SPEARFISH, S.D. – The No. 23 Black Hills State University men's basketball team is set for their second consecutive weekend of facing Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) foes as they travel north to match-up with former DAC opponents Minot State and UMary. In the second annual Dakota Challenge during Thanksgiving weekend, the Yellow Jackets look to continue their best start since the 2022-23 season as they face the Beavers on Friday, November 28, and the Marauders on Saturday, November 29, in the McDowell Activity Center, in Bismarck, North Dakota.
 
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO VS. MINOT STATE
Date/Time/Location: Friday, November 28 / 1 p.m. MT / 2 p.m. CT / Bismarck, N.D.  / McDowell Activity Center
NSIC Network: Fans can watch the action live on the NSIC Network for free.
KDSJ Radio: Black Hills State men's basketball continues to air live on KDSJ Radio with the voice of the Yellow Jackets, Steve Ammerman, giving the play-by-play for all the action.
 
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO AT UMARY
Date/Time/Location: Saturday, November 29 / 4 p.m. MT / 5 p.m. CT / Bismarck, N.D.  / McDowell Activity Center
NSIC Network: Fans can watch the action live on the NSIC Network for free.
KDSJ Radio: Black Hills State men's basketball continues to air live on KDSJ Radio with the voice of the Yellow Jackets, Steve Ammerman, giving the play-by-play for all the action.
 
#23 BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters Friday's match-up with Minot State with a record of 3-1 (0-0 RMAC) following a loss at (RV) MSU Moorhead (100-85) and a win over Augustana (75-71). The 3-1 start to the year is the best 4-game start for the Yellow Jackets since 2022-23 (4-0).
• Through the first two weeks of the season, BHSU improved to 13-1 in their last 14 games against the Lone Star Conference (LSC). Meanwhile, they look to improve upon a 3-6 mark against the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) the last two years, and they are 7-11 since 2018-19.
• Black Hills State snapped a 5-game losing streak in the East/West Challenge when they defeated Augie last Saturday.
• With their 86-54 win over Sul Ross State and 89-57 victory over Texas A&M International, the Yellow Jackets recorded back-to-back wins of 30 or more points for the first time since their 2022-23 Final Four run when they defeated MSU Denver by 32 points (89-57) on February 4, 2023, and UCCS by 31 points (100-69) on February 10, 2023.
• After shooting exactly 50.0 percent from the field against MSUM, the Green & Gold shot the ball 50 percent or better in each of their first three contests, falling to 12-2 in such games since the beginning of 2024-25.
• BHSU has seen five players score in double figures in three of their four games, with the lone contest they did not reach five in double figures being the match-up with Texas A&M International. A year ago, it occurred five times where five players scoring in doubles figures, as the Yellow Jackets are 7-1 in such games since the beginning of 2024-25.
• The Yellow Jackets enter the 2025-26 season off an 18-12 (13-7 RMAC) record in 2024-25 where they finished in a tie for third in the league standings, their seventh consecutive top-4 finish in the conference.
• BHSU joins only Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Mesa as the only three schools to win 13 or more conference games in each of the last four seasons.
• In the 2025 RMAC Tournament the Yellow Jackets advanced to the semifinals for the fifth consecutive season where they ultimately fell to No. 9/9 Colorado School of Mines 77-64.
• Dating back to last season the Green & Gold are 11-4 in their last 15 games overall, with a pair of those losses coming to a top-10 nationally ranked Colorado School of Mines squad.
• The Yellow Jackets enter the 2025-26 season as the preseason favorites in the RMAC and are now ranked No. 23 in the first regular season poll of the NABC Top-25.
• Black Hills State returns three all-conference players from a year ago, as Cam Lowe was named First Team All-RMAC and RMAC Freshman of the Year, while Jaeton Hackley and Tristan Hurdle were named Honorable Mention All-RMAC. All three of those student-athletes were named to the 2025-26 Preseason All-RMAC team.
• The Yellow Jackets return seven players who started a game last season, and they return ten players in total from last season.
• The Green & Gold bring back a wealth of talent as they return their leading scorer (Lowe) and four of their top-5 scorers, they return their leading rebounder (Lowe) and four of their top-5 rebounders, they return their leading assister (Hackley) and four of their top-5 assist leaders, they return their leader in steals (Hackley) and four of their top-5 steals leaders, and lastly they return four of their top-6 block leaders from last season.
• After connecting on ten or more 3-pointers as a team 17 times in 2024-25, they knocked down double digit shots from beyond the arc in back-to-back games to begin the season as they hit 11 against Sul Ross State and 13 against Texas A&M International. The Yellow Jackets are 14-5 in those games since the beginning of last season.
• Black Hills State went 13-of-13 from the charity stripe against Sul Ross State, the most made free throws in a game without a miss in the DII era for the Yellow Jackets. They then followed it up by going 10-of-14 against Texas A&M International, 15-of-19 against MSU Moorhead, and 17-of-21 against Augustana. They are shooting 55-of-67 from the free throw line on the year for an 82.1 percent clip.
• The Yellow Jackets currently rank eighth in NCAA Division II in free throw percentage (82.1 %) and is 15^th in defensive rebounds per game (30.50).
• Myles Johnson has reached double figures in all four of his first games back to the court, averaging 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 1.5 assists per game. He has poured in a career-best 18 points on two different occasions this season, first against SRSU when he poured in 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and 3-of-3 from the free throw line, and then against AU when he notched 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor with a 4-of-4 mark at the charity stripe. Thus far this season he is shooting 27-of-41 (65.9%) from the field and 8-of-9 (88.9%) from the free throw line. He missed all of 2024-25 due to injury but averaged 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 2023-24.
• Through four games the reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year, Lowe, averages 12.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. While looking to get his shot to fall this year yet, only shooting 34.8 percent from the field on 16-of-46 shooting, and 23.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc he is 6-of-26 from 3-point range. He recorded his 26^th career double digit game and his 11^th 20-point game of his career as he scored a season-best 21 points and added two rebounds, two assists, and two blocks on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, 2-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe. He has three 8-rebound performances this season. The First Team All-RMAC and Second Team All-South Central Region selection averaged 15.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game last season, posting eight double-doubles on the year. He scored in double figures 24 times and reached the 20-point mark ten times. He poured in a career-best 28 points in an overtime comeback win at UCCS, shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 6-of-7 from 3-point range. He also posted one of the best 3-point shooting performances in school history against Adams State, going a perfect 7-of-7 from beyond the arc. He enters the season as the active leading career scorer in the RMAC, tied for active lead in career rebounds, and is the leagues' top free throw shooter as he is 83.7 percent from the charity stripe in his career.
• After scoring in double figures in each of the last two outings against MSUM (12) and Augie (11), the floor general, Hackley, is averaging 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. He has dished out four or more assists in three of the four games this year thus far and has collected a pair of steals against both Texas A&M International and MSU Moorhead. He returns as the team leader in assists with 3.7 per game a year ago, while defensively he also led the team with 1.3 steals per game. He added 11.8 points per game as he scored in double figures 20 times in 2024-25, notching a career-best 24 points in a regular season conference game at Colorado School of Mines as he went 7-of-13 from the floor, 3-of-3 from deep, and 7-of-7 at the charity stripe. He dished out five or more assists on 11 occasions. He enters the 2025-26 season in the top-10 of both the BHSU career assists and steals per game lists.
• Jack Haggett has made his presence known in the post with a strong start to his sophomore campaign, averaging 8.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game this season. He has scored in double figures twice this year, first in the season opener against the Logos, pouring in 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, adding five rebounds, three assists, and three blocks, and then in the most recent game against the Vikings as he scored 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, 1-of-2 shooting from 3-point range, 4-of-5 shooting from the charity stripe, and he added four rebounds and three blocks.. A year ago, he averaged just 5.1 points and 2.4 rebounds with seven games in double figures.
• Making their Yellow Jacket earlier this month, transfers Willie Patterson III and Jackson Seale have provided added production to an already talented group of returners. Seale scored a career-high 12 points in the win over the Dustdevils and added four rebounds as he is now averaging 5.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on the young season. Patterson on the other hand is now averaging 7.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assist after he recorded a double-double in his first game with the program against Sul Ross State with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and then in the last outing against Augustana he scored ten points and grabbed four rebounds.
• Regrouping after a 0-of-5 performance from deep in the season opener against Sul Ross State, Hurdle, bounced back and has gone 11-of-18 (61.1%) from beyond the arc in the last three games. The Preseason All-RMAC selection and the 2024-25 NCAA Division II leader in 3-point percentage is averaging 8.3 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 43.8 percent from deep. With a 4-of-6 mark from 3-point range against SRSU and a 4-of-5 mark from deep against MSUM, he now has ten games with four or more 3-pointers in his Yellow Jacket career. He has scored in double figures in 16 games, including a career-best 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting from deep against Regis at home last season.
• Ryan Thompson is in his eighth season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 142-67 during his career.

MINOT STATE STORYLINES

• Minot State enters this weekend's games with a record of 3-2 (0-1 NSIC) on the season following a 78-73 loss at UMary on Tuesday evening.
• MSU is picked to finish 11^th overall and third in the north division of the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Beavers are coming the best season in program history, winning a school record 26 games, making their first-ever NSIC Tournament Championship Game appearance, and making their first-ever NCAA Division II Tournament appearance. Minot State finished the season 26-10 (14-8 NSIC) and was tied for eighth in the league standings.
• Along with replacing head coach Matt Murken, who left to pursue an assistant coaching position at the University of South Dakota, the Beavers look to replace their top-6 leading scorers, including Caleb Van De Griend who was a NABC and D2CCA All-American as he averaged 20.9 points and 13.1 rebounds. The leading returning scorer for the Beavers is Trey Brandt who averaged 3.0 points, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 rebounds per game a year ago.
• Darik Dissette, a North Dakota State transfer, was the NSIC Player to Watch for the Beavers. He has scored in double figures in each of his first five games at Minot State, averaging 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.2 steals, while shooting the ball 55.6 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from the charity stripe. He scored a career-best 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field and added eight rebounds in a match-up with East Central. In his first career game with MSU, he notched a double-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
• Deuce Benjamin, the current leading scorer for the Beavers, is a transfer from New Mexico Junior College. He currently averages 16.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting the ball 41.1 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from beyond the arc. He has scored in double figures all five games and has twice scored 20 or more points. He scored a season-high 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in a win over Bismarck State. He has connected on three or more 3-pointers in three of the five games this year.
• The third player to average double figures this season for Minot State is Sean De Kovachich, a Lake Land College transfer. He currently averages 15.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting the ball 50.9 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from 3-point range, and 75.0 percent from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in four of the five games this year, including a career-best 33 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor, 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range, and 9-of-10 shooting from the charity stripe, while grabbing eight rebounds against Montana State Billings.
• Randall Herbst is in his first season as the head coach at Minot State, guiding the Beavers to a 3-2 mark thus far. Overall, he is in his fifth season as a collegiate head coach, previously spending two seasons at UMary and two seasons at Waldorf, and leading his teams to a record of 75-48 in his career.

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the 1999-2000 season, Black Hills State and Minot State have met on the hardwood 30 times, with the Beavers holding a narrow 16-14 edge in the series.
• In last year's Dakota Challenge meeting between the former DAC foes, MSU withstood a number of BHSU rallies late and scored a 71-64 victory to improve to 9-0 on the young season.
• The Yellow Jackets have won nine of the last 14 meetings between the two programs.

UMARY STORYLINES

• UMary enters this weekend's games with a record of 1-3 (1-0 NSIC) on the season following a 78-73 victory at home on Tuesday night over Minot State.
• Following a 5-26 (3-19 NSIC) season in 2024-25, which saw the Marauders finish 14^th in league standings. They enter the year picked 16^th overall and eighth in the north division of the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Kenny Gonzalez, a transfer from San Diego City College, was named the Marauders NSIC Player to Watch.
• The Marauders look to replace their top-8 leading scorers from a year ago, with their top returning scorer being Cayden Redfield who averaged 4.7 points and 1.2 rebounds in 2024-25.
• Redfield, who has scored in double figures in two games this year, is currently averaging 7.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game. He has scored a season-high 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 shooting from 3-point range, and 4-of-5 shooting from the charity stripe in the Marauders win over Minot State. He has made a pair of shots from beyond the arc on two occasions this year.
• Kelton Coleman, a transfer from Augustana, has scored in double figures each of the first four games of the season and is averaging 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 1.5 assists per game. He scored a season-best 18 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, 3-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc, and 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range in his Marauder debut while also grabbing six rebounds.
• A Coffeyville Community College transfer, Relja Nagulic, is the top player on the boards for the Marauders as he has twice grabbed double figure rebounds, including a season-best of 11 against Minot State. He currently averages 6.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.
• Tamarrein Henderson, who averaged just 2.1 points per game last year, has made an impact early in his sophomore campaign with averages of 7.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game, while shooting the ball 47.8 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from 3-point range. He scored a career-best 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range against Chadron State.
• Darren Tighe is in his first season as the head coach at UMary, guiding the Marauders to a 1-3 record thus far. Overall, he is in his eighth season as a collegiate head coach, spending five prior seasons at Mayville State and two years at Dakota State, as he has guided his programs to a career record of 122-73.

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the 2000-01 season, Black Hills State and UMary have met on the hardwood 14 times, with the Marauders holding a narrow 8-6 edge in the series.
• In the first meeting between the two teams in 17 years, the Yellow Jackets got the best of their former DAC foes with a 90-68 win in the Dakota Challenge.