No. 3/3 Black Hills State men's basketball returns home for the first time in 2023 to host RV Colorado Mesa on Friday, Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. and Westminster on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m.
BHSU remains third in the nation in both the NABC National Coaches Poll and the D2SIDA Media Poll, collecting a first-place vote on the NABC rankings. The team also remains first in the South Central Regional Poll with a 13-0 start to the year, which is the best start to a season in program history, besting the 1927-28 team who went 8-0 to open the season, and the 2008-09 team who started 12-1.
FRIDAY vs. RV COLORADO MESA
The Mavericks (12-3, 7-2 RMAC) are currently riding a seven-game winning streak dating back to Dec. 9 with an 86-70 win over UCCS. Most recently, CMU swept their weekend games on Jan. 6 and 7 with wins over Chadron State (73-60) and Colorado Christian (78-58), respectively.
CMU currently leads the RMAC in overall defense, allowing only 65.6 points per game, and rebounding margin, recording 6.9 more rebounds than its opponents per game. They also have a strong offense, shooting at a .485 clip from the field, (third in RMAC) and .399 from deep (second in RMAC).
Historically, BHSU is 9-10 all-time against CMU, although they have won four of their last six meetings and eight of their last 12. The Yellow Jackets faced the Mavericks three times last season, splitting their two games in the RMAC regular season schedule before beating them 72-62 in the NCAA Tournament on March 15.
MAVERICKS' LAST TIME OUT
Colorado Mesa enjoyed another wire-to-wire win, pushing the pace to cruise past Colorado Christian 78-58 on Saturday night at Brownson Arena.
Once again, the Mavs clicked early behind an up-tempo offensive attack that stressed ball movement and creating open looks. Isaac Jessup hit back-to-back three-pointers to open up an early 10-4 lead within the first five minutes.
On multiple occasions throughout the game, the Mavericks utilized a full first unit and second unit, substituting five players at a time. The offense didn't slow down at all after CMU made its first line change after the first timeout of the game, as McCurry and Elijah Knudsen buried three-pointers to make it 16-6 CMU less than eight minutes into the game.
The barrage of threes that fell early opened up some space inside for Baskin, who collected three open dunks among his 11 first-half points. As a team, the Mavericks shot 63 percent from the field (17-27) and 62 percent from three (8-13) in the first half, culminated by a Blaise Threatt three-pointer with seven seconds to go that sent the Mavs to the locker room with a 47-28 advantage.
Threatt came alive in the second half, scoring 10 of his 18 points on 4-for-6 shooting. For the game, seven different Mavericks had five or more field goal attempts, with Threatt, Baskin, McCurry and Mac Riniker all shooting 60 percent or above from the field. Baskin made 7 of 9 shots but was a perfect 7-for-7 inside the three-point arc.
Riniker ignited the crowd with a pair of dunks in the second half. With 12:49 left, Riniker blew by a defender and threw down a ferocious right-handed slam over the CCU center. Three minutes later, Riniker intercepted a pass, and with an open court in front of him, trotted down the court and flushed down a one-handed windmill.
Levi Dombro, Eddie Kurjak and Eric Pollert each played the final two-and-a-half minutes. Kurjak and Pollert each pulled down two rebounds in their second and third games of the season, respectively. Elijah Knudsen played 16 minutes, the second-highest total of his career. The freshman guard had eight points on 3 of 4 shooting, including 2 of 3 from beyond the arc.
LAST MATCHUP: BHSU vs. CMU (March 15, 2022)
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.
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SATURDAY vs. WESTMINSTER
The Griffins (5-10, 4-5 RMAC) are winners of their last two, and have won four of their last six. Last weekend WC knocked off Colorado Christian, 80-45, and Chadron State, 76-73.
They rank eighth in the RMAC in scoring margin at a -0.8 this season, though they shoot at a .475 clip from the field, good for fourth.
BHSU is 5-3 all-time against Westminster dating back to 2016. The Yellow Jackets have won each of the last two matchups, including a 69-61 victory last season.
GRIFFINS' LAST TIME OUT
The Westminster Griffins now have won back-to-back games at home for the first time this season. Taylor Miller once again thrived in the victory as the Griffins were able to hold off a tough Eagles team from Chadron St. in the 76-73 win on Saturday night from Utah.
Miller wasn't alone scoring in double-figures on the night as Trey Farrer dropped 16 points in his short time on the floor with four rebounds, and Donaval Avila scored 13 points of his own in the win.
The Griffins were able to knock down 7 three-point shots on the night and adding 15 points from the free throw line.
As for the Eagles, they were led by Isaiah Wyatt with 17 points and Porter Anderson who added 14 as the Griffins were able to climb up the standings with their fifth RMAC win of the year.
LAST MATCHUP: BHSU vs. WC (March 15, 2022)
Black Hills State men's basketball wrapped up an impressive weekend with a 69-61 victory over Westminster, handing the Griffins their first conference loss of the season.
Sindou Cisse and
Sava Dukic each scored 21 points to lead the offense.
Dukic made a career-best six 3-pointers, tying him at eighth all-time in school history for threes in a game. His 13 attempts from beyond the arc is good for second in BHSU history.
Cisse finished 8-of-11 from the field with a trio of threes, four rebounds and three steals.
Adam Moussa dished out a team-best four assists and tallied four rebounds and nine points.
Joel Scott was contained to a season-low 10 points by Westminster, but the junior was still able to record his seventh double-double of the season with 10 rebounds and four assists.
Down 7-0 early, 3-pointers from Moussa and Cisse highlighted a 10-2 spurt to give BHSU its first lead, 10-9. The Yellow Jackets and Griffins traded leads over the next several minutes of play in a half that would end up seeing nine lead changes and three ties.
Westminster would later hold a 24-23 lead before a 13-3 scoring run from BHSU, capped by a Cisse layup, gave the team a 36-27 lead with three minutes left in first. The Griffins would inch back before halftime, but a Dukic three kept the Yellow Jackets up by five as they entered the break with a 39-34 lead.
Out of the half, another Dukic three along with some free throws gave BHSU its first double-digit lead of the night, 45-34. Westminster pulled back to within two, but the Yellow Jackets would go on to outscore them 10-2 over the next five minutes of play and extend their lead to 58-48 with 9:45 remaining.
Triples from Moussa and Dukic down the stretch helped the Yellow Jackets keep a firm lead, but Westminster was able to keep pace and stay within striking distance.
As the clock ticked under three minutes to play, the Griffins fought back to within four as BHSU held a 64-60 lead. That score would hold into the final 30 seconds of the game before free throws from Scott and Dukic would ice the game and seal the 69-61 victory.
YELLOW JACKETS' LAST TIME OUT
Black Hills State men's basketball defeated Western Colorado, 78-73 Friday night in just their second game since Dec. 16.
The Yellow Jackets (13-0, 7-0 RMAC) tallied 10 steals and six blocks on the night, both season-highs for the team.
Joel Scott led on the floor with 22 points and 14 rebounds for his fourth-straight double-double performance, and sixth of the season. He also tallied four blocks and a steal while making 8-of-14 from the field.
Ryker Cisarik was second in the rebound column for the Yellow Jackets with a season-high nine to go along with his 15 points. He went 7-of-8 from the field and had a team-high four steals while also putting up a pair of blocks.
Matthew Ragsdale totaled 18 points and four rebounds while
Adam Moussa scored 10 points to go with four assists, three rebounds and two steals.
BHSU got out to an early 5-0 lead with quick shots from Scott and Ragsdale, but WCU would inch back and eventually take a 12-10 lead as the clock ticked under 15 minutes in the first.
Teams went back-and-forth from there as the Mountaineers kept pace with big threes from Ragsdale and
Caelin Hearne to hold a 24-23 lead with 8:41 to go. From there, BHSU rattled off an 11-0 scoring run with the help of a Moussa jumper and a Scott three to take their first double-digit lead of the game, 36-26, with 5:04 remaining in the first.
WCU wasn't done, though, using a quick 5-0 spurt to draw back within five, before layups from Cisarik, Scott and Moussa sent the Yellow Jackets to the locker room with a 42-33 advantage.
Out of the break, WCU outscored BHSU 12-2 and pulled ahead 45-44 with 16:31 remaining. But threes from Ragsdale,
Jaeton Hackley and Moussa put BHSU back on top 55-50, and then a Hackley layup and Cisarik dunk extended the lead to 59-50 midway through the second.
The Mountaineers still wouldn't quit, however, scoring six straight to pull back to within one possession at 9:24 before teams traded buckets over the next several minutes.
BHSU continued to hold the lead over that stretch until layups from Scott and Cisarik helped propel the offense to nine unanswered points, extending the Yellow Jackets to a 72-62 lead with 3:43 to play.
Layups from Cisarik and Ragsdale in the final minutes kept BHSU afloat before free throws from Scott and Moussa helped seal the 78-73 victory.
YELLOW JACKETS RANKED
The Yellow Jackets remain ranked third in both the D2SIDA National Poll and the NABC National Poll, while also collecting a first-place vote. BHSU also remains first in the South Central Regional Poll, where they've sat all season with all six first-place votes.
Statistically, BHSU leads all of NCAA DII in defensive rebounds per game (33.0), while ranking third in the nation in field goal percentage defense (37.7), and seventh in made 3-pointers per game (11.0).
The Yellow Jackets also sit 11th in 3-point percentage (41.3 and in fewest turnovers per game (10.7), 14th in scoring margin (15.8) and 17th in field goal percentage (50.1).
As a team, BHSU leads the RMAC in six key statistical categories, including field goal percentage defense, fewest fouls per game, defensive rebounds per game, three-point percentage, three-point percentage defense, and made threes per game, and is also top-five in 15 categories.
A FRIDAY BHSU WIN WOULD...
Keep BHSU atop the RMAC standings and in the national rankings with a record of 14-0 overall and 8-0 RMAC, while continuing their historic start to the season.
A FRIDAY BHSU LOSS WOULD...
Put the Yellow Jackets at 13-1 overall to open the season, still the best start since 2008-09 when the team also started 12-1. BHSU would remain first or second in the RMAC standings, dependent on the results of Fort Lewis' and Colorado Mines' weekend games.
COACHES
Head coach
Ryan Thompson is in his fifth season leading the Yellow Jackets, having taken the program to its first NCAA tournament in the 2021-22 season, and the RMAC tournament each of the last four years.
Mavericks Head Coach Mike DeGeorge is in his fifth season at CMU, while Westminster Head Coach Norm Parrish is in his eighth leading the Griffins.
KEY RETURNERS
BHSU returns all of its starters from the 2021-22 season, and nearly all of its key contributors, including
Ryker Cisarik,
Sindou Cisse,
Sava Dukic,
Adam Moussa,
Tommy Donovan,
John Shanklin,
PJ Hayes, and RMAC Player of the Year,
Joel Scott.
DYNAMIC DUO
The Yellow Jackets added transfer
Matthew Ragsdale ahead of the 2022-23 season, who had previously spent all three seasons of his career at Western Colorado where he totaled 1,309 points over 73 games and 2,185 minutes played. In the 2021-22 season, Ragsdale finished second in the RMAC in scoring with 601 total points and 21.5 per game, behind only
Joel Scott.
Ragsdale rejoins former high school teammate, Scott, after they played together at Lewis-Palmer High School in Colorado where in their senior season they went an undefeated 28-0 to win the Colorado 4A State Championship.
This year, they are both in their senior year of eligibility and have the chance to combine for the most total points in a season by a pair of NCAA teammates who also played on the same high school team. Currently, the highest combined total is 1,047 points, accumulated by Dick (535 points) and Tom Van Arsdale (512) in the 1963-64 season at Indiana. The twins played high school basketball together at Emmerich Manual High School in Indianapolis, Ind.
Current 2022-23 Ragsdale/Scott Point Total:
455
-BHSUAthletics.com-
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