LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The Black Hills State University men's basketball team will enter the winter break with their third consecutive win in RMAC play as they took control early with a 21-0 scoring run and cruised to an 85-56 victory at Colorado Christian. The Yellow Jackets used the long ball to their advantage throughout the night as a season-high of nine 3-pointers in a half set the tone in the opening 20 minutes of action and they then proceeded to end the game with a season-high of 16 made in the game as they shot 47.1 percent from beyond the arc. Six different players made a 3-pointer in the game as Tristan Hurdle led the way while matching a season-high of five made baskets from deep, including knocking down back-to-back midway through the second half that sparked a 21-5 run to extend the lead down the stretch.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 85, Colorado Christian 56
Team Records: Black Hills State 7-5 (3-1 RMAC), Colorado Christian 5-4 (2-2 RMAC)
Attendance: 114
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• While Colorado Christian scored the first points of the game with a floater in the paint by Bobby McWard with 19:07 on the clock, Black Hills State took over as they held the Cougars scoreless for the next 6:21 of game time as they scored 21 unanswered points. The deep ball started to fall early as Jaeton Hackley, Caelin Hearne, Tristan Hurdle, and BJ Woodruff each connected on a 3-pointer during the run as the Yellow Jackets went up 21-2 with 13:19 remaining in the first half.
• BHSU led by as many as 24 points in the first half as Woodruff connected on his second 3-pointer of the game, a shot from the top of the key in transition off a pass from Deegan Williams, to give Black Hills State a 29-5 advantage with 10:13 left in the opening half.
• CCU began to make it a more back-and-forth affair late in the half as a quick 7-0 run cut the BHSU lead to 36-23 as Bradley Land hit a driving baseline jumper off the right block with 1:52 to play in the half. The Yellow Jackets, however, had a quick response to stretch out the lead again as Hearne scored the final eight points for Black Hills State in an 8-2 run to close the half and make it a 44-25 lead at the halftime break. Hearne knocked down a pair of 3-pointers from the left-wing, bringing Black Hills State's first half tally to nine made baskets from beyond the arc, the most in a single half this season, and he then added a driving left-handed layup with 33 seconds remaining to end the first half scoring.
• Land gave Colorado Christian the first points of the second half with a turnaround jumper off the left-block with 19:12 left to play as the teams began the final 20 minutes of play with back-and-forth action.
• It wasn't until the 13:06 mark of the second half that Hurdle gave Black Hills State another spark to stretch out the lead once again as he knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers from the left-corner and the top of the key off assists from Woodruff and Hackley. The baskets brought his total to five made baskets from beyond the arc in the game and matched his season-high. The spark ignited a 21-5 Yellow Jacket run that was capped by a Dawson Mohr 3-pointer from the left-corner, giving BHSU a 32 point (75-43) advantage with 7:24 to play in the contest.
• In the midst of back-and-forth action late in the game Black Hills State took their largest lead of the afternoon with 3:20 to play as Blake Volmer drove across the paint from the right-wing and finished a left-handed layup to make it a 33 point game at 82-49.
• BHSU scored their final points of the night with as Mohr connected on his second long ball of the game, this time hitting from the top of the key on a contested step back with 1:22 remaining on the clock. The ensuing possession saw Colorado Christian score the game's final points as Jayson Demcher drove into the paint and added a right-handed layup to bring the final score to 85-56 in favor of the Yellow Jackets. 

BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Caelin Hearne: 22 points, 4-of-10 3-pointers, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block
Tristan Hurdle: 15 points, 5-of-7 3-pointers, 5 rebounds
Jaeton Hackley: 13 points, 2-of-4 3-pointers, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal

HIGHLIGHTS
 

UP NEXT
It will be nearly a month until Black Hills State is back in action when they are set to host another RMAC contender in Regis on Thursday, January 9. The Yellow Jackets and Rangers will tip-off at 7 p.m. inside A2 Arena.
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