BILLINGS, Mont. – There was plenty to go around a couple of days before Thanksgiving for the Black Hills State University Men's Basketball team, with five Yellow Jackets enjoying eight or more helpings of the main course in the scoring column, and another six snagging seven or more servings on the boards as the Yellow Jackets got back on track, defeating Montana State University Billings, 78-67, at the Alterowitz Gymnasium on Tuesday night.

Like grandma restricting your turn for seconds until you finish your green bean casserole, BHSU restricted the opposition to just a 35.2% field goal percentage, including 28.6% in the second half to clinch the victory, their second-straight against the Yellowjackets of the west, making it the first time in the Division-II era that BHSU has beaten MSUB in consecutive matchups.

Matthew Ragsdale had a full-helping of the featured dish, scoring a game-high 25 for the Yellow Jackets on 8-13 shooting, five-for-nine from deep. This marks the fourth consecutive game in which Ragsdale has scored 20 or more points, eclipsing his total number of such games from a season ago. It is also his longest streak of 20-plus showings since he scored that many in seven-straight from January 14^th through February 1^st while he was still at Western Colorado in 2022.  

Hoku Fisher finished with 14 points, adding plenty of gravy in the form of seven rebounds, and three assists, both of which were tied for the team lead.

Caelin Hearne, meanwhile, enjoyed a little of everything, contributing a season-best 14 points, along with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

John Shanklin returned to add eight points, seven rebounds, and two blocks while Myles Johnson pitched in eight points, five boards, and a game-high three swats off the bench.

Four players reached double-figures for MSU Billings. Famous Lefthand led the way with 17 on 8-for-13 followed closely by Zharon Richmond's 16, including eight from the charity stripe. He also snared a team-high seven rebounds.

Daniel Moody tallied 11, although he went 4-of-13 to get there. Bryce Whitaker scored a baker's dozen off the bench for the hosts while Jalen Tot had a game-high four assists.

Fisher would pick up right where he left off on Saturday night, scooping a lefty layup home and connecting on a three-ball on the left wing off a give-and-go action with Shanklin. Lefthand had an answer with a pair of mid-range jumpers, but BHSU held a 5-4 edge early. A 7-0 spurt by the hosts was countered by a 6-0 run by Black Hills State as a see-saw affair was rapidly unfolding in the early going. An MSUB bucket at the 12:39 mark gave them the lead entering the under-12 timeout.

A few moments later, with the tallies even at 15 apiece, Hearne picked the pocket of Steven Richardson and took it all the way himself and that seemed to kick-start the Yellow Jacket offense. After a pair of MSU Billings free throws, the guests knocked down back-to-back-to-back triples, and while the Yellowjackets had an answer on each occasion, BHSU did build a five-point advantage and would never trail for the remainder of the contest. A nifty double-clutch layup from Fisher and a Ragsdale triple with 62 seconds left opened the BHSU advantage to ten, the largest for either side in the stanza. Whitaker responded with a three of his own followed by a layup just before the horn bringing the score to 41-36 at the half.

The offensive efficiency that the Yellow Jackets have displayed this season continued in the first half of this one, as they connected on 16 of their 29 shot attempts, good for a 55.2% field goal percentage. They also attempted 16 threes, their most in a half thus far this season, and made seven of them, good for a 43.75% mark.

Hearne led all players with a dozen at halftime making five-of-six from the field including both of his three-point attempts. Ragsdale joined him in double-figures with 11 and while Ronnail Tape was held scoreless, but he did have a game-high three helpers at the break.

Montana State Billings made 42.1% of their shots in the half but went just 2-13 from long range. Their 14-9 edge in points off the bench helped keep them remain within two possessions, however. Richmond led MSUB with 11 points in the frame while Whitaker added ten to go with his five rebounds to lead all players in the half.

Matthew Ragsdale took control out of halftime, scoring the first ten points of the stanza for Black Hills State. Lefthand did respond with a pair of jumpers, but the Yellow Jackets advantage had ballooned to 11. The hosts finally got the deep ball working a little bit, as Richardson and Whitaker each hit from range as a part of an effort to chip into the deficit. However, Deegan Williams drew three defenders on a drive along the baseline before dishing it to Shanklin for the easy bucket, making the score 55-48 with less than 12 minutes remaining.

Four free throws by the Yellowjackets kept them within striking distance, and they got within a point on one occasion, on a Lefthand right-hand layup. However, BHSU would respond by putting the game out of reach with a 12-0 run. After the Lefthand layup, Speckman got it started with a transition score with his left hand. Myles Johnson and Shanklin each got a layup, Ragsdale knocked down a pair from the charity stripe, and Fisher pitched in four during the run to open up a 13-point lead, the largest of the contest. The hosts attempted a comeback and got it to a three-possession game, but BHSU made their free throws down the stretch to secure the victory.

While the Yellow Jackets shot a respectable 46.4% from the field in the second half, it was their defense that made the difference, holding MSUB to a mere 28.6% from the field in the stanza. Ragsdale led all players with 14 in the second half, making four-of-seven from the field. Lefthand tallied 11 in the comeback attempt.

Black Hills State will return to the hardwood for one more tune-up before RMAC play as they will host South Dakota Mines for a non-conference matchup on Monday, November 27. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM.