Black Hills State men's basketball will be playing in its first Elite Eight game on Tuesday as the team is set to face No. 1 Nova Southeastern University.
The 8-seeded Yellow Jackets will take on 1-seed NSU on Tuesday, March 22. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. MT (2:30 p.m. CT).
BHSU has had an incredible season of firsts as they now set their sights on the program's first-ever Elite Eight game. The Yellow Jackets have also seen its first NCAA Tournament, Regional Championship, RMAC Championship, and top-25 appearance in a national poll this season.
On Tuesday, March 15, BHSU won the South Central Region Championship, beating Colorado Mesa 72-62 to advance to the Elite Eight in Evansville, Ind.
BHSU now looks ahead to Tuesday, March 22 as they take on the No. 1 team in the nation, Nova Southeastern at 1:30 p.m. MT (2:30 p.m. CT).
The No. 1 ranked team in the nation, NSU has a potent, up-tempo offense that averages 95.9 points per game which ranks second in DII. Their8.3 turnover margin, 21.6 assists per game, 19.8 scoring margin, 670 total assists and 422 total steals all lead the nation in their respective categories.
The team will press hard and try to score in triple-figures but have been held in check their last two games, winning close games over Union (81-80) and Embry-Riddle (71-68).
The Sharks are members of the Sunshine State Conference and are an undefeated 31-0 overall this season, and 20-0 in league play. NSU averages a 19.8 scoring margin on the season, and scored over 100 points eight times this year, including a season-high 125 points in December.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Black Hills State and Nova Southeastern.
YELLOW JACKETS' LAST TIME OUT
Black Hills State men's basketball defeated No. 4 seed Colorado Mesa 72-62 Tuesday night to win the 2022 South Central Regional Championship and advance to the Elite Eight.
The Yellow Jackets (25-7, 17-4 RMAC) never trailed in the game and led by as many as 12 points on their way to the regional title.
Joel Scott made history, becoming BHSU's all-time single-season scoring leader, now sitting at 743 points this season, breaking the previous record of 733. He also recorded his 20th double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds.
Adam Moussa finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists.
PJ Hayes went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, scoring 13 while
Sindou Cisse totaled eight rebounds, three assists and six points.
Moussa and Scott were named to the All-Tournament team following the game, along with CMU's Trevor Baskin and Jared Small, while Scott took home tournament MVP.
The Yellow Jackets took an early lead using a Moussa jumper and
Ryker Cisarik trey to hold a 5-2 advantage four minutes into the game. Later, a Donovan jumper followed by a Moussa three extended BHSU's lead to 18-12 midway through the first.
But a pair of Maverick threes would cut the Yellow Jacket lead down to 22-21 as the clock ticked into the final few minutes of the half.
Both teams battled with neither finding separation until back-to-back layups from Moussa and Scott moved the Yellow Jackets ahead 34-29 with 1:02 to go, eventually taking a 34-31 lead into the break.
A quick 7-0 spurt out of the break gave BHSU their first 10-point lead, 41-31 in the opening minutes of the second. CMU would keep things close, though, and stay within striking distance as BHSU led 51-46 with 7:39 remaining.
The Mavericks pulled back to within one, 51-50, with under six minutes to play before a pair of huge 3-pointers by Hayes gave the Yellow Jackets some breathing room as they led 60-51 with 3:13 to go.
BHSU eventually got back out to a double-digit lead on Hayes' fourth three of the game before a Cisse layup on their next possession gave the Yellow Jackets a 67-55 lead with under two to play.
In the final seconds, BHSU would head to the charity stripe and go 5-7 to seal the win, 72-62.
SHARKS' LAST TIME OUT
For the second time in program history, the Nova Southeastern men's basketball team is headed to the Elite Eight after earning the NCAA South Region Tournament title in thrilling fashion on Tuesday. Similar to Sunday's Round of 32 ball game, the Sharks faced an early double-digit deficit – this time trailing by as many as 13. Once again, though, the Sharks displayed toughness and a unique will to battle back, finally grabbing the lead with 2:52 remaining before holding on for a 71-68 victory over third-seeded Embry-Riddle.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Nova Southeastern 71, Embry-Riddle 68
Records: Nova Southeastern (31-0), Embry-Riddle (24-10)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
1st Half | Contrary to what the NSU faithful is accustomed to watching, the Sharks were forced to play much more a halfcourt, grind-it-out game on Tuesday. At least early on, that definitely favored the Eagles. NSU led 9-7 following a Sekou Sylla lay-up with 16:18 remaining. However, the Sharks faced an uphill battle for nearly the rest of the game. As a part of a 12-2 run, ERAU All-American Romeo Crouch threw down a dunk to give the Eagles a 28-15 advantage at the 7:27 mark. Needing some sort of spark, NSU received one from an unlikely source in freshman Jonathan Pierre. Scoring eight points during the stretch, Pierre ignited a 14-0 NSU spurt to help the Sharks regain a 29-28 edge with 3:31 to go before the break. The Eagles would answer right back, though, with two three-pointers to quiet the sold-out crowd, eventually taking a 36-33 lead into the locker room.
2nd Half | In the midst of a notable 17-point, 15-rebound double-double, ERAU's Chris Murray recorded two consecutive buckets to begin the half to extend the Eagles' advantage to 40-33. Another Pierre triple would allow the Sharks to hang within one possession with 14:48 to play, yet the deficit ballooned back to nine just moments later. Finally getting one to go, Eddie Puisis connected from beyond the arc to pull NSU back to within three as the Sharks continued to hang around until a Sylla jumper and back-to-back finishes by RJ Sunahara finally allowed NSU to pull ahead 65-63 with 2:52 showing on the clock. A Crouch jumper with under a minute left knotted the score at 68-68, yet Nick Smith and Puisis would each split a pair at the line to make it a 70-68 ball game with just 13 seconds remaining. As Smith gambled on a steal on the ensuing possession, Crouch earned a clean look from three. Lucky for the Sharks, though, the attempt missed off the left side of the iron as NSU was able to hold on.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
The Sharks have now won the NCAA South Region twice within the last four years.
Tuesday marked NSU's third win over Embry-Riddle.
STATS OF THE NIGHT:
After struggling in Sunday's Round of 32 contest, Sylla responded in a big way, finishing with 23 points and 15 rebounds.
Sunahara registered 15 points and four blocked shots.
NSU turned the ball over just nine times in the effort.
A TUESDAY BHSU WIN WOULD...
Advance the No. 8-seeded Yellow Jackets to the Final Four to face the winner of No. 4 Bentley and No. 5 Northwest Missouri State.
A TUESDAY BHSU LOSS WOULD...
Eliminate the Yellow Jackets from the 2022 NCAA Tournament and bring the historic 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 March 8.
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.
MILESTONES
With 743 points this season,
Joel Scott is now the all-time single-season scoring leader in BHSU history, breaking the previous record of 733 points held by Kim Templeton in the 1975-76 season. They are now the only two Yellow Jackets to have surpassed 700 points in a single season.
Scott is also on track with his 23.2 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 24 individual double-doubles over the course of the 2021-22 season.
Joel Scott has tallied a BHSU DII record 20 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 28 career double-doubles at BHSU, with a career-high 20 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.
Sharks' Head Coach Jim Crutchfield is in his fourth season at the helm of the NSU program, and holds a career record of 428-81 (.841).
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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