Before returning to enjoy some Thanksgiving turkey, the Black Hills State University Men's Basketball team looks to return to the win column as they venture to the Alterowitz Gymnasium to visit Montana State University Billings for a non-conference clash on Tuesday night with tip-off set for 7:00 PM.
The Yellow Jackets look to get back on track after dropping both games of the East/West Challenge over the weekend, falling to Augustana, 76-70, on Friday and MSU Moorhead, 86-72, on Saturday.
TUESDAY vs. MSU BILLINGS
The Yellowjackets are fresh off their most successful season in over a decade, winning 20 games and making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012 before getting bounced by eventual West Region Champion Cal State San Bernardino in the first round of the National Tournament.
They have begun this season 2-2 after defeating Minot State on Saturday. BHSU is 2-5 all-time against MSUB, however they blew out the Yellowjackets when they came to the Young Center the night before Thanksgiving a year ago, winning 97-38.
YELLOWJACKETS' LAST TIME OUT
BILLINGS, Mont.- Highlighting the Montana State University Yellowjacket men's basketball team (2-2) matching up against the Minot State Beavers (2-1) on November 18, 2023, in Alterowitz Gym. The Yellowjackets bounced back and took down the Beavers 82-64 in dominating fashion. "I'm really proud of how the guys bounced back after the last game," said head coach Luke Fennelly. "We were fundamentally, and statistically much better tonight and it showed what we are capable of."
Famous Lefthand opened the game for the Yellowjackets on a transition pass from Jalen Tot, Lefthand put up a floater from the baseline to put the 'Jackets on the board. Lefthand kept his consistent shooting going putting up two more field goals to help put the Yellowjackets down by just one 9-8 before the first time out of the game at 14:56. Right after the timeout break Ky Kouba got on the board with his first triple of the night putting MSUB up by two. Just before the half-way mark after the second timeout of the game at 11:33 Kouba hit his third 3-pointer of the game putting the 'Jackets up 22-15. Daniel Moody kept it going for the Yellowjackets after tacking on another field goal but also contributing two block, two rebounds, and a steal by this point in the game. After a back-and-forth battle at 5:10, Zharon Richmond tacked on a three-ball followed by jumper to extend the lead to eight and put Richmond at seven points on the night. After another Minot State bucket Emmanual Ajanaku made his presence known after an electrifying two handed slam dunk followed by another field goal on the next possession. In their final possession Daniel Moody added another field goal putting the 'Jackets up 42-32 going into half time. At this point the Yellowjackets were shooting an impressive 57.1 percent from the field, 63.6 percent from beyond the arch, and 75 percent from the line to produce a 10-point lead heading into the second half.
The 'Jackets came out hot again in the second half with a Moody field goal, Steven Richardson dunk, followed by back-to-back three pointers by Jalen Tot to put the Yellowjackets up 52-40. Zharon Richmond would then drain another three ball on the next possession to help improve an impressive team statistic of 10-15 from beyond the arch at this point in the game. At the 13:50 mark Bryce Whitaker came off a screen by Richmond, lobbing a pass to who else than Emmanual Ajanaku to finish the alley-oop with authority putting the Yellowjackets up by 14. Halfway through the second half Kouba again hit another deep ball to make him 4-6 beyond the arch and putting the 'Jackets up by 19. MSUB was not just outperforming the Beavers on offense, at this point in the game the Yellowjackets were leading in all defensive categories as well with 21 rebounds, 8 steals, and 3 blocks. At the 7:40 mark Lefthand added another field goal followed by at pump fake step-back jumper putting him at 20 points on the night and extending the lead to 70-52 with under seven minutes to go in the game. Just before a Minot State timeout at the 2:40 mark Ky Kouba again from beyond the arch to keep the 22-point lead and improved the score to 80-58 in favor of the 'Jackets. With 30 seconds left on the shot clock Steven Richardson was able to hold the ball at half court, running out the clock and securing the 82-64 win.
LAST MATCHUP: BHSU vs. MSUB (Nov. 19, 2022)
Black Hills State men's basketball had its largest win in 58 years Wednesday night with a 97-38 victory over MSU Billings at the Donald E. Young Center.
The Yellow Jackets improve to 5-0 to start the season for the first time since the 1988-89 season.
BHSU's 59-point victory is the second-largest margin of victory in program history, second only to a 67-point victory (132-65) over Southern in the 1964-65 season.
On the floor,
Sava Dukic led the way with 26 points, going 6-of-9 from deep and 9-of-13 from the field to go along with six assists and four rebounds.
Matthew Ragsdale added 20 points in the box score, making 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. Ragsdale added four rebounds and a steal.
Joel Scott had a team-high nine boards to go along with 10 points while Adam Moussa dished out six assists.
John Shanklin made the most of his minutes, finishing with eight points, six rebounds a steal and a blocked shot.
The Yellow Jacket offense got off to a blazing start, quickly getting out to a 13-0 start with the help of a pair of threes from Ragsdale and another from Dukic. BHSU could not miss over the first six minutes of play, going 9-of-9 from the field to extend the lead to 25-5 with 14:14 to go in the first.
BHSU continued to keep its foot on the pedal as treys from
Jaeton Hackley and
Caelin Hearne along with layups from
PJ Hayes and Shanklin highlighted a 16-0 scoring run that pushed the Yellow Jacket lead to 38-5 midway through the half.
Five more threes from the green and gold down the stretch gave the team its largest lead of the game, 58-20 heading into the break.
It was more of the same out of the locker room as the Yellow Jackets continued to add on, extending their lead to 40 (62-22) on a Hayes dunk. That was part of a 14-0 spurt that eventually stretched the BHSU advantage to 72-22, a 50-point lead, with 12:09 to play.
The Yellow Jackets would end the night with 32 points off the bench as Hackley, Hearne and
Hoku Fisher all tallied minutes to get in on the scoring down the stretch. BHSU went on to lead by as many as 61 points in the final minute of play before time expired with the 97-38 advantage.
YELLOW JACKETS' LAST TIME OUT
RAPID CITY, S.D. –
Hoku Fisher surged in the second half, scoring 16 of his career-best 18 points on the night for the Black Hills State Men's Basketball team at the East/West Challenge. However, a comeback attempt fell short as they fell in a neutral site matchup to MSU Moorhead, 86-72, at the King Center on Saturday evening.
Fisher's career-high reset his prior mark that he recorded just a week ago when he scored a dozen against Arkansas-Fort Smith. He reached his scoring output by shooting 7-for-12 on the night, making two of his five three-point tries and adding five rebounds.
Matthew Ragsdale finished as BHSU's leading scorer, putting in 22 on 10-of-17 and making half of his four attempts from deep.
Joel Speckman followed up his breakout showing on Friday with another strong night, contributing a dozen points for the Yellow Jackets, shooting 83.3% along the way and snaring a team-high seven boards.
Jacob Beeninga led a quartet of Dragons in double-figures, scoring a game-high 23 points and was flawless in his 11 tries from the free throw line.
Jamir Price and Gabe Myren contributed 16 and 13 points respectively for MSUM, while Jacob Jannissen posted a double-double with 11 points and a game-best 11 boards.
BHSU converted on 54.5% of their shot attempts in the game, their best mark ever in East/West Challenge competition, however, it was not enough to cover a 7-22 margin in free throws made in the contest.
MSU Moorhead would collect the first five points in this one before a Speckman layup off a nice dish by Ragsdale kick-started the Yellow Jacket offense. BHSU would also score on the ensuing two possessions, but the Dragons had an answer and worked their advantage back to six points with 12:42 in the half.
Myles Johnson responded, converting a three-point play ahead of a
Ronnail Tape triple, tying the score heading into the under-12 timeout.
The squads would trade blows across the next seven minutes, a stretch that included BHSU's first lead of the contest, although, MSU Moorhead would gradually claim a two-point edge. Ja'Kair Sanchez made a layup sparking an 11-4 run to extend their lead to nine with under a minute left in the half. Speckman converted a pair from the line before
Deegan Williams missed a free throw, but chased down the loose ball and made a baseline floater as he got fouled with four seconds remaining. He would miss his chance at the stripe, but Black Hills State was suddenly back within two possessions at the break.
BHSU shot efficiently in the first half, making 53.8% of their shots from the field including three of their five three-point attempts. The Dragons only connected on 41.9% of their shots, but they got to the free throw line plenty, and converted on 11-of-15.
Ragsdale paced the Yellow Jackets with 14 in the first half, on six-for-eight from the field, making both of his three-point attempts. Beeninga led all players, scoring 15 in the stanza, including five from the charity stripe.
The Yellow Jackets came out of halftime firing, with Fisher, Speckman, and Ragsdale getting baskets on the team's first three possessions, extending the BHSU run to 10-0 spanning each side of the break, and claiming the lead in the process. Logan Kinsey responded, burying a three to put MSUM back in front and they would ride that momentum to a 20-4 stretch across the next nine-and-a-half minutes of gametime.
Back-to-back scores from Speckman and a 7-2 run from Fisher constituted an 11-2 stretch that got BH back within six, 63-57, with 6:37 left. However, Dane Zimmer made a three, and then a trio of makes from the charity stripe, with a Fisher hoop mixed in, got the lead back to double-figures and it would stay that way through the final buzzer.
Fisher caught fire in the half, collecting 16 points for BHSU while Speckman and Ragsdale added eight apiece in the comeback attempt. The Dragons had a more balanced scoring output, with five players scoring six or more points in the stanza with Price and Myren leading the charge with nine each.
Black Hills State shot over 55% in the second half, including two-for-six from distance, but also missed five free throws along the way. MSUM only shot 44.1% in the half, but they were buoyed by making 11-of-14 from the line, while also connecting on four triples.
The Yellow Jackets look to get back on track on Tuesday night when they venture to Montana to match up against MSU Billings beginning at 7 PM.
MATCHUP HISTORY
This will be the eighth meeting all-time between the Yellow Jackets and the Yellowjackets. MSUB holds the edge all-time, 5-2, but it was BHSU who blew out the visiting Yellowjackets by 59 points last season (second-largest margin of victory in program history, 67-point victory (132-65) over Southern during 1964-65 season).
A BHSU WIN WOULD...
Give the Yellow Jackets consecutive head-to-head wins against MSU Billings for the first time in the DII era.
A BHSU LOSS WOULD...
Be their longest losing streak (three-games) since dropping three-straight in November 19-24 in 2021. A streak that featured two similar opponents to the current streak as it was to Augustana and Northern State in the East/West Challenge, and MSU Billings (BHSU went 24-5 the rest of the way that season).
Also drop BHSU three games below .500 for the first time since the 2016-17 season when they finished 10-games under.
NEW JOEL ON CAMPUS
Freshman forward
Joel Speckman was thrust into the starting lineup last weekend, and he made an immediate impact. On Friday, Joel played 36 minutes for the Yellow Jackets, posting a double-double with 16 points (7-15 FG) and a game-high 10 rebounds (3 offensive) while adding four steals.
He is the first freshman member of the Black Hills State University Men's Basketball team to record a double-double since
Joel Scott posted four during his freshman campaign, the last one being an 11-point, 11-board showing on February 8, 2020, against New Mexico Highlands.
Speckman followed that up with 12 points (5-6 FG) and 7 rebounds on Saturday against MSU Moorhead.
RAGSDALE'S STRONG START
After shaking off some opening night rust,
Matthew Ragsdale has been lights-out for Black Hills State eclipsing the 20-point threshold in each game. He has averaged 23.3 points per game in that span, shooting .528 (28-52) in that span.
He has already matched his total of 20-point showings from the 2022-23 campaign and this is the first time that Ragsdale has eclipsed 20 points in consecutive games as a Yellow Jacket. The last time he scored 20-plus in consecutive contests was when he scored 33, 30, and 20 in three-straight from February 12th through the 19th in 2022 for Western Colorado.
CAUGHT A BIG FISH(ER)
Hoku Fisher enjoyed a career night on Saturday night against MSU Moorhead, scoring a career-high 18 points (7-12 FG, 2-5 3PT) for the Yellow Jackets. He surged in the second half of that contest, recording 16 of his 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, 2-of-4 from three-point range.
RECENT TRENDS
- On Saturdays this season, Fisher has recorded 12 and 18, posting new career-best marks each time.
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Matthew Ragsdale is averaging 23.3 points per game across his last three games, shooting .528 (28-52) from the field.
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Joel Speckman averaged 14.0 points on .571 (12-21) along with 8.5 rebounds (2.0 offensive) over the weekend.
AGAINST MSU BILLINGS
John Shanklin has enjoyed a lot of success in his two appearances against MSU Billings in his career. In last season's blowout, he recorded season-high marks in points (8, later matched against New Mexico Highlands on 1/20/23), rebounds (6), assists (2), and free throws made (2, later matched against Fort Lewis on 2/17/23). In 2022 he scored 7 points against MSUB, a number that he eclipsed just once that season.
Ragsdale scored 20 points on 7-for-9, 5-of-6 from three last season vs. the Yellowjackets, he never matched up against MSUB while at Western Colorado.
RECORDS/MILESTONES
Matthew Ragsdale will be one of BHSU's top point scorers this year after totaling 472 points last season, falling just shy of the all-time top-10 list for points in a season.
Caelin Hearne's 3-pt percentage of .452 last year put him fifth all-time for BHSU in a season with the record being .517 set by Adam Moussa in 2020-21.
NEW FACES, NEW PLACES
With only seven returning members from last year's second-consecutive Final Four team, the 2023-24 Yellow Jackets have brought in 10 new faces. Of the seven returning, two were redshirt freshmen in
Cameron Jackson and
Ty Nettles.
Of the 10 newcomers, six are transfers, including four juniors and two sophomores, and four are incoming freshmen.
COACHES
Head coach
Ryan Thompson is entering his sixth season leading the Yellow Jackets, having taken the program to back-to-back NCAA DII Final Fours, and the RMAC tournament each of the last five years.
MSU Billings is coached by Luke Fennelly, who's in his first year as bench boss, after being promoted from the lead assistant position that he's held for the last three seasons. He has 46-40 record as an assistant with MSUB and last season, he helped guide the Yellowjackets to their first National Tournament appearance since 2012.
-BHSUAthletics.com-
