SPEARFISH, S.D. – An old-school in-state battle takes center stage on New Years Day as the No. 15 Black Hills State University men's basketball team travels to Aberdeen, South Dakota, to take on Northern State. The Yellow Jackets look to ring in the new year on a high note and keep their 8-game win streak intact as they close out the non-conference slate against their fifth NSIC opponent of the season. The Wolves on the other hand, who are regrouping after a 2-win season in 2024-25, look to continue their own momentum which saw them knock off MSU Moorhead by 24 points on the road, the first of two straight victories away from home entering the holiday break.
 
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Date/Time/Location: Thursday, January 1 / 12 p.m. MT / 1 p.m. CT  / Aberdeen, S.D.  / Wachs Arena
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. The game against South Dakota Mines will also air on KOTA News Radio in Rapid City.
 
#15 BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters Thursday's New Year's Day match-up with Northern State on an 8-game win streak, having beaten Dickinson State 81-57 in A2 Arena on Friday, December 19, to improve to 10-1 (4-0 RMAC). The 10-1 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 four conference games.
• After a slow start against the Blue Hawks, the Yellow Jackets went on to out-score DSU 55-35 in the second half of their final game of the 2025 calendar year. The game marked the fourth time this season that BHSU has out-scored an opponent by 20 or more points in the second half, averaging a +7.9 (46.5-38.6) scoring differential in the second half of contests.
• With a blazing hot 75.0 percent shooting clip in the second half against Dickinson State as they knocked down 24-of-32 shot attempts, the Green & Gold shot 50.0 percent or better from the field for the ninth time this season as they were 54.0 percent on 34-of-63 shooting in the contest. The shooting performance improved the Yellow Jackets to 8-1 in games they shoot better than 50.0 from the field in 2025-26 and 18-2 since the start of 2024-25.
• Against the Blue Hawks, Black Hills State went to work inside, scoring a season-best 48 points in the paint, a place they average 39.1 points per game from this season.
• Black Hills State connected on a season-high of 15 3-pointers in back-to-back games against UCCS and Colorado Christian as they played their final two conference games in the month of December. The two outings also marked their two most efficient shooting performances from beyond the arc this season, shooting 50.0 percent against the Mountain Lions and 46.9 percent against the Cougars. The Green & Gold have reached double figures from beyond the arc six times this year, improving to 6-0 in those match-ups and 18-5 in those games since the start of the 2024-25 season.
• The win over CCU in December marked the second time in a two week span that the Yellow Jackets had three 20-point scorers in a single contest. Against the Cougars Cam Lowe scored a game-high 25 points, while Myles Johnson added a career-best 22, and Tristan Hurdle scored a season-best 20. Against South Dakota Mines in the RMAC opener, Jaeton Hackley scored a career-high 29 points, while Lowe added 23 points, and Wilie Patterson III added a season-high 20 points. The contest against SDM was 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.
• Black Hills State added yet another 20 assist game against Colorado Christian, dishing out assists on 20 on 36 made field goals. The Yellow Jackets are 6-0 when they dish out 20 or more assists in a game this year and 19-2 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.
• BHSU has seen five players score in double figures in five of their 11 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, BHSU 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) over the course of 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 NSIC foe (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 during the opening weekend of the season, 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.
• The Yellow Jackets boast the 20^th-best scoring margin in the nation, averaging a +15.5 score differential. They have recorded six wins of 20 or more points, and two wins of 30 or more points. Only three of their 11 games have been decided by single digits.
• 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 18-4 in their last 22 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 ten consecutive games in A2 Arena and are 87-25 (77.7%) in the building since 2017-18. The current 10-game win streak is the longest among South Dakota schools and among RMAC schools and is also tied for the tenth longest in NCAA Division II.
• The Yellow Jackets enter the 2025-26 season as the preseason favorites in the RMAC and are now ranked No. 15 in the fifth regular season poll of the NABC Top-25 that was released on Tuesday, December 23.
• Through four games the Yellow Jackets are tied for first place in the conference standings as they are joined by Fort Lewis as the only two remaining unbeaten teams, both at 4-0. BHSU has scored 90 or more points in each conference game this season, averaging a league-best 96.8 points per game in those contests.
• It marked the first time in the NCAA Division II era and the first time since 2002-03, the Yellow Jackets scored 90 or more points in four consecutive games against South Dakota Mines (104-76), Chadron State (90-67), UCCS (97-92), and Colorado Christian (96-76). The 2002-03 team scored 90 or more points in five straight contests, including a November 30, 2002, loss to Sioux Falls (105-108, OT), a December 6, 2002, win over Minot State (97-71), a December 7, 2002, win over Dickinson State (99-77), a December 13, 2002, win over Valley City State (111-107, 2OT), and a December 14, 2002, win over Mayville State (95-74).
• 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.
• The Yellow Jackets currently rank fourth in NCAA Division II in effective field goal percentage (60.1%), fifth in field goal percentage (52.0%), sixth in assist/turnover ratio (1.65), ninth in assists per game (19.5), 12^th in defensive rebounds per game (29.73), 17^th in 3-point percentage (39.9%), 20^th in scoring margin (+15.5), and 27^th in 3-pointers per game (10.2).
• Through 11 games the reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year, Lowe, averages 17.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.1 steal per game. While finding his shooting touch the last seven games, he has shot the ball 52-of-100 (52.0%) from the field, 22-of-50 (44.0%) from 3-point range, and 17-of-18 (94.4%) at the free throw line. He enters the new year with nine double digit scoring performances this season and seven straight entering Thursday. He notched his 15^th 20-point game of his career, shooting the ball 8-of-13 from the field, 5-of-9 from 3-point range, and 4-of-4 from the free throw line against Colorado Christian in the final RMAC game of the 2025 calendar year on December 13. Two nights earlier on December 11 he posted a season-high performance of 26 points against UCCS as he shot the ball 8-of-15 from the field, 4-of-9 from 3-point range, and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. He has connected on three or more 3-pointers in five of the last seven games this season. He grabbed a season-best nine rebounds against UMary in November, one of eight games that he has secured seven or more boards. This year he currently ranks 13^th in NCAA Division II in free throw percentage, shooting 28-of-30 from the charity stripe for a 93.3 percent clip, and is 34^th in defensive rebounds per game (6.45). He is the active career leader (minimum 20 games played) in points per game in the RMAC with a 16.2 career scoring average, is the leagues' top free throw shooter and in field goal percentage (minimum 20 games) as he is 86.1 percent from the charity stripe and 48.6 percent from the field in his career, is second in career rebounds (minimum 20 games) with an average of 7.61 boards per game, and is second in career 3-pointers made per game (minimum 20 games) 2.24 per contest.
• Hackley, who posted one of the best shooting performances in program history against South Dakota Mines in the RMAC opener, is averaging 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 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. The career-best performance was his third career 20-point game and the beginning of now five consecutive double digit scoring performances, bringing his total to seven on the year. He recorded his second career double-double and first of the season with a 16-point and 10-assist outing against UCCS in December, while also adding five rebounds. He has dished out four or more assists in seven of the 11 games this year thus far, including tying his career-high of ten in the win over the Mountain Lions. He has also collected a pair of steals in three games, most recently doing so against Dickinson State, recording his first multi-steal performance since mid-November. This year he currently ranks second in the RMAC in assist/turnover ratio (3.13) and field goal percentage (53.4%), and is fourth in assists per game (4.5). He entered the 2025-26 season in the top-10 of both the BHSU career assists and steals per game lists.
• Myles Johnson, the December 1 RMAC Defensive Player of the Week following the Minot State and UMary contests, has reached double figures in eight of his first 11 games back to the court, averaging 12.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game. In the team's last RMAC contest against Colorado Christian, he scored a career-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field, 2-of-2 shooting from beyond the arc, and 2-of-2 shooting at the charity stripe. Thus far this season he is shooting 58-of-97 (59.8%) from the field, 5-of-13 (38.5%) from 3-point range, and 15-of-22 (68.2%) from the free throw line. He currently leads the RMAC and ranks 29^th 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.
• Jack Haggett ended the 2025 calendar year with one of his best outings of his career, scoring a career-high 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe against Dickinson State, while also adding five rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Against the Blue Hawks he took over in the second half, going 7-of-9 from the field for 15 of his 19 points in less than 13 minutes of action in the final frame, securing his fifth double digit scoring performance of the year. He has made his presence known in the post with a strong start to his sophomore campaign, averaging 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game this season. Against Chadron State he 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 South Dakota Mines. 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 assist turnover ratio (2.00), fourth in blocks per game (1.27), and ninth in assists per game (3.1).
• Needing just 77 points to eclipse 1,000 career points, Hurdle remains one of the top sharpshooters from distance in all of NCAA Division II. After leading DII by knocking down 47.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc in 2024-25, through ten games in his second season in Spearfish he currently ranks eighth in the nation with a 50.0 percent clip from 3-point range as he is 25-of-50 on the year. In his last outing against Colorado Christian, he scored a season-high 20 points, connecting on 6-of-8 shots from distance. It was his seventh game in double figures this season, and the fifth time this year he has hit three or more 3-pointers (12 career games as a Yellow Jacket with three or more 3-pointers). In his last three games he is 11-of-18 (61.1%) from deep. During the 2025-26 season, the Preseason All-RMAC selection is currently averaging 9.7 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. Along with leading the RMAC in 3-point percentage, he also ranks fifth in the league in 3-pointers per game (2.50) and sixth in total 3-pointers made (25).
• Newcomer Willie Patterson III averaged 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, 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.
• Another transfer making a large impact in the rotation this year is Jackson Seale, arriving from Eastern Washington and averaging 8.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 0.6 blocked shots per game. He is shooting the ball 48.6 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range. He has scored a career-best of 15 points on two occasions this season, first against UMary as he shot 6-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range, and then against UCCS as he went 7-of-13 from the field and 1-of-3 from beyond the arc. 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.
• Blake Volmer received just his second career start and first of the season against Colorado Christian in December. The junior guard posted his first two career double digit scoring games here in the 2025-26 season, first pouring in ten points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field, 2-of-2 shooting from distance, and 2-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe against Texas A&M International during the first weekend of the season. Then last month against UCCS he scored a career-high 13 points on 4-of-4 shooting from 3-point range and 1-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe. He has provided efficient shooting from the bench, knocking down 64.0 percent (16-25) of his shots from the field and 68.8 percent (11-16) of his shots from beyond the arc. On three occasions this season he has made multiple 3-pointers, and he has secured a season-best four rebounds in four contests. He averages 4.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
• Along with scoring nine points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, BJ Woodruff matched a season-best four assists, grabbed a season-high of four rebounds, and posted a career-best two blocked shots against Dickinson State. Woodruff enters the new year averaging 6.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Another notable performance against the Blue Hawks saw Joel Speckman score seven points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field and 3-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe, while he also dished out two assists and record a season-high three steals. Speckman's seven points were his most since a season-high of 11 at MSU Moorhead, as he averages 2.8 points per game and 1.1 rebounds per game.
• Ryan Thompson is in his eighth season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 149-67 during his career. His next win will make him just the second coach in program history to reach 150 in their career, joining all-time win's leader Mike Olson (179). 

NORTHERN STATE STORYLINES

• Northern State enters the New Years Day game with a record of 4-8 (4-3 NSIC) as they won their last two games of the 2025 calendar year, defeating MSU Moorhead (76-52) and Minnesota Crookston (86-67) on the road.
• The Wolves have bounced back in 2025-26, surpassing their 2024-25 win totals of 2-26 (1-21 NSIC), which saw them finish 15^th in the league standings.
• NSU entered the year tabbed 13^th overall and fifth in the north division of the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Northern, a team that is shooting 32.8 percent from beyond the arc, has connected on ten or more 3-pointers in six games, leading to a 3-3 record in those contests.
• The Wolves are the ninth-best team in the nation in turnovers per game, committing just 10.3 on average per contest. On five occasions they have committed nine or fewer turnovers, going 3-2 in those games.
• Returner Glenn James was tabbed the Northern State player to watch in the NSIC preseason, and he enters the contest as one of six players averaging double figures this season. In eight games he averages 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, shooting the ball 38.7 percent from the field, 36.1 percent from 3-point range, and 93.8 percent from the free throw line. Including three straight to begin the year, he has posted four double digit scoring games this season. He recorded back-to-back 20-point performances with a season-high 26 points against Chadron State, shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point range while adding seven rebounds, he then scored 22 points against UMary on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-point range as he also dished out five assists and grabbed four boards. He has dished out three or more assists in three games.
• The Wolves have also heavily relied on transfers, including Joshua Book (Missouri Western), Ty Rogers (UMary), Simon Akena (Westminster), and Marshawn Smith (Diablo Valley College) who all also average double figures.
• Book leads Northern with a 12.5 points per game average, while also securing 5.7 rebounds and dishing out a team-high 4.0 assists per game. He has scored in double figures nine times this season, including reaching the 20-point mark twice this year. He scored a season-high 23 points against Minot State on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. He has posted one double digit rebound performance, an 11-board outing which also saw him score nine points against Jamestown. He has grabbed five or more rebounds in seven games, and he has dished out three or more assists in ten games.
• Rogers adds 10.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game for NSU. He has seven double digit scoring performances, including a season-high of 17 in the season opener against Oklahoma Baptist. He has secured four or more rebounds in eight games this year, including a season-high of eight against Minot State, a game where he also contributed a season-best four assists.
• With four double digit scoring performances, Akena averages 10.1 points, and 4.1 rebounds while shooting the ball 46.4 percent from the field and 31.6 percent from 3-point range. In his lone 20-point game of the year, he scored a season-best 24 points on 11-of-21 shooting against Minot State, a game in which he also grabbed a season-high eight rebounds. He matched his season-high of eight rebounds against MSU Moorhead as well.
• Smith has contributed five double digit scoring performances, including the best of the season for the Wolves with a 31-point outing against Minnesota Crookston in their most recent game. He went 14-of-18 from the field against the Golden Eagles. His other 20-point performance was his lone double-double of the year, where he also secured a season-best 12 boards. He has grabbed five or more rebounds in eight games.
• Matt Wilber is in his first season as the head coach at Northern State, returning to the state of South Dakota after serving as an assistant coach for the WNBA Phoenix Mercury in 2024. He is in his 12^th season as a collegiate head coach, guiding his teams to a career record of 228-133, as he spent 11 prior seasons at the helm of the Dakota Wesleyan program.

SERIES HISTORY

• Black Hills State and Northern State meet on the hardwood for the 63^rd time in series history on Thursday afternoon, as the Wolves hold a 45-17 lead all-time.
• The most recent meeting between the two in-state foes was a 92-90 win for Northern on November 20, 2021, as the Wolves used a 9-1 scoring run the final 3:08 to earn the East/West Challenge win.
• The Yellow Jackets seek their first ever win in Wachs Arena, as the Wolves have taken the win in each of the first six games played in the facility.
• Of the Yellow Jackets 17 wins, only two of them have occurred in Aberdeen, with each of those two victories taking place in the old Aberdeen Civic Arena. The most recent win was a 96-85 victory on February 16, 1968, while the other was a 77-66 win on February 15, 1964.