SPEARFISH, S.D. – In front of 3,226 strong that packed A2 Arena, the largest crowd in the school's NCAA Division II era and the sixth-largest crowd in DII men's basketball this season, the No. 19 Black Hills State University men's basketball team never trailed as they notched the season sweep of west river rivals South Dakota Mines by a score of 90-64. The Yellow Jackets, who held a nine point lead at the halftime break, opened the game up to a margin of 34 points late in the game as they shot 50.0 percent from the field on the night and dominated the boards with a 51-30 advantage. Additionally, the Green & Gold held a 14-8 advantage on the offensive glass, that led to a 16-11 edge in second chance points.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: No. 19 Black Hills State 90, South Dakota Mines 64
Team Records: No. 19 Black Hills State 17-3 (10-2 RMAC), South Dakota Mines 9-11 (6-6 RMAC)
Attendance: 3,226
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Black Hills State began the game with a quick 4-0 advantage, first as Jaeton Hackley found Jack Haggett cutting through the paint to the rim for a right-handed layup on their first possession of the game and then BJ Woodruff knocked down a free throw line jumper to give the Yellow Jackets the four point edge nearly a minute and a half into the contest.
• South Dakota Mines, who was never able to take a lead in the game, managed to even the game twice at seven and ten points apiece, but Haggett gave the Yellow Jackets the lead for good with a straightaway 3-pointer from the top of the key off a kick-out pass from Myles Johnson to make it a 13-10 game with 14:42 to play in the first half.
• After the Hardrockers trimmed the Yellow Jacket lead to just one point (28-27) with a pair of Gray Thompson free throws with 7:27 to play till the break, Cam Lowe sparked a 12-0 scoring run as he scored a pair of layups on back-to-back possessions as the clock ticked under seven minutes. The lead grew to double figures minutes later as Johnson dribbled inside the 3-point arc from the right-wing for a mid-range jumper with 5:00 remaining, and then Woodruff gave the Green & Gold their largest lead of the opening half as he took a defensive rebound coast to coast for a right-handed layup to cap the run and make it 40-27, forcing an SDM timeout with 3:51 on the clock.
• After eventually stalling the Black Hills State scoring run, South Dakota Mines ended the first half with four unanswered points as Ryan Sweeney sank a pair of free throws with 39.7 seconds to play till the break, making it a 43-34 game entering the locker rooms.
• A stretch of 11 unanswered points and a 14-1 scoring run out of the halftime break turned all the momentum in favor of the Yellow Jackets as three consecutive 3-pointers made it a 57-35 game with 14:57 remaining in the contest. Lowe first pushed the margin to 20 points with a left-wing 3-pointer off a kick-out pass from Woodruff, forcing another Hardrocker timeout as the lead went to 54-34 with 16:02 on the clock, and then Jackson Seale hit the fourth 3-pointer of the second half for BHSU with a top of the key jumper off another assist from Woodruff with 14:57 to play and a 22 point advantage in hand.
• Late in the second half Black Hills State went on a 16-2 scoring run to grab their largest lead of the game at 34 points. The run was sparked by five straight points from Woodruff as he first sank a pair of free throws, followed by a left-corner 3-pointer off the extra pass from Blake Volmer to make it a 78-53 ball game with 8:14 remaining. The run was capped just over five minutes later by a left-wing 3-pointer from Tristan Hurdle off a kick-out pass from Hackley to make it 89-55 with 3:39 to play in the contest.
• The Hardrockers answered the 16-2 Yellow Jacket scoring run with a 9-1 run of their own to end the game, capped by a top of the key 3-pointer by Alec Wendt with just 17 seconds to play, bringing the final score to 90-64.

BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Myles Johnson: 19 points, 8-of-14 field goals, 2-of-5 3-pointers, 1-of-2 free throws, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 1 steal
Cam Lowe: 16 points, 6-of-12 field goals, 2-of-3 3-pointers, 2-of-2 free throws, 3 rebounds, 1 block
BJ Woodruff: 15 points, 5-of-7 field goals, 2-of-2 3-pointers, 3-of-4 free throws, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block
Jack Haggett: 11 points, 4-of-12 field goals, 1-of-4 3-pointers, 2-of-2 free throws, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
Jackson Seale: 10 points, 4-of-7 field goals, 2-of-4 3-pointers, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
 
UP NEXT
No. 19 Black Hills State is back on the road next weekend, beginning with a 7:30 p.m. contest in Massari Arena in Pueblo, Colorado, to face CSU Pueblo. The game will be available streaming live on the RMAC Network and on KDSJ Radio.
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