KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Date/Time/Location: Saturday, December 13 / 6 p.m.  / Spearfish, S.D.  / A2 Arena

RMAC Network: Beginning in the 2025-26 season the RMAC Network will now move to Pay-Per-View. Fans can purchase a single game pass ($10), monthly ($25) or annual subscription ($130). Individuals with bhsu.edu or yellowjackets.bhsu.edu email address can still take advantage of the Peak Pricing Promotion by using the code Y26-RMACEDU.

Linear TV: Along with streaming on the RMAC Network, the game will be available state-wide on linear tv as KNBN-2 (Rapid City) will air the contest as well as KSFL (Sioux Falls).

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. The game against South Dakota Mines will also air on KOTA News Radio in Rapid City.

• Black Hills State enters Saturday’s home match-up with Colorado Christian on a 6-game win streak, having beaten UCCS 97-92 in A2 Arena on Thursday to improve to 8-1 (3-0 RMAC). The 8-1 start continues the best start to a season for the Yellow Jackets since 2022-23, which was also the last season they recorded victories in each of their first three conference games.
• The Yellow Jackets held a +20 or better scoring margin in the second half in each of their first two RMAC games of the season, outscoring South Dakota Mines 59-36 in the second frame and then outscoring Chadron State 49-29 in the second half.
• As the Yellow Jackets held off the Mountain Lions, their 15 3-pointers and 50.0 percent shooting clip from beyond the arc were season-bests and marked the fifth time this season they connected on ten or more in a contest, improving to 5-0 in those match-ups in 2025-26 and 17-5 since the start of the 2024-25 season.
• The Green & Gold’s shooting against UCCS marked the seventh time this year that they have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field, improving to 6-1 in those games this year and 16-2 since the start of 2024-25.
• The three 20-point scorers against the Hardrockers last week marked the first time since a November 16, 2024, game against Augustana that multiple players scored 20 or more points and the first time since March 13, 2022, against West Texas A&M that three players scored 20 or more points.
• BHSU has seen five players score in double figures in five of their nine games in 2025-26. A year ago, it occurred just five times, and they have improved to 9-1 in such games since the beginning of 2024-25.
• In the non-conference slate, improved to 13-1 in their last 14 games against the Lone Star Conference (LSC) with victories over Sul Ross State (86-54) and Texas A&M International (89-57). Meanwhile, they improved to 5-6 against the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) the last two years, and 9-11 since 2018-19, as they earned wins over Augustana (75-71), Minot State (72-65), and UMary (85-74). The lone loss of the season came from the hands of (RV) MSU Moorhead (100-85) on the road.
• Black Hills State snapped a 5-game losing streak in the East/West Challenge when they defeated Augustana on November 22.
• 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.
• Black Hills State went 13-of-13 from the charity stripe in the season opener against Sul Ross State, the most made free throws in a game without a miss in the DII era for the Yellow Jackets. 
• The Yellow Jackets entered 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.
• Dating back to last season the Green & Gold are 16-4 in their last 20 games overall, with a pair of those losses coming to a top-10 nationally ranked Colorado School of Mines squad.
• Dating back to last season, BHSU has won eight consecutive games in A2 Arena and are 85-25 (77.3%) in the building since 2017-18.
• The Yellow Jackets enter the 2025-26 season as the preseason favorites in the RMAC and are now ranked No. 19 in the third regular season poll of the NABC Top-25 that was released on Tuesday.
• 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 brings 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.
• Black Hills State recorded 23 assists on their 34 made field goals against UCCS. The Yellow Jackets are 5-0 when they dish out 20 or more assists in a game this year and 18-2 since the start of 2012-13. The 27 assists against UMary tied a NCAA Division II era program record that was set during a March 1, 2022, victory over New Mexico Highlands.
• The Yellow Jackets currently rank sixth in NCAA Division II in effective field goal percentage (59.8%), tenth in field goal percentage (51.5%) and assists per game (19.6), 12th in assist/turnover ratio (1.56), 18th in defensive rebounds per game (29.89), and 23rd in 3-pointers per game (10.3).
• Through nine games the reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year, Lowe, averages 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. While finding his shooting touch the last five games, he has shot the ball 37-of-75 (49.3%) from the field, 16-of-40 (40.0%) from 3-point range, and 13-of-14 (92.9%) at the free throw line. Now with seven double digit scoring performances this season and five straight entering Saturday night, he notched a season-high performance of 26 points against the Mountain Lions on Thursday for his 14th 20-point game of his career, shooting the ball 8-of-15 from the field, 4-of-9 from 3-point range, ad 6-of-6 from the free throw line. He has connected on three or more 3-pointers in four of the last five games this season. He grabbed a season-best nine rebounds against UMary, one of eight games that he has secured seven or more boards. He is the active career leader (minimum 20 games played) in points per game in the RMAC with a 15.97 career scoring average, is the leagues’ top free throw shooter (minimum 20 games) as he is 85.6 percent from the charity stripe in his career, is second in career rebounds (minimum 20 games) with an average of 7.72 boards per game, and is second in career 3-pointers made per game (minimum 20 games) 2.21 per contest.
• Myles Johnson, the December 1 RMAC Defensive Player of the Week following the Minot State and UMary contests, has reached double figures in seven of his first nine games back to the court, averaging 12.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.6 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. Against the Beavers he matched a career-high three blocked shots, and against the Hardrockers last week Tuesday he recorded his fourth multi-steal game of the year. 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 Augustana 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 47-of-76 (61.8%) from the field, 3-of-11 (27.3%) from 3-point range, and 13-of-20 (65.0%) from the free throw line. He currently leads the RMAC and ranks 33rd in the nation in field goal percentage. He missed all of 2024-25 due to injury but averaged 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 2023-24.
• Hackley, who posted one of the best shooting performances in program history last week against South Dakota Mines, is averaging 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 1.0 steal per game this year. Against the Hardrockers he scored a career-best 29 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field, 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe, while also dishing out five assists and grabbing three rebounds. He has dished out four or more assists in six of the nine games this year thus far, including a season-best of nine in the win over UCCS. He has also collected a pair of steals against both Texas A&M International and MSU Moorhead. He has scored in double figures five times this season, and the 29-point performance against the Hardrockers was just the third 20-point game of his career. He entered 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, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game this season. With his fourth double digit scoring performance of the year, he poured in a season-best 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 shooting from the free throw line against Chadron State last week. Against the Eagles he also matched a season-high seven rebounds and recorded a career-best four steals. In back-to-back outings he dished out a career-best seven assists against UMary and then recorded another six against the Hardrockers. He has recorded three or more assists in seven games and has posted a career-high three blocked shots twice in 2025-26. In the RMAC he currently ranks fourth in blocks per game, fifth in assist turnover ratio (1.94), and is ninth in assists per game.
• Newcomer Willie Patterson III is averaging 9.5 points while adding 6.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He recorded his second double-double of the season against South Dakota Mines last week, as he scored a season-best 20 points and matched a season-high of 11 rebounds while shooting the ball 8-of-12 from the floor, 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and 2-of-4 from the free throw line. Against UMary he dished out a season-best four assists, one of three games this year that he has recorded multiple assists in a game.
• Regrouping after a 0-of-5 performance from deep in the season opener against Sul Ross State, Hurdle, quickly bounced back and has gone 19-of-37 (51.4%) from beyond the arc since then in the last eight games. The Preseason All-RMAC selection and the 2024-25 NCAA Division II leader in 3-point percentage is averaging 8.6 points and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 45.2 percent from deep this season. He has connected on three or more 3-pointers in four games this year, including going 4-of-4 against Texas A&M International and 4-of-9 against UMary as he now has 11 games with four or more 3-pointers in his Yellow Jacket career. He has scored in double figures six games this year, including posting a season-best 13 points against Chadron State last week, going 4-of-7 shooting from the field, 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. He currently ranks sixth in the RMAC in total 3-pointers made (19) and is eighth in 3-pointers made per game (2.11).
• Another transfer making a large impact in the rotation this year is Jackson Seale, arriving from Eastern Washington and averaging 8.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 0.7 blocked shots per game. He is shooting the ball 50.0 percent from the field, 38.2 percent from 3-point range, and 75.0 percent at the free throw line. He has scored a career-best of 15 points on two occasions this season, first against UMary, and in their last outing against UCCS as he went 7-of-13 from the field. Against South Dakota Mines he knocked down a career-best three 3-pointers, marking the fifth time this year he made multiple shots from beyond the arc. Against Minot State he dished out a career-best seven assists while sending back a career-best four blocked shots. He has dished out four or more assists in three games this season and has recorded multiple blocked shots twice.
• Ryan Thompson is in his eighth season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 147-67 during his career.

• Colorado Christian enters Saturday’s contest with a record of 3-6 (0-3 RMAC) after falling on the road at South Dakota Mines by a score of 72-66 on Thursday night.
• After going 13-15 (9-11 RMAC) last year, finishing ninth in the league standings, the Cougars were projected to finish eighth in this year’s RMAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
• Colorado Christian’s scoring defense ranks third in the RMAC, limiting opponents to just 70.8 points per game, while their 3-point defense ranks fourth in the league as they hold opponents to just 31.8 percent from beyond the arc. They have held teams to below 70 points in five games, and to less than 30.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc three times.
• Pierce Bazil is the leading scorer for CCU, averaging 15.6 points and adding 4.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting the ball 46.1 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from 3-point range, and 73.3 percent from the charity stripe. He has scored in double figures each of the last eight games, including reaching the 20-point mark three times. He scored a season-best 23 points in the RMAC opener against Western Colorado, shooting the ball 9-of-17 from the field, 3-of-8 from beyond the arc, and 2-of-6 from the free throw line. His three made 3-pointers was the most this year and was one of four games with multiple made triples.
• Joshua Reid enters the game averaging 10.8 points, a team-best 5.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game as he is shooting the ball 54.5 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 82.6 percent from the charity stripe. He has six double digit scoring performances this year, including a season-best of 17 in Thursday night’s outing against South Dakota Mines, shooting 5-of-9 from the field, 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Against the Hardrockers he also matched a season-best seven rebounds and three assists, marking the eighth game with four or more boards and second game with multiple assists.
• Porter Bazil rounds out the double digit scorers averaging 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and a team-best 2.6 assists per game this year. He has four double digit scoring games this year, including a season-high of 30 points against Western New Mexico, where he shot 7-of-12 from the field, 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and 14-of-15 from the free throw line. He has grabbed four or more rebounds in six contests, including a high of seven against Chadron State, and then he has dished out four or more assists in three contests with a high of six occurring twice.
• Liam Simmons is in his sixth season as the head coach at Colorado Christian, guiding the Cougars to a career record of 49-91.

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the 2012-13 season, Black Hills State and Colorado Christian have met 22 times on the hardwood with the Yellow Jackets holding a 12-10 advantage in the series.
• The Cougars lone win over an NCAA Division II opponent this season was a 61-57 win at Chadron State in a non-conference affair on November 30.
• The Yellow Jackets won their seventh straight game in the series with an 85-56 victory in Lakewood, Colorado, on December 14, 2024. In the road win Tristan Hurdle went 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, helping BHSU hit 16 3-pointers in the contest.