SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The best scoring output in the career of Caelin Hearne (Jr., Norman, Okla.) was all for not as the Black Hills State University men's basketball team faltered against Westminster University, 82-69 on Saturday evening at the Behnken Field House.

With the loss, BHSU drops the weekend set for the first time since the second weekend of the year on their way to 7-9 record, 5-5 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play. The Griffins, on the other hand, picked up their first win in 11 tries in conference competition and improved to 5-12 on the year overall.

Hearne finished with 22 points to lead the Yellow Jackets, shooting 9-17 along the way including 4-10 from three. He also added five rebounds, two offensive, two assists, a block, and a steal.

It was a 17-point showing for Matthew Ragsdale (Gr., Colorado Springs, Colo.), although he went 6-17 on his way to that mark. He did match a career-high with a game-high six assist in addition to four rebounds and two steals.  

No other players scored more than five points for BHSU, a mark scored by Hoku Fisher (So., Wilmington, N.C.), Joel Speckman (Fr., Parker, Colo.), Ronnail Tape (Jr., Fort Myers, Fla., and Blake Volmer (Fr., Winner, S.D.). Speckman snared a game-high ten caroms.

Black Hills State had no answer for senior forward Trey Wood who poured in a season-high 36 points, making 12 of his 19 shot attempts and collecting 11 free throw attempts, making ten of them. He also collected a team-best nine rebounds.

Drake Middleton added a dozen points with six boards and three helpers while Cole Kadoguchi put in 11 tallies to go with six boards and a team-best five assists for the hosts.

Wood would open the scoring with the first two of his ten free throw makes on the Griffins opening possession but was countered by a Tape layup. The score would progress to 6-5 in favor of BHSU before the Yellow Jackets compiled a 16-2 run to open a 22-7 advantage just after the under-12 media timeout.

Unfortunately for the guests, things went downhill from there. Tyler Kurtz connected on a three to end the Black Hills State spurt before consecutive three-point plays from Wood. Fisher knocked down a shot from range to delay the run, but there was no stopping this avalanche from Westminster as they outscored BHSU 25-15 the rest of the half to take a 37-33 lead into the locker room.

Wood led all players with14 in the first stanza while Hearne led BHSU with a dozen. Also, despite the turnover battle being fairly narrow at 9-7 with the Yellow Jackets committing more, the Griffins took advantage with ten points off turnovers against none for BHSU.

Hearne scored five-straight to open the second half for Black Hills State, claiming the lead for the guests, but that was the only lead the Yellow Jackets would have in the half. Wood countered with eight straight for the hosts to grab a lead they would never relinquish.

With the score 52-47 just ahead of the under-12 break following five-straight Hearne tallies, the hosts went on an 11-2 stretch to open the lead to double-digits. The Yellow Jackets would whittle the deficit to nine twice within the final minute of play, but it was too little, too late as the Griffins came away with the 82-59 win.

Ragsdale poured in 13 as a part of the BHSU comeback attempt with Hearne adding ten, but Wood held them off with 22 points while Middleton added a dozen in the frame.

The Yellow Jackets return to the A2 Arena floor for a weekend set beginning on Friday as they host New Mexico Highlands on Friday at 7:00 PM.