Black Hills State men's basketball will be playing in its first NCAA Tournament game on Saturday as the team is set to face 6-seeded Dallas Baptist University.
The 3-seeded Yellow Jackets will take on 6-seed Dallas Baptist on Saturday, March 12. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. MT (12 p.m. CT)
The No. 22 Yellow Jackets have had an incredible season of firsts as they now set their sights on the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament. BHSU has also seen its first votes on a national poll, first top-25 appearance in a national poll, and first RMAC Championship.
On Tuesday, the Yellow Jackets appeared in the final top-25 rankings of the season following the team's RMAC title on Saturday, coming in at No. 22 in the NABC National Coaches' Poll, after having previously received votes on polls in four different weeks this season.
DBU is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament, entering its fifth-straight appearance at the event. The Patriots have a solid, yet offense, averaging 73 points per game and shooting at a 46.4 percent clip from the field.
But the defense has been the strength of this team, ranking first in the LSC with 15.79 forced turnovers per game, second in turnover margin (3.6) and steals per game (8.0), and third in total steals (223).
The Patriots are members of the Lone Star Conference and went 17-11 overall this season, and 10-5 in league play. DBU rattled off a 7-game winning streak in LSC play from Jan. 6 through Jan. 27, but have since gone 4-5, including losses in each of their last three games.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Black Hills State and Dallas Baptist.
YELLOW JACKETS' LAST TIME OUT
Black Hills State men's basketball won a back-and-forth battle with Regis, 69-66 Saturday night to win its first ever RMAC Championship.
The Yellow Jackets (22-7, 20-4 RMAC) advance to their first ever NCAA Tournament in program history.
Joel Scott led the team with 29 points (8-of-11) and nine rebounds along with three steals and a block.
Sindou Cisse and
PJ Hayes both scored in double figures with 12 points and 10 points, respectively.
Adam Moussa dished out five assists while grabbing six boards and scoring nine.
Regis got out to an early 18-12 lead after making 4-5 from deep to open the game. The Yellow Jackets used an 8-0 run from there to take their first lead of the game, 20-18 on a Moussa trey midway through the first half.
The Rangers would work their way back ahead, but BHSU used another quick spurt and a clutch three from Moussa to take the lead in the final seconds of the first and go into the locker room with a 36-35 advantage.
Both teams went back and forth out of the break, neither team separating themselves by more than four points midway as the Yellow Jackets led 47-44 with 10:59 remaining. Regis went on to score nine unanswered from there to take a 53-47 lead with under eight minutes to play.
BHSU wasn't done, though, climbing back with a Moussa three and Cisse layup to pull back within two, 62-60 with 4:44 to go in the game.
Two minutes later, Scott worked his way through the Regis defense for a big dunk and drew the foul for the 3-point play, giving the Yellow Jackets a 65-64 lead.
Leading 67-66 in the final seconds of play, Regis had the final possession, and the Yellow Jackets defense forced a turnover and a foul, bringing Scott to the free throw line with 2.1 seconds left.
Scott sank both free throws, clinching the game 69-66, and Black Hills State's first RMAC Tournament Championship.
PATRIOTS' LAST TIME OUT
THE RUNDOWN
DBU fell to Midwestern State in the Lone Star Conference Quarterfinals Thursday in Frisco, Texas. Ricky Lujan (21 points, 7 assists) turned in one of his best performances this season, but 22 points at the foul line and 44 points in the paint lifted MSU to an 82-66 win at the Comerica Center.
The sixth-seeded Mustangs now advance to face West Texas A&M in the conference semifinals, and DBU (17-11) awaits results from the NCAA selection show this Sunday at 10:00 p.m.
The Mustangs (16-14) maintained a two-score lead throughout the first half. However, timely three-pointers from Grayson Buehler and Jack Johnson prevented large runs and kept DBU within reach.
Ricky Lujan punished MSU off the pass with a game-high five assists, but 10 points from MSU's Jermane Carter sent the Patriots into the break with a 36-27 deficit.
DBU was locked in defensively to start the second half. The Mustangs were held to just two points in the first four minutes as the Patriots continued to chip away at the lead. A few minutes later, Lujan caught fire; the sophomore erupted for 13 points in seven minutes and put DBU back on top 46-45 with a three-pointer fired off a screen from Grayson Buehler.
A quick jumper from Terrell Wilson put the Mustangs back in front before the game was paused to correct a scoreboard issue. Following the pause in play, MSU went on a 12-0 run over three minutes of game time to seize control.
Julian Miranda (14 points) would knock down a pair of threes in the final minutes to join Lujan in double figures.
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
-Midwestern State's Jermane Carter led all scorers with 24 points and eight rebounds on 10-of-13 shooting.
-Ricky Lujan finished with a season-high seven assists.
-MSU improves to 13-6 in conference quarterfinals.
-Julian Miranda made a game-high four triples.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
25-9 - Midwestern State visited the free-throw line 25 times compared to nine for DBU.
100 - Austin Garner's three-pointer was the 100th of his career.
399 - Julian Miranda recorded his 399th career assist.
COACH BLAKE FLICKNER ON THE GAME
"It was a game of runs. I love how we responded coming out of halftime. I was proud of our guys for the fight they had. But a lot of credit has to go to Midwestern State. The way they have played down the stretch of the season has been impressive. Throughout conference play they were the best defensive team in the league... We knew it was going to be a grind, and we knew good shots would be hard to come by."
ON THE SEASON
"We think our body of work is right up there with some of the best teams in the region. It is unfortunate to be in this position, but only one team comes out of this tournament without a loss. We believe in what we've done and where we're at...We'll have to watch what happens and see where the committee puts us."
JULIAN MIRANDA ON RICKY LUJAN'S FUTURE
 "DBU is in great hands with Ricky. I noticed that the first day he stepped on campus. Watching him day in and day out is special. Coach Flickner has nothing to worry about with Ricky taking the reigns."
RICKY ON JULIAN'S PERFORMANCE
"We know coming into most games that it starts with us, it starts with the point guard position. We try to help control the pace of the game and implement the things coach wants us to. It was great seeing Jules do what he does and to be out there with him."
A TUESDAY BHSU WIN WOULD...
Advance the No. 22 Yellow Jackets to the round of 32 to face the winner of No. 2 West Texas A&M and No. 7 Angelo State. It would also give the program its first postseason victory since 2011 when the Yellow Jackets (then NAIA) beat Holy Names in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament.
A TUESDAY BHSU LOSS WOULD...
Eliminate the Yellow Jackets from the 2022 NCAA Tournament and bring the incredible 2021-22 season to a close.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
After receiving votes on polls in four different weeks this season, the Yellow Jackets appeared the program's first-ever top-25 rankings, entering at No. 22 in the NABC Coaches' Poll on Tuesday afternoon.
JOEL SCOTT SUPERLATIVES
Now in his junior season,
Joel Scott currently leads the nation in defensive rebounding, averaging 8.79 per game, and ranks top-10 in seven statistical categories.
1st - Defensive Rebounds Per Game (8.79)
4th - Points Per Game (23.4)
4th - Field Goals Made (250)
4th - Double-Doubles (18)
5th - Total Points (678)
8th - Total Rebounds (305)
9th - Free Throw Attempts (195)
Additionally, Scott leads the RMAC in seven different statistical categories and is top-3 in 13 categories.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
With 678 points this season,
Joel Scott is currently 22 points away from 700, and 56 away from breaking BHSU's all-time record for points in a season - currently held by Kim Templeton, who scored 733 points in the 1975-76 season. That's the only other time a Yellow Jacket has surpassed 700 points in a single season.
Scott is also on track with his 23.4 points per game, to finish the season with the best scoring average in a season for BHSU, besting his current record of 20.7 which he set last year.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES
The BHSU men's basketball team has recorded 22 individual double-doubles over the course of the 2021-22 season.
Joel Scott has tallied a BHSU DII record 18 double-doubles this season. He was also the first to have a double-double in the first game of the season since Fraser Malcolm in 2017-18 season.
Scott has tallied 26 career double-doubles at BHSU, with a career-high 18 double-doubles this season after recording the feat four times in each his freshman and sophomore campaigns.
Adam Moussa recorded the first four double-doubles of his career this season, doing so on 11/24 at MSU Billings, 1/14 at Western Colorado, 2/12 at N.M. Highlands, and 3/4 vs. UCCS.
COACHES
Head coach
Ryan Thompson is in his fourth season leading the Yellow Jackets, having taken the program to it's only NCAA Tournament. He has been named RMAC Coach of the Year two of the last three seasons.
Patriots' Head Coach Blake Flickner is in his 17th season, and is taking his program to its seventh NCAA Tournament, and sixth of the last seven years.
HISTORY ON DECEMBER 3
Anyone who watched the Friday, Dec. 3 game against Western Colorado was saw something special.
Joel Scott had an historic game, breaking the school record for points in a game as he finished with 50 on the night, surpassing the previous record of 46 points set by Jeff Stevens in 1996. Coincidentally enough, Scott's record-tying 46th point of the night also put him past the 1,000-point threshold for his career.
As if that wasn't enough for one night, Scott wasn't even the game's leading scorer as Western Colorado's Matthew Ragsdale broke their school record with 53 points of his own. And to tie it all together, he and
Joel Scott were both teammates at the same high school, Lewis-Palmer H.S. in Monument, Colo.
-BHSUAthletics.com-
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