Black Hills State men's basketball dropped its first RMAC game of the season Sunday night, falling to Colorado Mesa, 81-71.

The Yellow Jackets (9-4, 7-1 RMAC) shot 45.3 percent from the field, but couldn't get shots to fall from deep as they shot only 28.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Joel Scott led the team with 26 points and 13 rebounds, tallying his 10th double-double of the season. Scott also recorded three blocks and a steal.

Adam Moussa scored 16 while totaling four boards and five assists.

Ryder Kirsh finished with six rebounds and seven points, while Tommy Donovan was 4-of-5 from the field, scoring nine points and grabbing three boards.

A layup and a dunk from Scott to open the game got BHSU out to an early 4-2 lead. CMU would go ahead 12-6 before a quick 7-0 spurt put the Yellow Jackets back on top, 13-12 midway through the first.

Both teams traded baskets into the final minutes in the first half, tied 27-all with 3:14 to play. From there, the Yellow Jackets rattled off a 13-6 run, capped by a resounding last-second dunk from Scott, to take a 40-33 lead into the break.

CMU scored 11 unanswered to open the second half, moving ahead 44-40 with 15:21 to play. The Yellow Jackets continued to trail, but remained within striking distance as the clock continued to tick down.

Three straight scores from Scott helped pull BHSU to within two and make it a 56-54 game with 7:34 to play, but wouldn't re-take the lead, eventually falling 81-71.

Up Next
The Yellow Jackets head to Gunnison, Colo. next weekend as they travel to take on Western Colorado on Friday, Jan. 14 at 5 p.m.