SPEARFISH, S.D. – After winning their fourth consecutive RMAC opener earlier this week, the Black Hills State University women's basketball team continues conference play as they close out the home schedule for the 2024 calendar year with a match-up against Chadron State. The Yellow Jackets and Eagles will go head-to-head in yet another regional rivalry in a 1 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, December 7, in A2 Arena.
 
GAME DETAILS
Date & Time: Saturday, December 7 at 1 p.m.
Location: Spearfish, S.D. – A2 Arena
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the RMAC home opener with a record of 5-3 (1-0 RMAC) on the year following 64-50 win at I-90 rival South Dakota Mines on Tuesday night, leading for all but one minute and eight seconds in the contest. In the win over SDM the Yellow Jackets collected a season-high of 14 steals and tied a season-high of 16 assists.
• In the victory over the Hardrockers the Yellow Jackets improved to 10-3 all-time in RMAC openers and have now won four straight. Furthermore, BHSU is 11-1 all-time in RMAC home openers as they enter the contest having won five straight with their last loss occurring against Westminster (92-89) in overtime on December 7, 2018. Black Hills State is currently tied with Adams State, who has already played and won their RMAC home opener this year, for the most consecutive wins to open league play at home.
• For the fourth consecutive week the Yellow Jackets are ranked within the South Central Region D2CSC Media Poll, moving up one spot to No. 9 on Monday.
• Black Hills State has been picked to finish ninth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 94 points.
• Through the first eight games of the season BHSU is averaging 66.3 points, 34.6 rebounds, 12.3 assists, 7.1 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 43.2 percent from the field, 30.0 percent from 3-point range, and 74.8 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 62.8 points, 31.5 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 5.8 steals, and 3.0 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 39.8 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from 3-point range, and 72.3 percent from the free throw line.
• The Yellow Jackets currently lead the conference and rank 14^th in NCAA Division II in fewest turnovers per game, averaging 12.8 per game. They have recorded a season-low of only ten turnovers on three occasions.
• Leading three players in double figures scoring for Black Hills State is Kalla Bertram who scores 14.0 points per game and adds 7.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 1.4 assists per game. She has been efficient shooting the ball at a 48.9 percent clip on the year and has scored in double figures in six of the eight games which includes a double-double against Lubbock Christian (17 points, 11 rebounds). In this week's win over South Dakota Mines, she led the team in scoring with 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Against the Hardrockers 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 5.0 rebounds per game. She holds the top field goal percentage on the team and ranks fifth in the RMAC, knocking down 44-of-84 (52.4%) shot attempts this year, while also shooting 19-of-20 (95.0%) from the free throw line. She has reached double figures and has scored 12 or more points in six of eight games this year in addition to grabbing five or more boards in six 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 Yellow Jacket win over the Hardrockers, she scored 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field.
• Morgan Hammerbeck is another player to keep an eye on as she rounds out players in double figures, averaging 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. She is also shooting the ball better than 40.0 percent on the year, knocking down shots from the field at a 41.0 percent clip while also connecting on 35.3 percent of 3-pointers, and 94.7 percent of free throws. She is currently 18-of-19 from the charity stripe and has made 11 straight entering the match-up with Chadron State. In the win against UMC, 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 three times, has recorded four or more rebounds in seven contests, and has dished out three or more assists on four occasions. In the win over SDM she hit 3-of-5 3-pointers en route to 11 points while adding five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. The trio of 3-pointers against the Hardrockers was the third time this year reached her season-high mark.
• The lone freshman in the starting lineup for each of the first eight games this year has been Bradie Schlabs, who has averaged 8.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. 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 six occasions, has dished out four or more assists in six games, and has tallied a steal in all eight games this year. In the victory over South Dakota Mines, she recorded a career-high of four steals. She ranks second in the RMAC in assists (37) and assists per game (4.6), while also ranking 22^nd and 35^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 5-3 record thus far. 

CHADRON STATE STORYLINES

• Chadron State enters their first RMAC road contest of the year with a record of 2-5 (1-0 RMAC) on the season following a 71-67 win over South Dakota Mines in their league opener at home on Thursday night.
• The early schedule has not been easy going for the Eagles as they have faced the eighth toughest schedule in NCAA Division II up to this point as their opponents have combined for a 34-16 (68.0%) record this year. They have faced opponents such as No. 3/16 Montana State Billings who is 8-1 (1-0 GNAC) and Southwest Minnesota State who is 7-0 (1-0 NSIC) while receiving votes in both the WBCA Coaches' Poll and the D2CSC Media Poll.
• The Eagles are picked to finish 13^th in the RMAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Through seven games this season CSC has averaged 67.6 points, 36.3 rebounds, 13.3 assists, 5.7 steals, and 2.7 blocks, while shooting the ball 42.1 percent from the field, 29.9 percent from 3-point range, and 78.7 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 78.4 points, 37.0 rebounds, 14.6 assists, 10.7 steals, 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 43.7 percent from the field, 31.4 percent from 3-point range, and 68.2 percent from the free throw line.
• A 2-time All-RMAC selection, Ashayla Powers is once again the top player for Chadron State as she leads four players in double figures with 14.7 points per game while adding 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 assists per game. As she has scored in double figures five times this year, twice scoring 20 or more points, she ranks 25^th nationally in NCAA Division II with a field goal percentage of 54.9 and then she is fourth in the RMAC with an 86.2 percent mark from the free throw line. She scored a season-high of 24 points against MSUB, shooting the ball 11-of-17 from the field in the contest. Additionally, she has twice secured ten or more rebounds to notch two double-doubles on the season against Simon Fraser (13 points, 11 rebounds) and York (20 points, 13 rebounds). In five games this year she has grabbed five or more boards.
• Allison Richards is another player to watch as she averages 12.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, while shooting the ball 41.0 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from 3-point range, and 87.5 percent from the free throw line. She ranks fourth in the RMAC in both 3-point percentage and 3-pointers per game (2.20), as she has knocked down multiple 3-pointers on three occasions, which includes a season-high of five against York. In three match-ups this year she has grabbed four or more rebounds, including a season-high of seven against SMSU, and she also dished out a season-high of four assists against Wayne State.
• Rounding out the scorers that average double figures are another pair of 3-point threats at Camren Morris and Kylie Krise average 10.9 and 10.7 points per game respectively this year. Morris adds 2.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game while shooting the ball 50.9 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from 3-point range. She has scored in double figures on four occasions and has made a 3-pointer in six games, three games of which she has made multiple shots from deep. Krise is coming off her first double-double of the season in which she scored 23 points and grabbed ten rebounds against South Dakota Mines. In the win over SDM she matched a season-high of five 3-pointers, a mark she had reached in a prior contest against York.
• Travis Brewster is in his second season as the head coach at Chadron State, guiding the Eagles to an 8-26 record during his time. Overall, he is in his 12^th season as a collegiate head coach with stops at Saint Xavier (Ill.) and North Dakota prior to arriving at CSC, where he now holds a 181-162 record in his career. While at UND he was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2017.

SERIES HISTORY

• Black Hills State continues to close the gap on the all-time series lead that Chadron State currently holds, 38-31, as the Yellow Jackets have won 25 of the last 27 meetings dating back to 2006.
• BHSU won their 12^th consecutive game against the Eagles on March 2, 2024, as they recorded a 61-41 victory in A2 Arena in Spearfish.