The Black Hills State University Men's Basketball team ventures to Colorado, opening Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play with a clash against Regis University on Friday, December 1
st at 7:00 PM, followed by the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Saturday, December 2
nd at 7:00 PM.
BHSU seeks to right the ship after going 2-4 against non-conference opponents. The Yellow Jackets went 18-4 against conference foes last season, finishing third in the RMAC.
FRIDAY vs. REGIS
The Rangers are winners of three-straight coming out to non-conference competition, sweeping Simon Fraser, 64-59, and Seattle Pacific, 65-56, at the Regis Field House over Thanksgiving weekend.
Regis largely ranks in the middle of the pack in the RMAC in most major statistics. They do rank second in turnover margin at +2.4, and are stout defensively, ranking third in the league in scoring defense allowing 68.6 points per game. The Rangers are also a supremely balanced team, as their top national ranking is in bench scoring as they get 32 points per game from their second unit, the 41
st most in the nation.
Chase Mayo Harmon is the team's leading scorer averaging 18.0 points per game to rank seventh in the league. Trey Bryant is the team's leading distributor with 3.6 assists per contest, fifth in the RMAC, and ball-handlers will need to be aware when they are around CJ Reed as he ranks sixth in the conference in both steals (11) and steals per game (2.2).
The Yellow Jackets are 13-7 all time against RU and are currently riding the longest winning streak in the history of the matchup between the two foes, winning the last six contests. BHSU swept the season series last year, winning 75-65 in Spearfish in December, then 94-82 in Denver in February.
RANGERS' LAST TIME OUT
DENVER, Colo. — Less than 24 hours after earning a 15-point comeback victory, the Regis University men's basketball team put together a convincing and complete performance on Saturday, leading for 39 minutes of game action in a 65-56 win over Seattle Pacific University.
Regis (3-2 overall), winners of three straight during its current five-game home stand, flustered and frustrated a visiting Falcons team (4-6 overall), holding them to 38 percent shooting and a season-low 56 points.
"Seattle Pacific is a good team and both teams were a little tired and worn down from (Friday's games). But I thought we were a little deeper and used our depth to our advantage. And those are the sort of things we're going to have to do when we get into playing Friday-Saturday conference games," said Regis head men's basketball coach, Brady Bergeson. "I was proud of the way we competed for the majority of the 40 minutes and it was a big improvement off of last night. We've got a young group that is still learning lessons about the level of intensity needed to sustain efforts and multiple efforts. These things take time, but I think we took a couple positive steps in the right direction this weekend."
HOW IT HAPPENED
Regis was able to get off to a strong start, building its largest lead of the game at 21-12 with 8:33 remaining in the first half, and again at 34-25 at the 1:37 mark following a 3-pointer from sophomore guard Chase Mayo Harmon.
Mayo Harmon would pace the Rangers offense with a game-high 18 points on 6-for-11 shooting, joined in double-figures by freshman guard Ty Cox and redshirt junior guard Eddy Egun as the duo each added 13 points.
Seattle Pacific would tighten the gap to 34-30 at the half, and were back within one point as late as the 3:59 mark of the second half at 55-54, but were never able to tie or take a lead as the Rangers continued to produce timely answers on the offensive end.
Holding on to a one-possession lead at 59-56 with 1:41 remaining, the Rangers were able to clinch the game at the free-throw line, outscoring the Falcons 6-0 over the final 101 seconds to put a bow on the 65-56 final.
Defensively, the Rangers limited Seattle Pacific to 26 second-half points on a mere 33 percent (9-for-27) shooting. And while SPU did limit its turnovers to just 13 on the night — Regis forced 28 turnovers in Friday's win over Simon Fraser — the Rangers' full-court press and ball pressure did its job in disrupting the Falcons once they got into the front court.
"I wasn't surprised that Seattle Pacific took care of the ball well. Our pressure did not come out in the form of turnovers tonight, but I think where we saw the effects of our pressure were their low shooting percentage in the second half and from the 3-point line," Bergeson said. "We were able to pull them off their marks a little bit, make them start their offense higher on the floor or not getting into their offense on time. That was part of the game plan and I thought our guys did a really good job executing it."
Graduate student forward Tarig Eisa came off the bench and swatted a team-high three blocks as the Rangers' rim protector, adding three steals as well to tie Egun for the team high in that category.
Junior guard CJ Reed would added two steals and continued, giving him six for the weekend, as he continued to shine atop the Rangers' press.
"CJ is one of those big energy guys for us. We sat on him a little bit in the second half and then kind of unleashed him," Bergeson said. "His impact on the game doesn't always come out in his scoring or in a box score and it doesn't need to. He does a really good job getting others involved on offense and being scrappy, defensively. His presence is one of those where other guys feed off him when he's on the court."
GAME NOTES
-Junior guard Trey Bryant led all Rangers with six rebounds, with Eisa and Cox each chipping in five apiece.
-Regis finished 17-for-20 (85%) from the free-throw line, while Seattle Pacific struggled at the stripe (12-for-19, 63%).
-The Rangers' bench outscored the Falcons, 26-11.
LAST MATCHUP: BHSU vs. REGIS (Feb. 11, 2023)
DENVER, Colo. – Black Hills State men's basketball downed Regis, 94-82 Saturday night behind a 61.1 percent shooting performance from the field.
The Yellow Jackets (22-1, 16-1 RMAC) led for all but 28 seconds of Saturday's contest, while extending the team's winning streak to nine games.
Joel Scott led all scorers with 28 points, going 11-of-12 from the field while putting up five rebounds, a steal and an assist.
PJ Hayes led the team with 11 rebounds to go with his 14 points for his first career double-double.
Adam Moussa scored 15 points and had seven rebounds, five assists and a steal.
Matthew Ragsdale drained three 3-pointers for 14 points and dished out five assists.
Caelin Hearne scored 10 to go along with two rebounds, an assist, a steal and a block.
BHSU got ahead early using the three, as Hearne and Fisher helped the Yellow Jackets out to a 17-10 lead six minutes into the game. Back-and-forth play took over from there as buckets from Hackley and Hayes made it a 24-18 game midway through the first.
The Rangers pulled within two with 8:08 left, but five straight Ragsdale free throws and a Cisarik triple kept the Yellow Jackets out in front, 32-27. Shots from Moussa and Scott the rest of the half gave BHSU a 43-36 lead heading into the locker room.
Out of the break, a 7-2 Yellow Jacket spurt made it 50-38 with a Hayes three and a Hearne steal and score. Regis continued to hang around, though, until five points from Scott and a Ragsdale three kept the Yellow Jacket lead in double figures, 61-50, with 13:20 left.
Both teams continued to trade makes as time ticked under 10 minutes remaining, but Hayes hit a pair of gargantuan threes down the stretch to help the Yellow Jackets maintain a comfortable lead.
From there, a Ragsdale trey and four straight Moussa points gave BHSU an 85-69 lead with 3:35 to go in the game. The Yellow Jackets took their largest lead of the game shortly after with back-to-back layups from Hackley and Scott to stretch to a 91-73 lead in the final seconds.
Free throws by Hayes and Scott all but sealed the game as BHSU won 94-82.
Notes
-
Joel Scott's 28 points pushed him to 2,165 career points, 15 away from the BHSU all-time scoring record of 2,180 set by Kim Templeton (1972-76).
-The team's .611 shooting percentage from the field ranks eighth-highest in a single game in BHSU history.
-This win is
Ryan Thompson's 97th of his career, putting him three shy of 100.
SATURDAY vs. UCCS
The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs stand at 4-2 on the season after sweeping their pair of matchups over the weekend, beating Navajo Technical, 101-71 on Friday then outlasting Justice College, 74-68 on Saturday.
The Mountain Lions know what they do well, and that's crash the glass and defend the three. They top the RMAC in rebounds per game snagging 39.67 per game, 28.5 of them on the defensive end, the second-most in the league. They also rank second in the conference and 17
th nationally in three-point defense allowing opponents to convert on just 26.3% of their attempts. Also worth noting, is UCCS is extremely adept at getting to the charity stripe and converting when they are there, as they top the RMAC and are in the top-20 nationally in free throw attempts (28.8) and makes (20.3) per game.
Xavier Martinez embodies the team's free throw frequency as he tops the conference in free throw attempts and makes so far this season. Martinez is a dynamic offensive threat, leading the Mountain Lions and ranking 31
st nationally distributing 5.0 assists per game while also being their leading scorer. William Becker has a pair of double-doubles already this season and is UCCS' leading rebounder.
The Yellow Jackets are 14-11 all-time against the Mountain Lions, winning eight of the past ten matchups including the last three. They swept the season series last year, defeating UCCS 87-79 in Spearfish in December, then trouncing the opposition 100-69 in Colorado Springs in February.
MOUNTAIN LIONS' LAST TIME OUT
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team sweeps the holiday weekend in Salt Lake, earning the narrow 74-68 over the Justice College Lions.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final Score: UCCS 74, Justice College 68
Records: UCCS (4-2, 0-0 RMAC) | JC (0-2)
Facility | Location: WU Behnken Field House | Salt Lake City, Utah
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions and Lions faced off for the first time this afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Mountain Lions came out firing on Saturday after a slow start a day earlier, taking a 12-4 lead as the whistle blew for the first time out four minutes in. The run was capped off by a catch and shoot three from Mac Stodart after a nice feed from Jezza McKenzie to earn the eight-point advantage for UCCS.
-Over the next ten minutes Justice College would battle back into contention, led by David Stallworth who made his presents known both with offensive pressure, and off the glass, gathering in several defensive rebounds to keep the Mountain Lions from second chance opportunities. With six minutes to play in the half, Justice College found themselves within a point at 24-23. UCCS would get back to their scoring ways after Justice closed the gap, going on a 9-2 run to extend the lead back out to eight. UCCS kept the Lions at arm's length the rest of the period, heading in for halftime with a 40-33 lead.
-The Lions would score the first points of the second half, but UCCS would get the next seven points after that hoop, capturing a twelve-point advantage at 47-35 with four minutes gone in the final half. The two teams would then trade baskets for ten minutes, with UCCS keeping their lead around ten, but with six minutes to play, UCCS offense began to sputter.
-A 10-2 run from Justice College would tie the game at 61 all, and UCCS would have to dig deep the last few minutes to come away with the win. A driving layup from freshman guard Xavier Martinez would restore the UCCS lead, and the Mountain Lions would trade blows with the Lions for the next several possessions. With a minute to go, the Mountain Lions held the 68-64 lead as the whistle blew for a timeout.
-The last minute would include several timeouts and numerous trips to the free throw line for both teams, but ultimately UCCS would fend off the last-minute push, and escape Justice College 74-68.
GAME STATISTICS
-Xavier Martinez led the Mountain Lions scoring for the second straight game, claiming 22 points for UCCS hitting 5 of 9 from the field including 3 of 4 from three-point range.
-William Becker made a strong return to the lineup after missing Friday's game, scoring 12 while also pulling down 10 rebounds, making it back-to-back games with Mountain Lion big men earning double-doubles.
-Noah Baca had a strong day shooting the ball, scoring ten behind a 75% shooting percentage from the field, draining his only three-point try and going 3-3 from the charity stripe.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
-The Mountain Lions win the first ever matchup between the two programs.
-UCCS wins back-to-back games for the first time this season.
-The Mountain Lions now own a 3-1 record away from Gallogly, including a 2-0 record in neutral site games.
LAST MATCHUP: BHSU vs. UC COLORADO SPRINGS (Feb. 10, 2023)
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Black Hills State men's basketball clinched a spot in the 2023 RMAC Tournament with a 100-69 victory at UCCS Friday night.
The Yellow Jackets (21-1, 15-1 RMAC) finished the night with nine different scorers and six in double-figures.
Adam Moussa recorded the first triple-double in Yellow Jacket history in the DII era, finishing with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on the night.
Joel Scott and
Matthew Ragsdale each tallied 18 points on the night. Scott added two steals, two blocks and two rebounds.
Caelin Hearne scored 14 while grabbing four boards while
Ryker Cisarik totaled 11 points and seven rebounds.
PJ Hayes rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points and four rebounds.
A Scott dunk at 16:39 capped 12 unanswered Yellow Jacket points to open the game, following threes from Hayes and Hearne.
Threes from Hearne and Ragsdale, and another Scott slam at 14:28 extended the BHSU lead to 20-4. Minutes later, a Cisarik triple and a Hayes dunk helped the Yellow Jackets out to their largest lead of the half, 35-7.
The Mountain Lions went on a 16-5 spurt to cut the BHSU lead to 40-23 with under five to play in the first. A trey from
Hoku Fisher and buckets from Ragsdale and Moussa down the stretch sent the Yellow Jackets into the locker room with a 49-33 lead.
Out of the break, BHSU extended back out to a 20-point lead with a Ragsdale three and Scott dunk, taking a 58-37 lead with 16:44 to play. The Yellow Jackets continued to pull away using the 3-ball, as triples from Scott, Hearne, and Moussa made it a 71-45 game.
Then treys from Hayes and Ragsdale and a Fisher layup gave BHSU a 30-point lead, 79-48 as the second half ticked past the midway point.
The Yellow Jacket offense continued rolling from there with a Moussa step back and a Cisarik 3-points to make it a 94-63 game with under four remaining.
In the final minutes, a Fisher alley-oop pass to Cisarik and a
Jaeton Hackley layup pushed BHSU into triple-figures before the game went final, 100-69.
Notes
-Adam Moussa's 13 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists was the first triple-double in BHSU DII history.
-
Joel Scott's 18 points pushed him to 2,137 career points, 43 away from the BHSU all-time scoring record.
-This win is Head Coach
Ryan Thompson's 96th of his career, four shy of 100.
-The team's 39 made field goals ties for the third-most in school history, while their 16 3-pointers ties for fifth.
YELLOW JACKETS' LAST TIME OUT
SPEARFISH, S.D. – In the team's final tune-up before conference play,
Matthew Ragsdale poured in a game-high 23 points, surpassing 20 points for the fifth consecutive game, his longest streak since he was at Western Colorado. However, it was not enough as the Black Hills State University Men's Basketball team fell to South Dakota Mines, 77-69 on Monday night at the Donald E. Young Center.
With the loss, BHSU falls to 2-4 entering RMAC play, while the Hardrockers improve to the same mark ahead of conference competition.
Ragsdale went 10-of-18 from the field on his way to his 23 tallies, while securing a team-best seven rebounds, good for a season-high. He also dished a pair of assists and secured a steal.
Caelin Hearne added 17 points for the Yellow Jackets on 7-for-15 with five caroms.
Hoku Fisher scored nine for BHSU while snatching three steals and distributing three helpers, tied for a team high.
John Shanklin pitched in six and six for scoring and rebounding, plus two blocks in the loss.
Alejandro Rama led Mines with 22 points although he needed 23 shots to get there finishing 10-23 from the field and 1-6 from three. He just missed a double-double, grabbing nine boards and adding six assists, both of which led all players.
Cameron Cohn added 19 for the Hardrockers, including a dozen in the second half, many of which were timely buckets down the stretch. He also grabbed seven rebounds.
Keagen Smith rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points on four-of-six, 3-5 from distance. Jasper Reinalda pitched in seven points and five caroms in the win.
The squads traded a quartet of threes across the first two-and-a-half minutes of play, then singular buckets over the next 70 ticks off the clock. A triple from Smith, a layup by Rama, and Rama splitting a pair of attempts from the charity stripe opened a six-point edge for the guests.
Deegan Williams bookended an 8-2 stretch with treys leading into a South Dakota Mines timeout that was stretched into the under-12 with the squad's square at 16-all.
The rivals remained in lockstep through the six-minute mark when the score was even at 28 before the Hardrockers put together a run. A 14-6 stretch polished off by a Reinalda three-point play for the guests opened a 42-34 lead before Ragsdale, who scored all six BHSU points during the South Dakota Mines run, ended the stretch with a layup. That brought the Yellow Jackets back within two-possessions as the score held at 42-36 at the break.
Both teams shot effectively from the field in the first half with Black Hills State shooting 51.7% from the field and 42.9% from long range (6-14). South Dakota Mines, meanwhile, connected on 47.1% of their looks, including 40.0% (6-15) of their shots from deep. The 5-0 edge in second-chance points and 7-2 lead in points off turnovers for the guests led to their advantage despite BHSU's superior efficiency.
Rama paced the visitors with a dozen at the half while snaring six boards while Smith pitched in eight. Ragsdale led all players with 13 in the stanza, connecting on six-of-nine from the field.
Black Hills State opened the second half with a 5-2 stretch with all their points coming at the charity stripe before Rama knocked down a jumper. Hearne cashed in a triple with 17:43 to get the score within two, but the Hardrockers countered with a 7-2 spurt. A pair of Ragsdale hoops and a
Jackson Edman dunk off a baseline inbound play, cut the deficit to a single point ahead of the under-12 timeout.
Out of the media break, Cohn split a pair from the line before Hearne connected on a game-tying jumper. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, that would be as close as they would get as both teams went scoreless across the next three minutes before Kolton Frugoli finally broke the drought with a free throw. The combination of Ragsdale and Hearne did their best to keep BHSU in it, but it was the Hardrockers who caught fire from distance down the stretch. A duo of triples from Cohn around and a tough pull-up from Rama with under two to play extended the SD Mines lead to 11 and they would never turn back and came away with win.
While the Yellow Jackets started the second half strong from the field, they tailed off late to finish with a 44.0% field goal percentage. They especially struggled from distance as the Hearne three-point make with just under 18 to play would prove to be their final made triple in the contest as they went one-for-ten in the second half.
Mines allowed BHSU to remain close by shooting sub-40 percent from the field, including under 30% from distance, but their makes were timely to pull away with the win.
Rama scored ten in the second half for the Hardrockers although he needed 15 shots to get there. Instead, it was Cohn who caught fire down the stretch to lead all scorers with 12 in the second half while adding six caroms.
Ragsdale scored ten and Hearne added nine in the comeback bid for BHSU.
The Yellow Jackets hit the road to open RMAC play next as they travel to play Regis on Friday. Tipoff is set for 7 PM.
MATCHUP HISTORY
The Yellow Jackets are 13-7 all-time against RU and are currently riding the longest winning streak in the history of the matchup between the two foes, winning the last six contests. BHSU swept the season series last year, winning 75-65 in Spearfish in December, then 94-82 in Denver in February.
The Yellow Jackets are 14-11 all-time against the Mountain Lions, winning eight of the past ten matchups including the last three. They swept the season series last year, defeating UCCS 87-79 in Spearfish in December, then trouncing the opposition 100-69 in Colorado Springs in February.
A BHSU WIN WOULD...
VS. REGIS: Be BHSU's third-straight win in their RMAC-season opener, and sixth win in their last seven tries. Their lone loss in that span came in the COVID-altered 2020-21 season. Black Hills State is 7-4 all-time in RMAC openers.
Also, be the team's seventh-straight win against Regis, and would match their longest active winning streak against any RMAC foe. The streak is currently tied for the second-longest with Adams State at six, and trails BHSU's current winning streak against Western Colorado of seven.
VS. UCCS: Be the Yellow Jackets' fourth-straight win over UCCS, their longest such streak head-to-head against the Mountain Lions in the DII era. They previously won four-straight across two levels, NAIA (two wins in 2009-10) and DII (two wins in 2012-13).
A BHSU LOSS WOULD...
VS. REGIS: Be their first loss to the Rangers since falling to RU, 80-65 on January 12, 2019.
Also, be their first loss in their RMAC Opener since losing to Colorado Mesa on December 11, 2020.
Also, be the team's first 2-5 start since 2015-16.
VS. UCCS: (Depending on Regis result) be the team's first 3-5 start since the 2020-21 season, or first 2-6 start since 2012-13.
GETTING (CAEL)INVOLVED
Caelin Hearne scored a career-high 17 points on Monday against South Dakota Mines after a 14-point showing against MSU Billings last week. This is the first time Hearne scored double-digits in consecutive games, a feat he achieved just twice last year with his longest stretch being three-straight from February 10th through the 13th (with two of those games being UCCS and Regis). His 31 points across the last two games is the most in consecutive contests of his career.
RAGSDALE'S STRONG START
After shaking off some opening night rust,
Matthew Ragsdale has eclipsed the 20-point threshold in all five games, matching the longest such streak by any Yellow Jacket last season (
Joel Scott, Twice).
He has already eclipsed his total of 20-point showings from the 2022-23 campaign (3) and he did not have consecutive 20+ point showings at any point in his first season as a Yellow Jacket. The last time he had a streak of four-or-more games scoring 20-plus was when he scored that many in seven-straight from January 14th through February 1st while he was still at Western Colorado in 2022.
If his run of 20+ showings continue this weekend, it will be the longest streak since
Joel Scott did it in 11 in a row from February 12th, 2022, through March 22nd, 2022.
RECENT TRENDS
- Over his last 5 games,
Matthew Ragsdale has averaged 23.6 points per game, with a .554/.361/.722 shooting line.
-
Caelin Hearne is averaging 15.5 points and 6.0 rebounds across his last two games, shooting .520 from the field and .385 from three-point range.
-
Hoku Fisher is averaging 13.7 points in his last 3 games, and 11.0 over his last five contests. He has shot .500/.385/.714 (13-26/5-13/10-14) in his last three.
-
John Shanklin has averaged 7.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks in his last two games, shooting 5-9 from the field and 4-4 from the charity stripe in that span.
AGAINST REGIS
- Across six career appearances against Regis,
Matthew Ragsdale averages 15.5 points per game shooting .442/.417/.714 shooting line. He also averages 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in those games.
- In the team's second matchup against Regis last season,
Caelin Hearne scored 10 points (4-5 FG, 2-3 3PT) to go with one block and one steal.
AGAINST UCCS
- In four career starts against UCCS,
Matthew Ragsdale averages 15.75 points per game, shooting .431/.381/.917. He also averages 4.25 rebounds and 1.0 assists in those games.
-In the team's second matchup against UCCS last season,
Caelin Hearne scored 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-6 3PT) which was, at the time, his second-highest single-game total of his career.
-
Hoku Fisher only appeared in the second matchup between BHSU and UCCS last season, and tallied seven points (3-7 FG, 1-3 3PT) while matching a career-high four assists and getting one steal.
-
John Shanklin averages 8.5 minutes and 4.0 points per game across two career appearances against UCCS. He has made three-of-five from the field in those games.
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.
Brady Bergeson is in his ninth season leading the Rangers Men's Basketball program, standing with a 134-95 record in his career. He guided Regis to their first-ever RMAC Championship in 2018. Originally from Longview, Wash., he was previously the head coach for Division II Western Oregon before becoming the bench boss for the Rangers.
Jeff Culver is also in his ninth season at the helm of the UCCS Men's Basketball program and holds a 178-136 record in his career as head coach. He has led the Mountain Lions to one RMAC Championship (2015) and coached and recruited future NBA All-Defensive team selection and current Boston Celtics guard, Derrick White. He previously was the head coach for seven seasons at NAIA Johnson & Wales (Denver).
-BHSUAthletics.com-
