SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University men's basketball team looks to receive a big momentum boost on Saturday afternoon as they welcome in I-90 rival South Dakota Mines on Saturday, February 1. In what will be the 204^th meeting on the hardwood, the Yellow Jackets will look to avoid being swept in the season series for the second consecutive season and build towards a strong final full month of the regular season in a 7 p.m. tip-off in A2 Arena.
 
GAME DETAILS
Date & Time: Saturday, February 1 at 7 p.m.
Location: Spearfish, S.D. – A2 Arena
 
BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the weekend home match-up with a record of 10-9 (6-5 RMAC) following a 90-77 loss at Chadron State on Thursday night, which saw the Eagles shoot 61.5 percent from the field and 53.6 percent from 3-point range in the second half.
• 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 tied with Colorado Mesa and UCCS for fifth place in the conference standings with a 6-5 record.
• Through 19 games in the 2024-25 season BHSU is averaging 77.7 points, 35.8 rebounds, 13.0 assists, 5.1 steals, and 3.7 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 48.7 percent from the field, 38.4 percent from 3-point range, and 74.5 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents have averaged 70.6 points, 32.7 rebounds, 9.2 assists, 7.5 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 41.4 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from 3-point range, and 76.3 percent from the free throw line.
• BHSU has knocked down at least six or more 3-pointers in each RMAC contest this season, and after doing so in three consecutive games they have eight occasions of ten or more made shots from beyond the arc in a league game this year. As a team the Yellow Jackets are 109-of-273 (39.9%) and are averaging 9.9 made 3-pointers in the ten 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 17^th in NCAA Division II in 3-point percentage (38.4%), 24^th in effective field goal percentage (56.2%), 30^th in field goal percentage (48.7%), and 35^th in field goal percentage defense (41.4%). They currently lead the RMAC in field goal percentage defense.
• Caelin Hearne continues to lead the team with an average of 15.6 points per game on the year, which ranks sixth in the RMAC, while he also adds 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game. He has scored in double figures in 17 of the 18 games he's played in 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 having made 104-of-219 field goal attempts this season, he is shooting 47.5 percent from the field which is eighth-best in the conference. Additionally, his 40.9 percent shooting from 3-point range and 36 total made shots from beyond the arc have helped propel him into the top-10 of the RMAC in 3-pointers per game as he currently ranks tenth in the league with 2.00 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 14.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting the ball 50.3 percent from the field, 37.6 percent from 3-point range, and 81.5 percent from the free throw line. Among RMAC leaders he currently leads the conference in defensive rebounds per game (6.68) while also ranking fourth in total rebounds (144) and in rebounds per game, and sixth in field goal percentage. He's scored in double figures 13 times on the year, including in eight of the last ten 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 11 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.
• 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 11.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. The redshirt sophomore has scored in double figures 12 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 first 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 in December, 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 third time this year he dished out four or more assists in a game, and he is now up to seven games of four or more assists this season. 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.
• Tristan Hurdle has emerged as one of the top sharpshooters in the nation as he leads the RMAC and is fifth in all of NCAA Division II with a 3-point percentage of 48.3 on 43-of-89 shooting from beyond the arc on the year. Additionally, in the 11 league games alone he is shooting the ball at a 56.3 percent clip from deep as he has connected on 36-of-64 shot attempts. He also ranks second in the league in 3-pointers per game (2.87) and is fifth in total 3-pointers (43). He's connected on multiple 3-pointers in 12 games this year, including ten consecutive games. On the season he is averaging 10.9 points and 2.1 rebounds. Hurdle has scored in double figures seven of the last nine 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.
• John Shanklin has been a defensive threat for opponents this season, ranking fourth in the RMAC in both total blocked shots (22) and blocked shots per game (1.16), while he also adds 5.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. He has posted a blocked shot in six of the last seven games and in 14 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 51-of-70 from the field for a 72.9 percent clip which includes 31-of-40 (77.5%) shooting in conference play. Additionally, he has secured five or more rebounds on nine occasions.
• Joel Speckman has been an additional spark in the last few weeks as he has scored in double figures in four of the last five games, and now averages 7.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. In the six game stretch he is shooting the ball 20-of-29 (69.0%) from the field and 6-of-12 (50.0%) from the free throw line, while on the season he is 58.3 percent from the field and 65.1 percent from the charity stripe. He has been one of the top offensive rebounders in the RMAC this season, ranking fifth with 2.21 offensive boards per game. He has secured five or more rebounds in 13 games this year, including three occasions of ten or more. He notched his first double-double of the season and just the second of his career with a 10-point, 10-rebound performance against Western Colorado a week ago.
• Ryan Thompson is in his seventh season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 131-63 during his career. 

SOUTH DAKOTA MINES STORYLINES

• South Dakota Mines enters Saturday's game with the second longest active win streak in the RMAC and looking to sweep the season series against Black Hills State as they currently hold a 4-15 (4-7 RMAC) record after earning their third straight victory against Chadron State (53-47) on Tuesday night.
• The Hardrockers have been picked to finish tenth in the RMAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll, receiving 85 points in the vote by the league's head coaches. They are currently tied with Westminster and Western Colorado for tenth place with a 4-7 record.
• Through 19 games this season SDM is averaging 57.0 points, 27.1 rebounds, 9.4 assists, 4.8 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting the ball 41.3 percent from the field, 34.4 percent from 3-point range, and 72.9 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 67.7 points, 31.1 rebounds, 12.6 assists, 6.0 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting the ball 48.5 percent from the field, 34.5 percent from 3-point range, and 68.7 percent from the free throw line.
• The Hardrockers boast the RMAC's top scoring defense (68.0) and lead the league in fewest turnovers per game (11.3), ranking 40^th and 56^th respectively in NCAA Division II. SDM opponents have been held to 70 or fewer points in 12 of their 19 games and South Dakota Mines has committed ten or fewer turnovers in nine games.
• Tre Dowdell has emerged as South Dakota Mine's top player this season, averaging 12.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists this year. He has shot the ball 42.5 percent from the field, 39.6 percent from 3-point range, and 81.3 percent from the free throw line. The freshman has scored in double figures in eight of the last ten games and nine total times on the year. Among his top scoring outbursts was a career-high of 23 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field, 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, and 10-of-11 shooting from the free throw line against Westminster during the Hardrocker's 3-game win streak. He has dished out multiple assists in ten games this year, including a career-high of four against both No. 4/3 MSU Moorhead and Chadron State. He has grabbed a career-high four rebounds three times against Texas A&M International, Augustana, and Chadron State.
• Keagen Smith rounds out the players averaging double figures in scoring for South Dakota Mines with 11.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 1.3 assists per game. He is shooting the ball 44.2 percent from the field, 39.8 percent from 3-point range, and 73.0 percent from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures in 12 games this season, including a season-high of 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range, and 1-of-1 from the free throw line against Fort Lewis. He has connected on multiple 3-pointers in 13 contests this year, including three or more four times. He has grabbed five or more rebounds in 11 games and has collected two or more steals ten times. His lone double-double of the season was a 13-point, 11-rebound performance against Adams State. He currently leads the RMAC and ranks 11^th in NCAA Division II in minutes per game (36:49) and is also ninth in the league in defensive rebounds per game (4.78) and tenth in the conference in 3-pointers per game (2.00).
• Eric Glenn is in his seventh season as the head coach at South Dakota Mines, guiding the Hardrockers to a 72-109 record during his career.

SERIES HISTORY

• Tuesday will mark the 204^th meeting on the hardwood between Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines since 1948, with the Yellow Jackets holding a 110-93 advantage in the series since that time.
• The Hardrockers won the most recent match-up on December 3, 2024, with a 58-50 victory in the King Center to earn their third consecutive win in the series.
• BHSU has won ten of the last 15 meetings between the teams since the start of the 2017-18 season.