KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Date/Time/Location: Thursday, January 15 / 7 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: The Black Hills State University Athletics Department and Forum Communications reached an agreement in October of 2025 to make KNBN-2 and KSFL the television home for Yellow Jacket football, women's soccer, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, and softball. Forum Communications is based out of Fargo, North Dakota, and houses affiliate stations across North Dakota, South Dakota, and Western Minnesota, as well as Winnipeg, Manitoba. Their programming includes over 200 live, local, and exclusive sporting events, including other entities such as North Dakota State University Athletics and the North Dakota High School State Tournaments. KNBN (NewsCenter1), the most recent addition to the Forum Communications footprint, reaches households in 14 counties of Western South Dakota, while KSFL (Sioux Falls Live) will reach the remaining major markets such as Sioux Falls, Pierre, and Aberdeen, in the state’s remaining 52 counties.

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.

Promotions: It’s NEON NIGHT in A2 Arena, Fans are encouraged to wear neon to Thursday night’s game versus New Mexico Highlands. The first 200 students who arrive receive a FREE T-SHIRT courtesy of the BHSU Bookstore.

• Black Hills State enters Thursday’s home contest with New Mexico Highlands looking to bounce back from a 77-73 defeat at MSU Denver last Saturday, having their 10-game win streak snapped and falling to 12-2 (5-1 RMAC). The 12-2 start overall and 5-1 league start continues the best start to a season for the Yellow Jackets since 2022-23.
• The loss against the Roadrunners snapped a 10-game win streak for the Yellow Jackets as they were one of just eight teams in NCAA Division II with a win streak of ten games or more, tying for the sixth longest streak in the nation at the time.
• Shooting 34-of-68 from the field for 50.0 percent against Regis last week, the Yellow Jackets have now shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 11 of their 14 games in 2025-26, improving to 10-1 this season and 20-2 since the start of 2024-25.
• After a slow start against Dickinson State in the 2025 finale, the Yellow Jackets went on to out-score DSU 55-35 in the second half. 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 +5.9 (44.1-38.2) scoring differential in the second half of contests.
• Also, against the Blue Hawks, Black Hills State went to work inside, scoring a season-best 48 points in the paint, a place they average 38.3 points per game from this season.
• Black Hills State has connected on a season-high of 15 3-pointers three times in 2025-26, last week against Regis and then 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 against UCCS and CCU 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 seven times this year, improving to 7-0 in those match-ups and 19-5 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 the week prior, 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 in the same game and the first time since March 13, 2022, against West Texas A&M that three players scored 20 or more points in the same game.
• Black Hills State added their seventh 20-assist game of the season against Regis, dishing out assists on 20 of 34 made field goals. The Yellow Jackets are 7-0 when they dish out 20 or more assists in a game this year and 20-2 since the start of 2012-13. The 27 assists against UMary earlier this year 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 14 games in 2025-26. A year ago, it occurred just five times in 30 games, 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 6-6 against the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) over the course of the last two years, and 10-11 since 2018-19, as they earned wins over Augustana (75-71), Minot State (72-65), UMary (85-74), and Northern State (77-70). The lone loss of the season came from the hands of NSIC foe (RV) MSU Moorhead (100-85) on the road.
• The win over Northern State on New Year’s Day marked the end of an 11-game losing streak in the series, defeating the Wolves for the first time since 1978 and for the first time in Aberdeen since 1968.
• Black Hills State snapped a 5-game losing streak in the East/West Challenge when they defeated Augustana on November 22.
• The Yellow Jackets began their season with a pair of 32-point wins as they notched an 86-54 win over Sul Ross State and an 89-57 victory over Texas A&M International. With the victories 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 20th-best scoring margin in the nation, averaging a +14.4 scoring differential. They have recorded seven wins of 20 or more points, and two wins of 30 or more points. Only five of their 14 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 20-5 in their last 25 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 14th longest in NCAA Division II.
• The Yellow Jackets entered the 2025-26 season as the preseason favorites in the RMAC and are now ranked No. 15 in the seventh regular season poll of the NABC Top-25 that was released on Tuesday. With all games occurring during the Ryan Thompson era, the Yellow Jackets are 46-12 all-time as a ranked team in the NABC Division II Coaches’ Poll.
• Through six games the Yellow Jackets are alone in second place in the conference standings as they sit one game back of Fort Lewis who is 6-0 in the league. BHSU has scored 90 or more points in four of their six conference games this season, averaging a league-best 91.2 points per game in RMAC play.
• 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 third in NCAA Division II in effective field goal percentage (59.4%), sixth in assists per game (18.6), seventh in field goal percentage (51.4%), ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.54), 20th in scoring margin (+14.4), 22nd in 3-point percentage (38.5%), and 23rd in both defensive rebounds per game (28.50) and 3-pointers per game (10.1).
• Through 14 games the reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year, Lowe, averages 18.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game. Over the course of the last ten games, he has shot the ball 75-of-140 (53.6%) from the field, 34-of-72 (47.2%) from 3-point range, and 22-of-24 (91.7%) at the free throw line. He enters Thursday’s game with 12 double digit scoring performances this season and a streak of ten straight. He notched his 17th 20-point game of his career, shooting the ball 8-of-12 from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point range, and 3-of-3 from the free throw line against MSU Denver last Saturday. Two nights earlier he posted a season-high performance of 27 points against Regis as he shot the ball 10-of-16 from the field and 7-of-12 from 3-point range. He has connected on three or more 3-pointers seven times this year and in seven of the last ten games. Nationally in NCAA Division II this season he currently ranks 35th in 3-pointers per game (2.86) and 39th in 3-point percentage (40.8%). He connected on his 100th career 3-pointer last Thursday against the Rangers, and on Saturday brought his career 3-point shooting up to 104-of-260 (40.0%). 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 is among the top players in NCAA Division II in free throw percentage, shooting 33-of-36 from the charity stripe for a 91.7 percent clip, and is 41st in defensive rebounds per game (6.14). He is the active career leader (minimum 20 games played) in points per game in the RMAC with a 16.5 career scoring average, is the leagues’ top free throw shooter and field goal percentage (minimum 20 games) leader as he is 85.9 percent from the charity stripe and 49.3 percent from the field in his career, is tied for the lead in career 3-pointers made per game (minimum 20 games) 2.36 per contest, and is second in career rebounds (minimum 20 games) with an average of 7.45 boards per game.
• With his sixth consecutive game in double figures and eighth of the season, Hackley posted his second 20-point outing with 22 points to lead the way for the Yellow Jackets at Northern State on New Year’s Day. The other 20-point outing this year for the redshirt-junior guard came in the RMAC opener at South Dakota Mines, as he poured in 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 boards. He is currently averaging 12.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.0 steal per game this 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 eight of the 14 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 four games, most recently doing so against Regis last week. This year he currently ranks second in the RMAC and 18th nationally in assist/turnover ratio (2.73), is fourth in assists per game (4.3), and is sixth in the league in minutes played per game (32:39). 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 ten of his first 14 games back to the court, averaging 12.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.7 steals. Against Colorado Christian in the last RMAC contest prior to the winter break, 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 in 2025-26 he is shooting 74-of-125 (59.2%) from the field, which currently leads the RMAC and ranks 28th in the nation in field goal percentage. Additionally, he is sixth in the league in steals per game and has collected multiple steals in seven games. He matched a career-high of five steals against MSU Moorhead in November. 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 9.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game this season. Against Chadron State he matched season-high seven rebounds and recorded a career-best four steals as he poured in a then season-best 16 points. In back-to-back outings he dished out a career-best seven assists against UMary and then recorded another six against 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 third in blocks per game (1.15).
• Needing just 49 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 13 games in his second season in Spearfish he is currently shooting at a 47.0 percent clip from 3-point range as he is 31-of-66 on the year. In his last outing of the 2025 calendar year against Colorado Christian, he scored a season-high 20 points, connecting on 6-of-8 shots from distance. Then in his most recent outing he recorded his eighth game in double figures this season as he scored ten points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, while also dishing out a pair of assists. On six occasions this year he has hit three or more 3-pointers (13 career games as a Yellow Jacket with three or more 3-pointers). On Saturday against MSU Denver he knocked down his 100th career 3-pointer as a Yellow Jacket, connecting on 101-of-213 (47.4%) from deep in a year and a half with the Yellow Jackets. Also, during the 2025-26 season, he reached 200 career 3-pointers across his stops at CSU Pueblo, Fort Lewis, and Black Hills State, as he sank his first triple of the day against UCCS on December 11. From beyond the arc in his five collegiate seasons, he is 213-of-513 (41.5%). During the 2025-26 season, the Preseason All-RMAC selection is currently averaging 9.6 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. He currently ranks ranks fifth in the RMAC in 3-pointers per game (2.38) and is sixth in total 3-pointers made (31).
• 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 7.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.8 blocked shots per game. He is shooting the ball 43.4 percent from the field and 30.9 percent from 3-point range. He posted his fourth game in double figures in 2025-26 with 13 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and matched a career-best three 3-pointers on eight attempts in the New Year’s Day win over Northern State. Against the Wolves he also collected a career-best two steals. He previously knocked down 3-of-3 from beyond the arc in the RMAC opener against South Dakota Mines in December. On six occasions this season he has stepped outside and made multiple shots from distance in a game. 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 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 three times. In nine games this year he has secured four or more rebounds.
• Blake Volmer received just his third career start and second of the season against Regis last week. The junior guard posted his first two career double digit scoring games 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 55.9 percent (19-34) of his shots from the field and 52.2 percent (12-23) of his shots from beyond the arc. On three occasions this season he has made multiple 3-pointers. In the Yellow Jackets New Year’s Day win over Northern State, he pulled down a career-best eight rebounds, marking one of five games this season he has grabbed five or more boards. He averages 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
• BJ Woodruff recorded nine or more points for the fourth time this season last week against Regis, knocking down 3-of-5 shots from beyond the arc. It was his third performance of the season with multiple made shots from deep. Against Dickinson State last month, he added to his nine points as he matched a season-best four assists, grabbed a season-high of four rebounds, and posted a career-best two blocked shots to wrap up the 2025 calendar year. He scored a season-best 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range in the season opening win over Sul Ross State. The sophomore guard enters Thursday’s match-up averaging 5.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
• Also, in the rotation in the post, Joel Speckman matched his season-high of 11 points last Thursday night at Regis, shooting the ball 4-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe. Then two days later on Saturday against MSU Denver, he grabbed a season-best six rebounds and matched a season-high of four assists. Earlier this year the junior scored 11 points at MSU Moorhead on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor and 1-of-2 shooting from the charity stripe. He averages 3.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game. He is shooting the ball 15-of-24 (62.5%) from the field in 2025-26.
• Ryan Thompson is in his eighth season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 151-68 during his career. The win at Northern State on New Year’s Day secured his 150th career victory, making him just the second coach in program history to reach 150 in their Yellow Jacket career, joining all-time win’s leader Mike Olson (179).

• New Mexico Highlands enters Thursday’s game with a record of 5-12 (3-3 RMAC) following a 113-60 victory over Western Colorado this past Saturday, snapping a 3-game losing streak.
• The Cowboys 53-point route marked the largest margin of victory for the program since November 5, 2008, when they defeated the University of the Southwest 90-35 for a 55-point win. 
• The 113 points for NMHU also marked the most points in a game for the program since November 23, 2021, when they scored 115 points in a 44-point win over Oklahoma Panhandle State.
• New Mexico Highlands is coming off a 12-16 (5-15 RMAC) season a year ago, finishing 14th in the league standings. Now with a new head coach and a roster that includes just two returners and 43 newcomers, the Cowboys were picked to finish 11th in this year’s RMAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
• A deep bench has seen NMHU rank as one of the nation’s top teams in bench points, ranking 29th nationally and third in the RMAC with 32.0 bench points per game, as they have nine players who average more than 5.0 points per game.
• Additionally, New Mexico Highlands is among the top teams in the conference in turning teams over, ranking third in the RMAC in steals per game (9.5) and fourth in turnovers forced per game (15.88), which is 41st and 51st nationally respectively. They have forced their opponents into 15 or more turnovers in 12 games, and on three occasions forced 20 or more turnovers. Against WCU last Saturday, the Cowboys matched a season-high of 21 forced turnovers, resulting in 30 points off turnovers.
• Averaging just 23.6 minutes per game, Marcus Pierce leads the Cowboys in both points (13.8) and assists (3.0), while also adding 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. He is shooting the ball 55.9 percent from the field, 50.0 percent from 3-point range, and 84.2 percent from the free throw line. He has scored in double figures ten times this year, including posting a season-high of 24 points in the team’s last time out against Western Colorado as he shot 10-of-11 from the field and 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Against the Mountaineer’s he also added a season-high of four steals to go along with four assists. He has connected on multiple 3-pointers just four times this season. He has dished out four or more assists just four times this year as well, including a season-high of seven against Cameron. 
• Ramiah Adedigba is second on the team in scoring with 10.2 points per game and adds 1.8 rebounds per game, while shooting the ball 56.2 percent from the field and 36.0 percent from 3-point range. He has scored in double figures in six games, including pouring in a season-high of 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 shooting from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 shooting from the free throw line against Colorado Mesa. Against the Mavericks he also grabbed a season-best five rebounds. He has knocked down multiple 3-pointers just twice this season, including a season-best of three against Colorado Christian in December.
• Rounding out the double digit scorers for the Cowboys is Dontae Walker, who averages 10.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game while shooting the ball 43.1 percent from the field. Including both games this past weekend, he has scored in double figures in 11 games this year, which was highlighted by him scoring a season-high of 23 points against Fort Lewis as he went 8-of-13 from the field and 7-of-11 from the charity stripe. Against the Skyhawks his seven boards were also one of five games he has secured five or more rebounds. In the opening weekend of the season, he secured a season-high eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
• Nikk Williams gives NMHU one of the top rebounders in the RMAC, as he averages 7.3 rebounds while also averaging 9.7 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting the ball 53.6 percent from the field. He has recorded three double-doubles this season, while scoring in double digits in nine games and grabbing double digit rebounds in three games. He scored a season-high 18 points against Central Missouri as he shot the ball 8-of-10 from the field, 1-of-2 from 3-point range, and 1-of-4 from the charity stripe. He secured a season-high 14 rebounds against Colorado School of Mines. He currently ranks second in the RMAC in offensive rebounds per game (2.56), sixth in rebounds per game (7.3), and 12th in defensive rebounds per game (4.69).
• Zach Settembre is in his first season as a collegiate head basketball coach at New Mexico Highlands, guiding his team to a career record of 5-12 thus far. 

SERIES HISTORY

• Thursday will mark the 21st all-time meeting between Black Hills State and New Mexico Highlands with the Yellow Jackets holding the series lead 13-7 with all meetings since BHSU joined the RMAC in the 2012-13 season.
• The Yellow Jackets secured the season sweep and their seventh consecutive win over the Cowboys, winning 81-66 in A2 Arena on March 1, 2025. In the victory Cam Lowe recorded a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double as he knocked down four 3-pointers in the contest. BJ Woodruff, Jack Haggett, and Jaeton Hackley all also scored in double figures with 13, 12, and 11 points respectively.
• BHSU has won 12 of the last 14 meetings since the beginning of the 2018-19 season.