SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – Behind a convincing 70-56 victory at Westminster for their fifth win in the last six outings, the Black Hills State University men's basketball team has secured their eighth consecutive trip to the postseason as they punched their ticket to the RMAC Men's Basketball Tournament in March. The Yellow Jackets were efficient on both sides of the ball on Thursday night, holding the Griffins 20 points below their season scoring average as well as limiting them to just 34.4 percent shooting from the field and 22.2 percent from 3-point range, despite entering the contest ranking top-20 nationally in both stat categories. Offensively, the 3-point shot was falling for the Green & Gold in Behnken Field House as they matched a season-high of 16 made baskets from distance, improving to 7-1 on the season when making 11 or more shots from beyond the arc. Additionally, it was a collective effort in the 3-point barrage, as the trio of Cam Lowe, BJ Woodruff, and Tristan Hurdle each knocked down four on the night, marking just the second time in the school's NCAA Division II era that three players have made four or more 3-pointers in the same game as it last occurred in a February 6, 2015, match-up at Colorado Mesa.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 70, Westminster 56
Team Records: Black Hills State 15-10 (11-6 RMAC), Westminster 12-13 (6-11 RMAC)
Attendance: 81
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Black Hills State never trailed in the contest, jumping out to a quick 8-0 lead as Cam Lowe buried a left-wing 3-pointer with 16:19 remaining in the first half. The Yellow Jacket defense held Westminster scoreless in the first four minutes of action, as it wasn't until 15:58 showed on the clock that Chase Potter made a driving right-handed layup while drawing a foul which he eventually converted the and-one on the other side of the under-16 media timeout to make it an 8-3 ball game.
• The Griffins drew within two points on multiple occasions throughout the opening half, but BHSU extended their lead to 11 points in the closing minutes before the halftime break as Tristan Hurdle, the nation's leader in 3-point percentage, knocked down three 3-pointers in a span of just 2:13 to spearhead an 11-2 scoring run and make it a 31-20 game. WU added a pair of baskets by Ryan Rubenskas and Donaval Avila in the final minute, cutting the lead to 31-24 at the half.
• A right-handed layup by Simom Akena off the assist from Rubenskas would make it six unanswered for Westminster to trim the lead to just five points (31-26) out of the halftime break with 19:33 to play, however, that would be the closest they would get the remainder of the game as the Black Hills State would shoot lights out from deep. Beginning with a left-wing 3-pointer by BJ Woodruff off a cross-court pass from Jaeton Hackley, the Yellow Jackets would go on a 22-8 scoring run over the next seven minutes as they knocked down seven of their first nine attempts from beyond the arc in the second half. Capping the run was a left-corner 3-pointer by Lowe as Caelin Hearne found him with the kick-out pass to make it a 53-34 game with 12:41 to play.
• Converting on a second chance opportunity with a layup by Jonah El-Farra capped a 6-0 run for the Griffins as they cut the lead to 53-40 with 10:13 to play, however, the Yellow Jackets kept their foot on the gas. Ending a nearly three minute scoring drought for BHSU, Hackley made the first 2-point field goal of the second half for Black Hills State on a fadeaway jumper on the right-block with 9:46 to play. Hackley's basket sparked an 8-0 scoring run as the Green & Gold took their largest lead of the game with 7:54 to play as Lowe hit a left-wing 3-pointer off a bounce pass in transition from Woodruff, pushing the advantage to 61-40.
• Westminster continued to fight and took advantage of cold shooting by Black Hills State late, going on a 16-7 run of their own to make it a 12 point game (68-56) as Avila made a driving right-handed layup with just 45 seconds to play. Closing out the scoring in the contest was Joel Speckman who put away a 2-handed dunk off a pass from Woodruff with just 15 seconds to play as the Yellow Jackets finished the game by making just four of their last 11 shots from the field and made just one of their final six 3-point attempts over the course of the final seven and a half minutes.

BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Cam Lowe: 14 points, 4-of-8 3-pointers, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
BJ Woodruff: 12 points, 4-of-10 3-pointers, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal
Tristan Hurdle: 12 points, 4-of-5 3-pointers, 3 rebounds, 1 block
 
UP NEXT
Black Hills State will play their final regular season road contest on Saturday, February 22, as the Yellow Jackets visit Colorado Mesa for a 3 p.m. tip-off in Brownson Arena in Grand Junction, Colorado.
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