SPEARFISH, S.D. – The upcoming weekend of Black Hills State University women's basketball will feature one of the marquee match-ups of the young RMAC season as two of the four remaining undefeated teams in league play will go head-to-head as the Yellow Jackets visit UCCS on Thursday, December 12. BHSU, who has started the conference schedule with back-to-back victories look to keep the momentum going as they search for a statement win in the Gallogly Events Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, as they battle the Mountain Lions who were a preseason favorite to challenge at the top of the standings this year.
 
GAME DETAILS
Date & Time: Thursday, December 12 at 5 p.m.
Location: Colorado Springs, Colo. – Gallogly Events Center
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the RMAC road contests with a record of 6-3 (2-0 RMAC) on the year following a 60-52 victory over Chadron State in A2 Arena on Saturday afternoon, earning their RMAC-best sixth consecutive win in a league home opener and improving to 12-1 all-time in such contests.
• The Yellow Jackets have trailed for only eight minutes and 25 seconds in their pair of league games thus far as they've secured their first 2-0 start to conference play since 2022-23. The 2022-23 season saw BHSU win their first three league games, something they can match on Thursday with a win against UCCS as they look to tie the second-best start to RMAC play in program history.
• Black Hills State is the highest ranked of three RMAC schools in D2CSC South Central Regional Media Poll, appearing for the fifth consecutive week as the jump two spots to No. 6 on Monday morning.
• Black Hills State has been picked to finish ninth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 94 points in the vote among head coaches. They are currently tied for first in the conference standings after the opening week of action and are one of only four remaining undefeated teams in league play.
• Through the first nine games of the season BHSU is averaging 65.6 points, 36.2 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 7.2 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 41.7 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from 3-point range, and 71.6 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 61.6 points, 32.6 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 5.8 steals, and 2.7 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 38.9 percent from the field, 40.6 percent from 3-point range, and 73.9 percent from the free throw line.
• The Yellow Jackets currently rank 15^th in NCAA Division II in fewest turnovers per game, averaging 12.9 per game. They have recorded a season-low of ten turnovers on three occasions.
• Leading three players in double figures scoring for Black Hills State is Kalla Bertram who scores 14.6 points per game and adds 7.9 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.4 assists per game. She has been efficient shooting the ball as she ranks sixth in the RMAC in field goal percentage, knocking down 48-of-99 shots attempts (48.5%), and has scored in double figures in seven of the nine games. She has notched a pair of double-doubles this season against Lubbock Christian (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Chadron State (19 points, 11 rebounds). She is also among the league leaders in free throw percentage as she has knocked down 29-of-36 (80.6%) at the charity stripe. Including an 8-of-9 mark at the free throw line against CSC as she has connected on four or more free throws in four games this year. In last week's win over South Dakota Mines, she tied a season-high of four steals, marking the fifth contest of the year with multiple steals.
• Haylee Weathersby is second on the team in scoring with 13.4 points and adds 5.6 rebounds per game. She currently ranks fifth in the RMAC in both field goal percentage, knocking down 49-of-99 (49.5%) shot attempts this year, and free throw percentage as she is also shooting 23-of-27 (85.2%) from the charity stripe. She has reached double figures and has scored 12 or more points in seven of nine games this year in addition to grabbing five or more boards in seven contests. She poured in a season-high of 19 points in the win over Minnesota Crookston as she shot the ball 9-of-14 from the field. In the most recent game against Chadron State, she recorded her first career double-double as she scored 14 points and matched a career-high of ten rebounds.
• Morgan Hammerbeck is another player to keep an eye on as she rounds out players in double figures, averaging 10.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. She is shooting the ball 39.5 percent from the field, 36.6 percent on 3-pointers, and 85.7 percent of free throws. She currently ranks seventh in the RMAC in both total 3-pointers (15) and 3-pointers per game (1.67) and has been on a tear from beyond the arc as she hit three shots from deep in each of the opening week conference games against South Dakota Mines and Chadron State. Additionally, in both match-ups against SDM and CSC she tallied a season-high of three steals. In the win against Minnesota Crookston, she scored a career-high of 27 points, shooting 8-of-15 from the field, 3-of-8 from the 3-point line, and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Overall, on the year she has reached double figures four times, has recorded four or more rebounds in eight contests, and has dished out three or more assists on four occasions.
• The lone freshman in the starting lineup for each of the first nine games this year has been Bradie Schlabs, who has averaged 8.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Filling up the stat sheets this past week with seven points, six rebounds, six assists, and four steals against South Dakota Mines, followed by a Chadron State match-up where she posted seven points, ten rebounds, four assists, and three steals, she is one of just five RMAC players to have a game with 7+ points, 6+ rebounds, 4+ assists, and 3+ steals in a game. Additionally, she is the only player in the league to post 7+ points, 6+ rebounds, 4+ assists, and 3+ steals in multiple games this season. She has scored in double figures in four games, including a season-high of 14 points against Northern State. The very next game she then notched her first career double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds against Sioux Falls. She has secured four or more boards on seven occasions, has dished out four or more assists in seven games, and has tallied a steal in all nine games this year. She ranks third in the RMAC in assists (41), assists per game (4.6), and assist/turnover ratio (1.95), while also ranking 26^th, 36^th, and 49^th nationally in NCAA Division II in the respective categories.
• Yellow Jack alumna Rachel Erickson is in her first season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding BHSU to a 6-3 record thus far.

UCCS STORYLINES

• UCCS enters their RMAC home opener with a record of 4-3 (2-0 RMAC) on the season following wins at Colorado Mesa (65-56) and Westminster (64-50) last Thursday and Saturday.
• The Mountain Lions are picked to finish second in the RMAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 170 points from the head coaches' vote and three first place votes. They are currently tied for first in the conference and are one of four remaining undefeated teams in league play.
• Through seven games this season UCCS has averaged 58.6 points, 37.0 rebounds, 8.3 assists, 6.7 steals, and 4.1 blocks, while shooting the ball 37.0 percent from the field, 23.5 percent from 3-point range, and 62.9 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 61.3 points, 38.4 rebounds, 12.0 assists, 7.7 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 37.0 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from 3-point range, and 70.0 percent from the free throw line.
• Amyah Moore Allen, a 2024 First Team All-RMAC selection, leads the Mountain Lions as she is one of two players to average double figures as she posts 15.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. She is shooting the ball 41.8 percent from the field as she has scored in double figures six times and has scored 20 or more on three occasions. She scored a season-high 24 points in the UCCS' RMAC opening win over CMU, knocking down 11-of-16 shots from the field. She has secured four or more rebounds in three of the last four contests and has dished out a season-high of four assists in each of her last two games played.
• Maison White, another 2024 First Team All-RMAC selection, is the second player that averages double figures for UCCS and on top of that averages a double-double with 12.3 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. She is second in the RMAC in double-doubles this season with four already through just seven games. White leads the conference and ranks 13^th nationally in field goal percentage, knocking down 35-of-59 shot attempts for a 59.3 percent clip. Additionally, she leads the league in rebounds per game and ranks seventh in NCAA Division II, as she has posted double digit rebounds in all seven games this year. White has scored in double figures four times, including a season-high of 23 points against Lubbock Christian in a game she went 8-of-13 from the field.
• Misty Wilson is in her second season as the head coach at UCCS, guiding the Mountain Lions to a 27-11 record during her career. Overall, she is in her 11^th season as a collegiate head coach, having spent nine prior seasons at Tarleton State and she has combined for a 173-125 career record between the two stops.

SERIES HISTORY

• Thursday will mark the 25^th all-time meeting on the hardwood between Black Hills State and UCCS as the Mountain Lions hold a narrow 13-11 edge in the series.
• UCCS completed the season sweep of the Yellow Jackets last year with a 69-62 victory at A2 Arena on February 16, 2024, in the most recent match-up.