LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Black Hills State University men's basketball team returned to the win column on Thursday night as they took care of business on the road in a 71-56 victory at New Mexico Highlands in the John A. Wilson Complex. Despite a slow start offensively in which the Yellow Jackets were held scoreless for a nearly six and a half minute stretch after scoring off the tip, the defense controlled the game as the Cowboys were held 25 points below their season scoring average of 81.4 points per game and shot just 33.9 percent from the field. BHSU, on the other hand, shot 59.6 percent from the field on the night for their second-best shooting percentage on the season and improved to 7-0 this year when shooting 50 percent or better.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 71, New Mexico Highlands 56
Team Records: Black Hills State 9-6 (5-2 RMAC), New Mexico Highlands 7-8 (0-7 RMAC)
Attendance: 273
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• It took only a matter of seconds for Black Hills State to score the opening basket of the game as Jaeton Hackley took Joel Speckman's tip with a full head of steam towards the basket and made the layup four seconds into the match-up. Despite the early basket, New Mexico Highlands responded with a 10-0 run that was capped by Kyrie Thomas connecting on a 3-pointer from the left-wing to take a 10-2 advantage with 15:23 to play in the first half.
• The Yellow Jackets snapped a nearly six and a half minute scoring drought as BJ Woodruff took a strong drive to the hoop from the right-wing and finished the layup through hard contact with 13:38 to play. While the Cowboys briefly pushed their lead back to ten (16-6), the Woodruff basket sparked a 15-6 scoring run as the Green & Gold shot 7-of-13 from the field over the next eight and a half minutes, ending with John Shanklin giving BHSU the lead back (17-16) with 5:32 to play as he sank a turnaround hook shot in the paint after securing an offensive rebound.
• The teams traded the lead four more times in the final five minutes of the first half until Hackley gave Black Hills State the lead for good as he closed the scoring in the opening 20 minutes of action with a driving left-handed layup with 32 seconds remaining for a 25-23 advantage entering the break.
• Going back to the closing minutes of the first half, the Yellow Jackets extended a scoring run to 12-4 over a six minute stretch that saw Hackley cap the run following a steal as he was credited with two points for defensive goaltending on a fastbreak layup with 17:46 remaining in the second half and giving BHSU a 32-25 lead. New Mexico Highlands remained within striking distance and kept it a single digit game until 14:17 showed on the clock as the Green & Gold began to surge with back-to-back 3-pointers as Tristan Hurdle connected on a shot from the right-wing off an assist from Caelin Hearne and then Hearne hit a left-corner shot as Shanklin dished off a quick pass to make it a 43-31 game, forcing a NMHU timeout.
• The Black Hills State defense caused troubles for the RMAC's leading scorer the majority of the night as Kenard Richardson was held without a point until the 12:55 mark of the second half and without a field goal until the 11:04 mark as he made a right-handed floater to cap an 8-3 run that trimmed the BHSU lead to just seven points (46-39).
• The turning point in what the Cowboys hoped for a comeback occurred the ensuing possession as Cam Lowe stood at the free throw line awaiting a second free throw when NMHU was called for a technical foul. Lowe went 3-of-4 during his trip to the charity stripe and sucked the life out of the building as the Yellow Jackets went on a 13-4 scoring run as Speckman gave BHSU their largest lead of the contest at 16 points (59-43) with a right-handed layup with 7:51 to play.
• A 3-pointer by Daniel Rosenber sparked one final scoring run for New Mexico Highlands as a 9-0 run brought them within single digits (59-52) one last time with 4:33 left to play in the game, but a left-wing 3-pointer by Woodruff stalled the run and pushed the Yellow Jacket lead to double digits (62-52) for good. Starting with the 3-pointer, Woodruff scored seven of the next nine points in a responding 9-0 run for BHSU to push the game out of reach.
• Lowe ended the scoring in the game with a left-wing 3-pointer off a kick-out pass from Hearne to make it a 71-56 final. The basket from beyond the arc made it two consecutive 20-point games for Lowe and his third in the last five games.

BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Cam Lowe: 21 points, 2-of-4 3-pointers, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
Caelin Hearne: 13 points, 1-of-2 3-pointers, 2 assists
Joel Speckman: 10 points, 5-of-6 field goals, 3 rebounds
BJ Woodruff: 9 points, 4-of-5 field goals, 3 rebounds
 
UP NEXT
Black Hills State will remain on the road to close out the weekend as they travel to Fort Lewis for a 3 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, January 18, in Whalen Gymnasium in Durango, Colorado.
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