DENVER, Colo. – Black Hills State men's basketball won its season opener over Arkansas-Fort Smith, 77-62 Saturday night.
 
The Yellow Jackets (1-0, 0-0 RMAC) win their first season opener since the 2017-18 season behind a 53.6 shooting percentage as a team and 14 points off of turnovers.

Joel Scott tallied a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, along with three assists, two steals and two blocks.

Adam Moussa led the team in scoring with 19 points while going 4-of-10 from beyond the arc.

Ryder Kirsch finished 7-of-9 from the field, totaling 15 points and three rebounds.

Both teams went back and forth to open the game which featured 13 lead changes and six ties in the first half. With just under four minutes to go in the first, a Lions three pulled them within one (30-29) but that would be the closest they would come the rest of the way.

The Yellow Jackets followed that with a 9-0 scoring run thanks to a Kirsch layup and a 3-pointer from Moussa to make it a 39-29 game in the closing minutes of the period. They would take that momentum into halftime with a 41-33 lead.

BHSU didn't slow down out of the break as they continued to hold a steady lead, and back-to-back layups from Sava Dukic and Ryker Cisarik put the Yellow Jackets ahead 50-37 midway through the second.

UASF would seem to have an answer every time BHSU tried to pull away, though, getting back to within six points (54-48) with 8:57 to play.

However, the Yellow Jackets followed that up with five straight scoring possessions to extend their lead to 65-51, regaining some breathing room before big three's from Moussa and Scott down the stretch would help seal the 77-62 victory.

Up Next
The Yellow Jackets return to the court Sunday evening at 4 p.m. as they take on Oklahoma Christian.