No. 4/5 Black Hills State men's basketball defeated New Mexico Highlands 83-70 Friday night at the Donald E. Young Center.

The Yellow Jackets (11-0, 5-0 RMAC) continue their impressive streak to open the season after outrebounding the Cowboys 43-29 and knocking down 11 threes.

Joel Scott put up a double-double performance with 22 points and 11 rebounds to go along with a blocked shot.

Sindou Cisse tallied 19 points, making 7-of-12 from the field while grabbing seven boards.

Adam Moussa was all over the court, totaling seven rebounds, six assists and nine points.

PJ Hayes drained four threes to finish with 16 points, and Matthew Ragsdale totaled 12 points.

Back-to-back threes from Hayes and Cisse to open the scoring helped BHSU out to an early 8-2 lead, but the Cowboys were able to pull back and eventually take a 9-8 lead five minutes into the game.

The Yellow Jackets wouldn't be down for long, though, as Cisse put up another three and a layup to help put the team ahead 15-11 before five points from Hayes extended the lead to 23-18 as the clock ticked under eight in the first.

Teams would go back-and-forth for a stretch before layups from Scott and Cisse gave BHSU its first double-digit lead, 31-20 with 4:55 to go. A jumper and triple from Scott extended that lead to 36-22 a minute later and the Yellow Jackets would eventually take a 42-26 lead into the locker room.

Out of the break, NMHU began to chip away at the 16-point deficit and made it a 48-35 game shortly into the second half. The two teams traded blows from there, but the Cowboys continued to inch closer.

Five minutes into the half, NMHU drew within single digits of the Yellow Jackets, and made it 58-51 after an 8-0 spurt midway through the second. However, each time the Cowboys seemed to get within striking distance, BHSU had an answer to stall their momentum.

A big 3-point play from Cisse and a trey from Hayes helped push BHSU back to a double-digit lead, 66-51 with 7:36 remaining. NMHU inched back again, 67-58 with under six to play, but back-to-back Moussa threes and a pair of free throws once again added separation after the under-4 media break.

NMHU's Dante Moses continued to keep the Cowboys in the game with his 33-point night, but a resounding slam from Scott and a Ragsdale three in the closing minutes proved to be the final dagger as BHSU went on to win 83-70.

Up Next
The Yellow Jackets are off for winter break the next couple weeks, next playing at Adams State on Friday, Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m. and then at Fort Lewis on Saturday, Dec. 31 at 5:30 p.m.