SPEARFISH, S.D. – In a battle of teams who were ranked within the D2CSC South Central Region Media Poll early on this season, the Black Hills State University men's basketball team and New Mexico Highlands have gone two different directions since the start of RMAC action. The Yellow Jackets will look to continue a strong start to league play while the Cowboys look to regroup after a winless start to conference play. BHSU will tip-off their first road match-up of the 2025 calendar year at 7 p.m. in the John A. Wilson Complex in Las Vegas, New Mexico on Thursday, January 16.
 
GAME DETAILS
Date & Time: Thursday, January 16 at 7 p.m.
Location: Las Vegas, N.M. – John A. Wilson Complex
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the road trip with a record of 8-6 (4-2 RMAC) on the season after falling to No. 22/RV MSU Denver at home by a score of 84-77 on Saturday afternoon. The Yellow Jackets erased an 11-point deficit in the second half, twice tying the game but 57 and 74, but the Roadrunners closed the game on a 10-3 scoring run to secure the road victory.
• BHSU saw a streak of four consecutive games with double digit 3-pointers come to an end against MSUD, only knocking down six in the match-up. In the Yellow Jackets four RMAC wins they are shooting the ball 54-of-123 for a 43.9 percent clip that includes a season-high of 16 made from distance against Colorado Christian on December 14.
• Black Hills State has been picked to finish fourth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 157 points in the vote by the head coaches. They are currently among three teams tied for third place in the conference standings with a 4-2 record.
• Through 14 games in the 2024-25 season BHSU is averaging 77.9 points, 36.1 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 5.1 steals, and 3.8 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 47.7 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from 3-point range, and 78.9 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents have averaged 69.4 points, 32.9 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 7.5 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 40.4 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from 3-point range, and 77.0 percent from the free throw line.
• The Yellow Jackets currently rank 14^th in NCAA Division II in free throw percentage (78.9%), 20^th in field goal percentage defense (40.4%), and 22^nd in 3-point percentage (38.4%). They lead the RMAC in both free throw percentage and field goal percentage defense, while ranking third in 3-point percentage.
• Caelin Hearne continues to lead the team with an average of 16.8 points per game on the year, which ranks fifth in the RMAC, while he also adds 3.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. He has scored in double figures in 13 of the 14 games this year for the Yellow Jackets, including three times in which he scored 20 or more points and a career-best 30 points in a win over Sioux Falls. While he ranks second in the league with 84 made field goals on the season, he is shooting 47.5 percent from the field which is also ninth-best in the conference. Additionally, his 40.6 percent shooting from 3-point range has led to him ranking eighth in the RMAC with 28 total made shots from beyond the arc and ranking ninth in the league with 2.00 3-pointers per game. On seven occasions he has knocked down three or more shots from distance, including a season-best performance of 5-of-6 shooting from deep against USF.
• Newcomer Cam Lowe has also added a spark for the Yellow Jackets this year as he is averaging 14.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting the ball 50.7 percent from the field, 41.3 percent from 3-point range, and 91.9 percent from the free throw line. He's scored in double figures nine times on the year, including in four of the last five outings. He poured in a career-high of 28 points in a thrilling overtime win at UCCS, shooting 7-of-9 from the field, 6-of-7 from 3-point range, and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Additionally, he's been among the top rebounders in the league, ranking fifth in rebounds per game and has secured eight or more boards eight times this season, including recording ten or more three times. He's posted a pair of double-doubles this season, notching 21 points and 14 rebounds against Augustana, as well as 23 points and ten rebounds against No. 22/RV MSU Denver.
• The facilitator and defensive leader for the Green & Gold is Jaeton Hackley, who leads the team in assists (2.9) and steals (1.4) while adding 11.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The redshirt sophomore has scored in double figures ten times this season, including nine of the last ten games for BHSU which was highlighted by a career-high of 19 points in the win over UMary when he shot 8-of-15 from the field. Among his six games this season with four or more rebounds, he secured a career-high of seven boards in the match-up against South Dakota Mines. His active defense has resulted in six multi-steal games, including a career-high of four steals in the victory over Chadron State, while he also shattered a career-high with ten assists. His first career double-double with 13 points and ten assists against CSC marked the fifth time this year he dished out four or more assists in a game. It was the first time since February 10, 2023, that a Yellow Jacket tallied double digit assists when Adam Moussa notched a triple-double against UCCS.
• Since re-entering the Black Hills State line-up prior to the winter break, Tristan Hurdle has given the Yellow Jackets one of the top outside scoring threat in the league as he is shooting 21-of-37 (56.8%) from beyond the arc in the last five outings. Overall, he is averaging 10.7 points and 1.7 rebounds while shooting the ball 43.9 percent from the field, 45.2 percent from 3-point range, and 100 percent at the charity stripe. Among five double digit scoring performances this year, his season has been highlighted by a career-high 27 point outing that saw a career-best eight shots from beyond the arc go down in a victory over Regis. Hurdle has sank multiple 3-pointers in seven games this season, including each of the last five games.
• John Shanklin was a defensive threat for opponents this past weekend, recording a pair of blocked shots in each of the last two outings and marking sixth time this year he posted multiple blocked shots in a contest. Overall, on the season he is averaging 6.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and a team-high 1.2 blocked shots. In the RMAC he ranks third in both total blocks (17) and blocks per game. While he has scored in double figures three times this year, he is shooting the ball an efficient 42-of-57 from the field for a 73.7 percent clip which includes a 22-of-27 (81.5%) shooting in conference play. Additionally, he has secured five or more rebounds on seven occasions.
• Ryan Thompson is in his seventh season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 129-60 during his career.

NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS STORYLINES

• New Mexico Highlands enters their first home contest of the 2025 calendar year with a record of 7-7 (0-6 RMAC) following an 89-75 loss on the road at Western Colorado on Saturday afternoon.
• After starting the season 6-1 and peaking at No. 7 in the D2CSC South Central Region Media Poll, the Cowboys have gone 1-6 since the start of the month of December.
• NMHU has been picked to finish eighth in the RMAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 90 points in the vote by the league's head coaches. They are currently 15^th in the conference standings as they seek for their first win in league play.
• Through the first 14 games of the season NMHU is averaging 81.4 points, 32.0 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 10.1 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting the ball 44.7 percent from the field, 32.6 percent from 3-point range, and 70.3 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 82.6 points, 34.2 rebounds, 15.9 assists, 6.6 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting the ball 51.8 percent from the field, 38.1 percent from 3-point range, and 74.2 percent from the free throw line.
• New Mexico Highlands currently ranks 20^th in NCAA Division II in turnover margin (+4.7) and 25^th in steals per game (10.2).
• The RMAC leader in point per game, Kenard Richardson currently posts a scoring average of 17.4 points to go along with 5.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting the ball 49.4 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from 3-point range, and 75.9 percent from the free throw line. With a season-high of 34 points on the opening night against Angelo State, it set a tone for 11 double digit scoring performances, which included five occurrences of 20 or more points. Additionally, the Cowboys leader on the glass has secured five or more rebounds on eight occasions, including matching a career-high of nine against Western Colorado. As the team leader in steals he's collected multiple steals in nine contests this year.
• Blessin Kimble is another player to watch for NMHU as he averages 11.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He's scored in double figures on six occasions, including three times reaching the 20-point mark. He scored a season-high of 22 points against Colorado Christian as he shot the ball 7-of-9 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and 6-of-7 from the free throw line, all while securing six rebounds in the process. On the glass he's brought down four or more rebounds in nine games this year, including a season-high of seven against Adams State. Additionally, he's dished out multiple assists in six games.
• Rounding out the trio of players in double figures for the Cowboys is Kyrie Thomas, a threat to watch from beyond the arc. He currently averages 10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, all while shooting the ball 39.7 percent from the field, 34.9 percent from 3-point range, and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. He ranks fifth in the RMAC in 3-pointers per game (2.23) and seventh in total 3-pointers made (29). As he's scored in double figures on six occasions, the sharpshooting has knocked down a shot from deep in 12 games this season, including six games where he has connected on three or more. He has scored a season-high of 22 points against Adams State when he went 4-of-8 from 3-point range, and then he also connected on a season-high of five 3-pointers as he went 5-of-6 from beyond the arc against Northern New Mexico. As the facilitator of the NMHU offense, he's dished out multiple assists in nine match-ups and recorded a season-high of seven against Colorado Mesa.
• Mike Dominguez is in his fifth season as the head coach at New Mexico Highlands, guiding the Cowboys to a record of 61-65 during his career.

SERIES HISTORY

• Since joining the RMAC in the 2012-13 season, Black Hills State holds an 11-7 advantage in the series over New Mexico Highlands.
• Winning their fifth straight and tenth in the last 12 meetings, the Yellow Jackets earned the win in the last match-up on January 26, 2024, with an 89-82 victory in A2 Arena.