SPEARFISH, S.D. – After falling in an overtime battle just two days ago, the Black Hills State University men's basketball team looks to end this week's homestand on a high note against Western Colorado and get back into the win column. The Yellow Jackets and the Mountaineers are slated for a 3 p.m. tip-off inside of A2 Arena on Saturday, January 25.
 
GAME DETAILS
Date & Time: Saturday, January 25 at 3 p.m.
Location: Spearfish, S.D. – A2 Arena
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the Saturday match-up with a 9-8 (5-4 RMAC) record this season following another heartbreaking loss at home as they fell to Colorado Mesa by a score of 79-77 in overtime on Thursday evening. The OT setback ended a streak of five consecutive extra period wins for the Yellow Jackets, as their last loss occurred on January 4, 2021, in a home match-up against No. 4 Colorado School of Mines.
• Black Hills State was 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 fifth place in the conference standings with a 5-4 record.
• Through 17 games in the 2024-25 season BHSU is averaging 77.2 points, 35.8 rebounds, 12.9 assists, 5.1 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 48.7 percent from the field, 39.1 percent from 3-point range, and 74.8 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents have averaged 69.9 points, 32.9 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 7.9 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 40.6 percent from the field, 33.8 percent from 3-point range, and 77.0 percent from the free throw line.
• BHSU has knocked down at least six or more 3-pointers in each RMAC contest this season, and on five occasions have hit double figures. As a team the Yellow Jackets are 89-of-213 (41.8%) and are averaging 9.9 made 3-pointers in the nine league match-ups. Prior to the winter break BHSU hit a season-high of 16 3-pointers in a victory at Colorado Christian, going 16-of-34 for a 47.1 percent clip.
• The Yellow Jackets currently rank ninth in NCAA Division II in 3-point percentage (39.1%), 26^th in effective field goal percentage (56.2%), and 27^th in field goal percentage defense (40.6%). They currently lead the RMAC in both field goal percentage defense and 3-point percentage.
• Caelin Hearne continues to lead the team with an average of 15.7 points per game on the year, which ranks sixth in the RMAC, while he also adds 2.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He has scored in double figures in 16 of the 17 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 third in the league with 99 made field goals on the season, he is shooting 47.6 percent from the field which is also eighth-best in the conference. Additionally, his 41.5 percent shooting from 3-point range has led to him ranking eighth in the RMAC with 34 total made shots from beyond the arc and ranking tenth in the league with 2.00 3-pointers per game. On eight 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. He has also secured four or more rebounds six times and dished out three or more assists six times.
• Cam Lowe has also added a spark for the Yellow Jackets this year as he is averaging 15.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while shooting the ball 51.4 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from 3-point range, and 85.4 percent from the free throw line. Among RMAC leaders he currently leads the conference in defensive rebounds per game while also ranking fourth in rebounds per game, fifth in field goal percentage and total rebounds, ninth in total field goals made, and 11^th in points per game. He's scored in double figures 12 times on the year, including in seven of the last eight 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, one of five 20-point performances this year. Additionally, as one of the conference's most active rebounders, he's secured eight or more rebounds in ten contests this season, including ten or more in five games which includes a career-high of 14 against Augustana. He's posted a team-high four double-doubles this season, including three which occurred in the last four games.
• Tristan Hurdle has emerged as one of the top sharpshooters in the nation as he leads the RMAC and is second in all of NCAA Division II with a 3-point percentage of 50.7 on 38-of-75 from beyond the arc on the year. Additionally, in the nine league games alone he is shooting the ball at a 62.0 percent clip from deep as he has connected on 31-of-50 shot attempts. He also ranks second in the league in 3-pointers per game (2.92) and is fourth with total 3-pointers (38). He's connected on multiple 3-pointers in ten games this year, including eight consecutive games. On the season he is averaging 11.0 points and 2.2 rebounds. Hurdle has scored in double figures six of the last seven games and has twice reached the 20-point mark. His 27-point performance against Regis set a new career-high in points and made 3-pointers with 8-of-12 shooting from deep. On the glass he has secured a season-high of five boards on three occasions.
• The facilitator and defensive leader for the Green & Gold is Jaeton Hackley, who leads the team in assists (2.6) and steals (1.5) while adding 10.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. The redshirt sophomore has scored in double figures ten times this season, which includes 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 eight 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. He currently ranks sixth in the RMAC in total steals (26) and is eighth in steals per game (1.53).
• John Shanklin has been a defensive threat for opponents this season, ranking fourth in the RMAC in both total blocked shots (20) and blocked shots per game (1.18), while he also adds 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. He has posted a blocked shot in four of the last five games and in 12 games overall this year. On seven occasions he has tallied multiple blocks, which includes a season-high of three against MSU Moorhead. While he has scored in double figures three times this year, he is shooting the ball an efficient 48-of-66 from the field for a 72.7 percent clip which includes 28-of-36 (77.8%) shooting in conference play. Additionally, he has secured five or more rebounds on nine occasions.
• Ryan Thompson is in his seventh season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 130-62 during his career.

WESTERN COLORADO STORYLINES

• Western Colorado enters their final game in The Mount Rushmore State this weekend with a record of 6-10 (4-5 RMAC) following a 72-61 loss at South Dakota Mines on Thursday evening.
• The Mountaineers was picked to finish 11^th in the RMAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 74 points in the vote by the league's head coaches. They are currently among three teams tied for eighth in the conference standings.
• Through 16 games this season WCU is averaging 72.7 points, 33.1 rebounds, 14.3 assists, 6.1 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting the ball 45.9 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from 3-point range, and 63.9 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 73.7 points, 33.5 rebounds, 10.9 assists, 7.9 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting the ball 47.0 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from 3-point range, and 71.6 percent from the free throw line.
• Kade Juelfs enters Saturday's match-up by averaging 13.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, while shooting the ball 40.9 percent from the field, 41.0 percent from 3-point range, and 77.8 percent from the free throw line. He's among the RMAC's top sharpshooters from beyond the arc, ranking second in the league and 31^st nationally in 3-point percentage, while also ranking third in the conference in both 3-pointers per game (2.67) and total 3-pointers made (40) this season. The senior guard has connected on a shot from deep in 15 contests this year, including 11 games with two or more made from beyond the arc and four games of four or more made from 3-point range. He has scored in double figures in the last six games and ten of the last 12, which includes a season-high of 31 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, 8-of-13 from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 from the free throw line against New Mexico Highlands. He has secured two or more rebounds in ten games and has dished out two or more assists in 11 games.
• The only other player to average double figures this season for the Mountaineers is Amar Rivers, posting averages of 10.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game as he shoots the ball 49.2 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from 3-point range, and 80.4 percent from the free throw line. The senior guard has scored in double figures in three of the last four games and ten total times on the year, which includes a season-high of 17 points on four occasions. In the last three games he is shooting the ball 12-of-17 from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe as the Mountaineers have gone 1-2 in those contests. He has secured three or more rebounds in 12 games, including a season-high of seven twice, and has dished out two or more assists on eight occasions, which includes a season-high of six against NMHU. Additionally, the do it all guard has posted a blocked shot in nine games and a steal in 11 games.
• Zac Claus is in his second season as the head coach at Western Colorado, guiding the Mountaineers to a 17-27 record. Overall, he is in his sixth season as a collegiate head coach, spending four previous seasons at Idaho, and boasting a 45-115 career mark. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Since joining the RMAC in the 2012-13 season, Black Hills State holds a 14-3 advantage in the series, which includes winning 14 of the last 15 contests after dropping the first two games as conference foes.
• The Yellow Jackets won their eighth consecutive game in the series with a 69-65 victory in A2 Arena on January 13, 2024.