them, which is fourth in the RMAC. BHSU is one of just seven teams in the conference with a positive scoring margin (+2.2).
 
Charity Stripe Work
BHSU is currently fifth in the league in free throw percentage, making 74.5 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 9.2. The team has made double-digit treys in 11 of 25 games so far. Individually, Dez Stoudamire's 2.5 three-pointers per game is fifth in the RMAC, as is his 32.6 percentage from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Fraser Malcolm made 2.0 treys per game, which is 14th in the conference.
 
Crash the Glass
Tyler Oliver is averaging 4.7 defensive rebounds per game, which is 11th in the league. BHSU has a +0.2 rebounding margin, which is ninth 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 51 blocks, good for fifth all time, and Stefan Desnica, who has 34 blocks to put him eighth. Patrick Mendes currently sits ninth in free throws made (152), while Dez Stoudamire's 122 three-point field goals made rank 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.
    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.