SPEARFISH, S.D. – While it has been more than a decade since the Black Hills State University men's basketball team has faced their opponents from North Dakota this weekend, however they are no strangers to UMary and Minot State as the trio used to be part of the former DAC-10 lineup. The Yellow Jackets and Marauders tip-off the weekend's action on Friday, November 29, at 4 p.m., and then the match-up with the Beavers close out the 2-day stay at the King Center in Rapid City with a 2 p.m. start time on Saturday, November 30, in the inaugural Dakota Challenge pairing the schools from North Dakota against their South Dakota counterparts.
 
GAME DETAILS VS. UMARY
Date & Time: Friday, November 29 at 4 p.m.
Location: Rapid City, S.D. – King Center
 
GAME DETAILS VS. MINOT STATE
Date & Time: Saturday, November 30 at 2 p.m.
Location: Rapid City, S.D. – King Center
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the neutral site contests with a record of 3-3 on the season after an 89-70 win over Sioux Falls snapped a 3-game losing streak to begin the home schedule.
• After spending two straight weeks ranked inside of the D2CSC South Central Regional rankings, the Yellow Jackets fell out of the top-10 following a 1-3 stretch at home the past two weeks.
• Black Hills State has been picked to finish fourth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 157 points.
• In the first six games of the 2024-25 season BHSU is averaging 75.2 points, 41.3 rebounds, 12.2 assists, 4.5 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 43.9 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from 3-point range, and 75.3 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents have averaged 67.2 points, 38.7 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 6.2 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 7.5 percent from the field, 33.6 percent from 3-point range, and 72.8 percent from the free throw line.
• Caelin Hearne continues to lead the team with an average of 16.8 points per game on the year after pouring in a career-best 30 points in the win over USF, marking his sixth straight game in double figures to begin the year and his fifth game of 14 or more points. Additionally, he is averaging 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 0.7 steals per game. He has been shooting the ball consistently at a 47.9 percent clip from the field and 48.6 percent from 3-point range. Highlighted with a season-best performance of 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc against the Cougars, he has knocked down two or more 3-pointers in five games this year.
• Newcomer Cam Lowe has also added a spark for the Yellow Jackets this year as he is averaging 14.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting the ball 52.5 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from 3-point range, and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. He has one double-double on the season which saw him score a career-high 21 points and secure a career-best 14 rebounds against Augustana. Overall, he has notched double figure points on four occasions and has posted eight or more rebounds in four contests.
• Other players to watch include Jaeton Hackley who is averaging 9.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, and Joel Speckman who is averaging 9.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. In the most recent match-up with USF, Haeckley notched double digit points for the third time this year on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, while Speckman dished out a career-best five assists.
• Ryan Thompson is in his seventh season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 124-57 during his career.

UMARY STORYLINES

• UMary enters the neutral site match-up with a record of 2-6 (1-0 NSIC) on the year after they snapped a 4-game losing streak with a 76-72 win at Northern State to begin NSIC play on Tuesday night.
• The Marauders have been picked to finish 15^th in the 15-team NSIC Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll, receiving 20 points in the vote by the league's head coaches.
• Through the first eight games of the season UMary is averaging 70.5 points, 35.1 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 7.0 steals, and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting the ball 43.8 percent from the field, 30.9 percent from 3-point range, and 60.7 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 81.3 points, 37.3 rebounds, 17.5 assists, 8.4 steals, and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting the ball 47.3 percent from the field, 37.9 percent from 3-point range, and 71.2 percent from the free throw line.
• Jeremiah Jones leads the Marauders in scoring (15.1), rebounding (6.8), and steals (2.3) per game, while he also adds 2.6 assists and 0.9 blocks per game. After sitting out last season, the redshirt sophomore has posted double digit points in six games this year, including a career-best 23 points in a match-up with Valley City State. Additionally, he has secured seven or more rebounds in six games, highlighted by a season-high of ten against Alaska Anchorage.
• The only other player to average double figures in scoring is Ty Rogers who is posting 10.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game this year as he is shooting the ball 54.0 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from 3-point range. In the win over Northern State, he posted a career-best 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range, additionally he added four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in the victory.
• Jack Nelson is in his fourth season as the head coach at UMary, where he has guided the Marauders to a 31-59 record in his career.

SERIES HISTORY

• The former DAC-10 foes met seven times from January 2004 to December 2007, with UMary holding a 4-3 edge during that time span.
• The Marauders won the last match-up between the teams on December 13, 2007, with an 89-78 victory in the Donald E. Young Center.

#RV/-- MINOT STATE STORYLINES

• Minot State enters the weekend with a 7-0 (1-0 NSIC) record on the season following an 83-52 victory over Minnesota Crookston to begin league play. The 7-0 record currently matches the best start in program history (2017-18) as they seek their first-ever 8-0 start to a season (Note: records only date back to 1976-77).
• The Beavers are currently receiving votes in the NABC Division II Coaches' Poll and are tenth in the D2CSC Central Region Poll.
• The Beavers have been picked to finish tenth in 15-team NSIC Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll, receiving 90 points in the vote by the league's head coaches.
• Through the first seven games of the season MSU is averaging 87.0 points, 40.1 rebounds, 17.6 assists, 6.4 steals, and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting the ball 51.1 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from 3-point range, and 68.0 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 67.9 points, 26.9 rebounds, 11.9 assists, 6.6 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting the ball 41.3 percent from the field, 36.5 percent from 3-point range, and 77.5 percent from the free throw line.
• Jalen Cook has led the offense this year with 16.3 points and has added 4.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He is shooting the ball 44.2 percent from the field, 38.3 percent from 3-point range, and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe. Starting with a career-high 27 points in the season-opener against East Central, he has scored in double figures in six games during the year. The ECU contest also saw him tie a career-high as he knocked down five 3-pointers and he has connected on two or more shots from beyond the arc in five games this season. He has one double-double in 2024-25, a 12-point, 10-rebound performance against Puerto Rico Bayamon.
• Caleb Van De Griend has averaged a double-double this season with 15.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game this year while he also adds 1.1 blocks per game. The Australian has also been efficient shooting the ball, connecting on 44-of-58 (75.9%) shot attempts from the field and 21-of-26 (80.8%) at the free throw line. Highlighted by three games of 20 or more points this year, he posted a career-high of 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field against Jamestown, he also added 15 rebounds to mark his second game of 20+ points and 15+ rebounds on the season. Securing ten or more rebounds in four games this year, he opened the season by grabbing a career-best of 16 boards in a match-up with East Central. He has posted a total of four double-doubles this season.
• Rounding out players who average double figures scoring this season are Ayouba Berthe (15.0), Jaxon Gunville (13.4), and Sam West (11.7).
• Matt Murken is in his 13^th season as the head coach at Minot State, guiding the Beavers to a record of 167-170 during his tenure. He was previously the head coach at the University of Jamestown for two seasons from 2010-12 and holds a career record of 213-186 in his 15 years as a head coach.

SERIES HISTORY

• The former DAC-10 foes have met a total of 42 times on the hardwood, with Black Hills State holding a 25-17 advantage all-time in the series.
• In the most recent meeting between the teams on March 3, 2012, the Yellow Jackets used a 79-69 win over the Beavers in the Donald E. Young Center in Spearfish to secure a third place finish in the 2012 NCAA Division II Transitional Tournament.