Black Hills State men's basketball moved past UC Colorado Springs, 87-79 Saturday night, improving to 8-0 and tying a program-best start to the season, matching only the 1927-28 Black Hills Teachers College team.

The Yellow Jackets (8-0, 2-0 RMAC) used big shots in the second half once again as all five starters recorded double-digit points.

Joel Scott led the way with 28 points, going 9-of-14 from the field and 10-of-14 from the charity stripe. He recorded a double-double on the night with his 14 rebounds.

PJ Hayes was also a hot shooter, making 6-of-7 from deep to finish with 22 points and nine rebounds.

Adam Moussa and Matthew Ragsdale each had 12 points and three rebounds apiece.

Sindou Cisse tallied six rebounds and a team-high three assists to go along with his 10 points.

Both squads went back-and-forth to start the game until a trio of Hayes three-pointers and a Scott layup helped BHSU rattle off an 8-0 run to jump out to a 15-8 lead with under 14 minutes to go in the first.

Hayes and Cisse continued to put shots in the basket, with Hayes knocking down 4-of-5 three-pointers early in the half. UCCS charged back from the fast Yellow Jacket start, however, chipping away to a 20-16 deficit on a three-pointer and a layup.  

Shooting cooled off for a handful of possessions on both sides until UCCS evened the game at 22-all with seven to play before halftime. Over those final minutes, the Mountain Lions would move on top and hold a 42-37 lead at the break.

Out of the locker room, BHSU worked its way back and cut into the deficit using a 3-point play from Scott and a Ragsdale trey to pull within one, 44-43, before a Hayes three gave BHSU the lead at 48-47 with 16:34 to go.

A few possessions later, Scott went down the court to secure a three-point play once again to make it a six-point Yellow Jacket lead. Shortly after, another Ragsdale three brought BHSU to a 66-55 lead with 8:33 left in the game.  

The Mountain Lions wouldn't quit, though, chipping away and cutting the Yellow Jacket lead to five in the final minutes, but a Ragsdale layup with just over two minutes to play extended the BHSU lead to 80-69 before the team went 5-of-6 on free throws the rest of the way to seal the win.

Up Next
The Yellow Jackets are back in action next weekend, hitting the road for games at Metro State on Friday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. and at Colorado Mines on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m.