Yellow Jacket basketball returns home for the last time in the regular season this weekend, with double header action hitting the Young Center on Friday and Saturday as the ladies tip off against Fort Lewis on Friday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. and Adams State on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 4 p.m.

The Yellow Jackets (18-6, 13-5 RMAC) return to Spearfish after a successful weekend that saw them finish 2-1 on the road with a victory in Monday night's make-up contest against Fort Lewis. The ladies saw a stark difference in offensive production against the Skyhawks as BHSU rained down 64-points in the first three quarters, shooting 47.2 percent from the field and boasting three double-digit scorers that night. The Yellow Jackets still retain the top defense in the RMAC as they've held opponents to an average 57.3 points per game. BHSU is also a top-five team in point margin (4.7).
 

BLACK HILLS STATE vs. Fort Lewis  FRIDAY, FEB. 17 // 5 P.M. // SPEARFISH, S.D. // DONALD E. YOUNG CENTER Live Stream / Live Stats / Listen Live / Tickets

 
FRIDAY VS. FORT LEWIS
Despite falling to the Yellow Jackets on Monday, the Skyhawk offense put up impressive numbers: they shot 50 percent from the floor and 47.6 percent from beyond the arc. The downfall for the Skyhawks, however, was 22 turnovers on offense as well as lack of production in the paint and from their bench: FLC only held 21 points from their reserves while only tallying 16 in-the-paint points, a stark comparison to BHSU's 30 points in each category. Lanae Billy carried FLC's offense with her 25-point night against the Yellow Jackets, shooting 90 percent overall and 83 percent from downtown, co-leading her team with five boards, an assist, and two steals on the night. Billy will be a player to watch on Friday night.
 
SKYHAWKS' LAST TIMEOUT
DURANGO, Colo. - Facing the league's top defensive team in Black Hills State University, the Fort Lewis College women's basketball team dropped a Monday slate by a final score of 76-61 despite superior shooting numbers.

The Skyhawks shot 50 percent (20-of-40) from the field, the fourth-best mark of the season, compared to a 47.2 percent (25-of-53) clip for the Yellow Jackets. Fort Lewis was equally as efficient from three, draining 10 on a 47.6 percent mark—second best this year. The difference in the game came via the turnovers where the Skyhawks committed 22, resulting in 22 points for the opposition.

Freshman Lanae Billy led all players with 25 points while going 9-of-10 from the field and 5-of-6 from three. The outing was her 10th 20+ point game of the season. Freshman Kate Gallery came off the bench for eight points, followed by a seven-point, five-rebound night for graduate student Kaitlyn Bell.

Fort Lewis took an early lead when Bell connected on a rare three-pointer to make it 5-3. The Yellow Jackets answered back with a seven-point scoring run before a pair of free throws by sophomore Sadie Misner slowed the roll. Billy dropped in her first three of the night moments later to make it a one-point game, but that is as close as the quarter would get with time expiring on a 20-14 BHSU lead.

Junior Kelsey Sorenson and Billy opened the second quarter with a combined four points to close the gap again on a 20-18 score. Junior Avery Evans kept the gap at a pair with a jumper at the 7:14 mark, but another scoring burst for BHSU made it 32-22 with under four minutes remaining in the quarter. Billy converted a rebound to another nailed three, but the Yellow Jackets ran away with a 40-37 lead heading into the break.

Threes and free throws made up the opening minutes of the second half as the Yellow Jackets extended the lead to 52-30. The Skyhawks appeared to be back on track, but BHSU would not let up on the offensive front and extended their lead to a 64-41 edge.

The Skyhawks kicked off their most efficient quarter of play, but it would not be enough to overcome the large gap in score, ending the game in a 76-61 final in favor of BHSU.

LAST MATCHUP: BHSU vs FLC (FEB. 13, 2023)
Black Hills State held their makeup game against Fort Lewis on Monday night, defeating the Skyhawks 76-61 thanks to 64 total points in the first three-quarters of the game.

Both teams came out swinging at a 5-5 tie, in part to a Danica Kocer triple and a Van Wyk layup for BHSU. A five-point spurt courtesy of Kocer and an Engesser three-pointer created the first separation in the game with BHSU up by five. Four points from Capley in the three-minute window helped keep BHSU's gap intact by opening up a 9-1 series that increased the Yellow Jacket lead to 20-11. Fort Lewis was able to knock down a three before the end of the quarter, but BHSU did damage in their hot first quarter and held a 20-14 lead after one.

The Skyhawks pulled within two of BHSU at the beginning of the quarter, but the Yellow Jackets were able to keep up, later distancing themselves off a seven-point spurt to remain out front, 29-20 by the 5:37 mark in the second frame. BHSU continued to go shot for shot with FLC, ticking their lead to 40-27 by the halftime buzzer.

BHSU continued their attack to start the second half, racking up a 9-3 run to take their lead to 19 points through the first two minutes. They continued to dominate down the stretch, outscoring the Skyhawks 15-11 to send the game into the fourth with a 64-41 lead.

The Skyhawks continued to try and fight back throughout the remainder of the fourth frame, but the lead amassed by BHSU earlier on proved to be insurmountable, with the Yellow Jackets walking out of Durango, Colorado with the 76-61 victory on the road.
 
A FRIDAY BHSU WIN WOULD...
Keep them in third place in the RMAC, and depending on results from Friday night's slate of games, could set up a tie-breaker for third between BHSU and Adams State.
 
A FRIDAY BHSU LOSS WOULD...
See BHSU fall under Adams State and place them in the fourth seed, potentially tying with Westminster for the spot.
 

BLACK HILLS STATE vs. adams state  SATURDAY, FEB. 18 // 4 P.M. // SPEARFISH, S.D. // DONALD E. YOUNG CENTER Live Stream / Live Stats / Listen Live / Tickets

 
SATURDAY VS. ADAMS STATE
Saturday's contest against the Grizzlies can prove to be a big one as each team, prior to Friday night's action, are tied for third in the RMAC at 13-5. Adams State and their number one offense are on a four-game streak and are currently averaging 74.2 points per tilt. They also hold the second-best point margin in the RMAC at 10.8 points.
 
GRIZZLIES' LAST TIMEOUT
GUNNISON, Colo. – Capitalizing on 25 turnovers by the Western Colorado Mountaineers, the Adams State University women's basketball team emerged from Paul Wright Gymnasium with a 65-52 win on Saturday evening.

The Grizzlies were led in scoring by Kiiyani Anitielu, who scored a career-high 19 points, and Sharmayne Finley, who scored 16 points. The Grizzlies outscored the Mountaineers 29-10 on points off turnovers as they cashed in on 41.1 percent (23-of-56) from the field and 33 percent (6-of-18) from beyond the arch and 65 percent (13-of-20) from the free throw line.

The game started slow with neither team really gaining much traction in the first quarter but the Grizzlies relied on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the free throw line to lead to a 14-8 lead after one stanza.

The second quarter saw the Grizzlies go on a 11-1 run over the final 5:08 of the second quarter to outscore the Mountaineers 19-10 and take a 33-18 lead into the break.

The scoreless streak lasted 4:58 before the Mountaineers scored two free throws. The Grizzlies started the second half off shooting 0-of-7 from the field, before finally scoring, however, the Mountaineers were able to outscore the Grizzlies 17-10 thanks to a 5-of-10 shooting performance from the field. The Grizzlies led 43-35.

The Grizzlies used a 6-0 run over 1:30 in the fourth quarter to help them outscore the Mountaineers 22-17 and the win.
 
LAST MATCHUP: BHSU vs ASU (DEC. 30, 2022)
Black Hills State women's basketball traveled to compete against Adams State on Friday night and fell to the Grizzlies, 82-52.

Off the controlled tip, ASU was able to get down the floor for a quick layup to draw the first points, but an Engesser three-pointer gave BHSU their first lead of the night. A quick 7-0 run from the Grizzlies gave them a 9-3 lead with 6:56 to go in the first quarter.

A layup from Capley and another long-range shot from Engesser pulled BHSU back to a four-point deficit. Both teams traded buckets with Adams State not giving up their lead. A three-point shot from the Grizzlies ended the quarter with a 16-14 ASU lead.

Heading into the second, a layup from Haylee Weathersby brought BHSU within one, but turnovers would allow for a 10-2 run from the Grizzlies to re-expand their lead to 26-17 with 7:36 to go in the half. ASU continued to play tough defense down the stretch, allowing for them to take a 32-21 lead with four minutes to go.

Another layup courtesy of Hammerbeck and another three-point dime from Engesser brought the game back to an eight-point Yellow Jacket deficit, but a Kalla Bertram foul led to two charity stripe points for the Grizzlies, bringing it back to a double-digit lead for ASU.

Another 7-2 run from the hosts ended the half with the Grizzlies on top, 39-26.

The second half opened with a 5-4 run highlighted by a Bertram layup and another long-range shot from Engesser, but solid shooting from ASU kept them ahead with a sizeable 15-point lead. ASU later expanded their lead with a 9-2 series to go up by 18 with 2:52 left in the quarter. Both teams shared a trip to the free throw line to cap off the quarter, with ASU leading by 24 heading into the final frame.

Despite multiple mid-range shots and free throws made by BHSU, ASU had answers for it all in the fourth, maintaining a 73-49 scoreboard halfway through quarter number four. The Grizzlies kept their foot down and finished the game with a three-point shot to put away BHSU, 82-52.
 
COACHES
Black Hills State:
In his 21st season as head coach of the Yellow Jackets, Mark Nore is the winningest coach in BHSU Athletics history for the women's basketball program with an overall record of 368-228.
 
Fort Lewis:
Taylor Harris is in second season with the Skyhawks, having previously served at Miles Community College, Regis, and MSU Denver. At Miles, Harris led his team to a Region XIII Championship on a 24-2 record, which also earned them a trip to the Sweet 16 at the NJCAA DI National Tournament.
 
Adams State:
Mario Caetano was promoted to the helm of the women's program in July of 2022, serving in the prior year as an interim head coach. Caetano has also coached club teams like the Vegas Elite Basketball Club and Northern New Mexico College.