Black Hills State basketball kicks off the 2022-23 campaign this weekend, hosting the Texas A&M-International Dustdevils on Friday, Nov. 11 at 5:30 p.m. before turning to a Saturday, Nov. 12 matchup against Texas A&M-Kingsville at 6 p.m.
 
The Yellow Jackets faced off against the Idaho State Bengals in Pocatello, Idaho last week in a preseason exhibition match and kept it close in their 39-45 loss. The ladies are looking to start the season strong, holding a home-court advantage through their first four contests of the season.
 
BHSU finished last season 18-10 (16-5 RMAC) and made an appearance in the RMAC championship tournament. Led by head coach Mark Nore, who enters his 21^st season at the helm, and Hope Bonlander, who enters her third season as assistant coach, the Yellow Jackets look to start strong on a schedule that opens with four-consecutive home games.
 
The ladies' squad will see 13 returning student-athletes back on the floor this season, including last year's leading scorers Danica Kocer and Megan Engesser. Kocer finished 10^th in the RMAC in 2021 after scoring 366 total points and averaging just over 13 points per game. Engesser ranked third in the conference from beyond the arch as she drained 35% of her three-point shots last season.
 
As a team, BHSU's defense finished fourth in the conference for points-allowed after holding opponents to 58.5 points per contest.
 

BLACK HILLS STATE VS. tEXAS a&m-iNTERNATIONAL  FRIDAY, NOV. 11 // 5:30 P.M. // SPEARFISH, S.D. // DONALD E. YOUNG CENTER Live Stream / Live Stats

 
Black Hills State vs. Texas A&M-International
TAMIU finished last season with an 18-11 (8-8 LSC) record and made two appearances in the Lone Star Conference tournament. They travelled to Kingsville, Texas and beat the No. 8 Kingsville 66-64, then fell to West Texas A&M 75-56.
 
In the Lone Star Conference preseason polls, the Dustdevils were chosen to finish seventh in the conference as they received 371 points in the polls. In the previous week, they competed in a pair of exhibition contests against SMU and North Texas, falling in both games 54-88 and 66-87, respectively.
 
Head coach Nate Vogel will be entering his fourth season at the helm of the TAMIU women's basketball program, with Haley Blankinship making her debut as assistant coach.
 
BHSU holds a 2-0 record all-time against the Dustdevils, with their last contest on Nov. 9, 2019 ending with a 78-56 BHSU victory.
 

BLACK HILLS STATE VS. tEXAS a&m-Kingsville  SATURDAY, NOV. 12 // 6 P.M. // SPEARFISH, S.D. // DONALD E. YOUNG CENTER Live Stream / Live Stats

 
Black Hills State vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville
The Javelinas of Texas A&M-Kingsville head to the Donald E. Young Center following another LSC/RMAC contest against Chadron State. Returning eight players form the previous season, including All-LSC Honorable Mention guard Mia Rivers, TAMUK looks to continue the success they found last season.
 
In the LSC preseason polls, the Javelinas finished sixth with 408 points. During the 2021-22 season, the Javelinas went 17-11 (10-6 LSC) and secured their first playoff berth since 2019 but fell in a close 66-64 first-round loss against the No. 9 TAMIU Dustdevils. Defensively, the Javelinas were third in scoring defense in the LSC after holding opponents to 59.8 points per game last season.
 
The Yellow Jackets are 2-0 all-time against the Javelinas, with their last contest on Nov. 8, 2019 ending in a 65-37 win for BHSU.