SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University men's basketball team will close out a stretch of three consecutive games at the King Center in Rapid City on Tuesday, December 3, with the first of two regular season meetings against rival South Dakota Mines. The Yellow Jackets and Hardrockers will tip-off the RMAC schedule at 5:30 p.m. as BHSU looks to avenge last year's sweep against their I-90 rivals.
 
GAME DETAILS
Date & Time: Tuesday, December 3 at 7:30 p.m.
Location: Rapid City, S.D. – King Center
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the RMAC opener with a record of 4-4 on the season after splitting a pair of games in the inaugural Dakota Challenge, defeating UMary (90-68) on Friday before falling to Minot State (71-64) on Saturday afternoon in Rapid City.
• BHSU shot 60.0 percent in the win over the Marauders, marking the best shooting percentage in a game for the Green & Gold since they shot 61.1 percent in a win over Regis on February 11, 2023. Under head coach Ryan Thompson, Black Hills State is 10-0 when they shoot better than 60.0 percent in a game.
• The Yellow Jackets are 7-5 all-time in RMAC openers and enter this year's match-up having won five of their last seven conference openers.
• Black Hills State has been picked to finish fourth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 157 points.
• In the first eight games of the 2024-25 season BHSU is averaging 75.6 points, 38.4 rebounds, 10.9 assists, 4.6 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 45.1 percent from the field, 36.0 percent from 3-point range, and 78.6 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents have averaged 67.8 points, 35.8 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 6.8 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 37.9 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from 3-point range, and 74.2 percent from the free throw line.
• Caelin Hearne continues to lead the team with an average of 16.4 points per game on the year and he adds 3.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. In the midst of eight consecutive double digit scoring games to begin the season, he poured in a career-best 30 points in a win over Sioux Falls, marking one of six games he has scored 14 or more points. He has been shooting the ball consistently at a 46.9 percent clip from the field and 43.9 percent from 3-point range. Highlighted with a season-best performance of 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc against USF, 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 13.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting the ball 50.7 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from 3-point range, and 87.5 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 five occasions and has posted eight or more rebounds in five contests.
• Another player to watch is Jaeton Hackley, who has posted four straight games in double figures scoring to bring his season average to 11.3 points per game, while he also adds 3.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Overall, he has notched five games in double figures scoring, including a career-high of 19 points in the win over UMary which saw him shoot 8-of-15 from the field. He collected a season-high of three steals in the match-up with Minot State, marking the third game of the year in which he has tallied multiple steals. Also, against the Beavers, he dished out four assists, tying a season-high and marking the fifth occasion this year that he has recorded multiple assists.
• Ryan Thompson is in his seventh season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 125-58 during his career.

SOUTH DAKOTA MINES STORYLINES

• South Dakota Mines enters the RMAC opener with a record of 0-8 this season, following a pair of losses in the inaugural Dakota Challenge, falling to Minot State (63-56) on Friday and UMary (68-60) on Saturday in the King Center.
• Despite being winless on the year, the Hardrocker defense has only given up 70 or more points twice, and has been within eight or less points at the time of the final buzzer on three occasions, including just a six point (67-61) loss to No. 4/3 MSU Moorhead.
• The Hardrockers have been picked to finish tenth in the RMAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 85 points in the vote by the league's head coaches.
• Through the first eight games of the season SDM is averaging 52.3 points, 28.4 rebounds, 8.0 assists, 5.5 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting the ball 39.0 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from 3-point range, and 66.7 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 66.6 points, 29.9 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 7.1 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting the ball 50.1 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from 3-point range, and 65.8 percent from the free throw line.
• Keagen Smith is the lone player to average double figures scoring this season for South Dakota Mines with 10.4 points, while adding 5.1 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He is shooting the ball 43.5 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from 3-point range. Including each of the last two contests with 13 points against Minot State and a season-high of 17 points against UMary, he has scored in double figures on four occasions. He has connected on multiple 3-pointers in four contests this year and knocked down a season-high of three in each game against the Beavers and Marauders this past weekend. He has grabbed five or more rebounds in five games and has collected two or more steals five times.
• Another player to keep an eye on in the game is Tre Dowdell, who is averaging 8.7 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in six games this year. He has shot the ball 34.5 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from 3-point range, and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. The freshman has scored in double figures once this year, pouring in 15 points against Augustana in the East/West Challenge, while he has scored nine points on three other occasions. He has dished out multiple assists in each of the last four games, including a season-high of four against No. 4/3 MSU Moorhead, and he has grabbed a season-high four rebounds twice against Texas A&M International and Augie.
• Eric Glenn is in his seventh season as the head coach at South Dakota Mines, guiding the Hardrockers to a 68-102 record during his career.

SERIES HISTORY

• Tuesday will mark the 203^rd meeting on the hardwood between Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines since 1948, with the Yellow Jackets holding a 110-92 advantage in the series since that time.
• The Hardrockers won the most recent match-up on January 31, 2024, with a 59-54 victory in the King Center to sweep the 2023-24 season series between the rivals.
• BHSU has won ten of the last 14 meetings between the teams since the start of the 2017-18 season.