SPEARFISH, S.D.- The Black Hills State Yellow Jackets (16-8 (13-4 RMAC)) are coming off a massive upset win over Adams State that sent the Yellow Jackets into second position in the RMAC. The Yellow Jackets are now heading into Las Vegas, N.M. to face New Mexico Highlands (11-13 (7-10 RMAC)) for a second time as BHSU will look to compete the season sweep of the Cowgirls. This will be the final regular season road game for the Jackets as they will end their regular season at home.


KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:
Date/Time/Location:  Saturday, February 21, 2026 / 1PM / Las Vegas, N.M. / John A. Wilson Complex
Tickets: Tickets can be purchased online at the link above.
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.
KDSJ Radio: Black Hills State women'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.

BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• The Yellow Jackets are 16-8 and 13-4 in the RMAC and started their 2026 9-3 with wins over Regis (x2), MSU Denver, New Mexico Highlands, Fort Lewis, Chadron, South Dakota Mines, CSU Pueblo, Mines, and Adams State. BHSU officially clinched a spot in the RMAC postseason with their win over Regis and are coming off a win over Adams State, who was sitting in second in the conference and it really was a signature win for the Jackets this season.
• The Jackets were able to hold Adams to 40 percent from the field and 22 percent from three, while BHSU matched those stats with 42 percent from the field and 21.5 percent from three. The Yellow Jackets only shot eight free throws in that game, while Adams only took 15 in a  game where there were only 23 fouls called combined.
• The Yellow Jackets joined Colorado Mesa as the only two RMAC schools to reach 12 conference wins every year since 2017. The Jackets now sit at 13 wins in conference.
• BHSU currently has an eight game home winning streak and have not lost an RMAC game in A2 Arena this year and are 9-1 at home overall.
• Through the first 24 games of the season BHSU is averaging 68.6 points, 44.6 rebounds, 15.6 assists, 8.9 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 40.2 percent from the field, 27.4 percent from 3-point range, and 69.3 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 54.4 points, 30.7 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 7.1 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 37.1 percent from the field, 27.0 percent from 3-point range, and 66.4 percent from the free throw line.
• BHSU is ranked in the top 30 in the country in six different stats so far this year. They are third in rebound margin (14.4), fifth in rebounds per game (44.87), 12^th in scoring defense (53.9), 13^th in offensive rebounds per game (16.5), 24^th in scoring margin (14.7), and 30^h in defensive rebounds per game (28.4).
• The Yellow Jackets are a brand-new team. They only have seven returning players and only two saw meaningful minutes last year with only one starter returning in Bradie Schlabs. Last year the Yellow Jackets went 18-11 (13-7 RMAC) and finished fourth in the conference and won a game in the RMAC Tournament. They bring in three transfers and six freshmen, while getting two girls back from injury.
• The Yellow Jackets were picked to finish sixth in the conference in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 127 points and one third place vote. They are currently 12-4 in the RMAC and in a tie for second in the conference with Adams State and now hold the tiebreaker over ASU.
• The Yellow Jackets have won the rebounding battle in 22 of their first 23 games to begin the season. They just had the longest streak in BHSU's RMAC history that they've won the rebounding battle and the first time that they've not lost it in 17 straight to begin the season snapped in the win over Chadron.
• The Yellow Jackets are averaging 16.5 offensive rebounds per game and for the first time in BHSU's RMAC history have won the offensive rebounding battle in 22 of 23 games this season, which just snapped the longest streak in program's D2 history of 17 straight games winning the offensive rebounding battle and the streak for longest streak to begin a season.
• The Yellow Jackets were able to dominate the glass in their win over SDM, where BHSU set multiple records. The Yellow Jackets had 66 rebounds, which was the most in BHSU's D2 era, they had 31 offensive rebounds, which was also the most in the D2 era, and they had a fan crowd of 2,571, which was the fifth largest crowd in D2 this year and the largest crowd in the D2 era for the Yellow Jackets.
• The defense stepped up as well holding SDM to 28.1 percent from the field, which was the third lowest mark in RMAC play for BHSU this year. They also held them to 21.1 percent from three, which is the 12^th time this year BHSU has held teams to under 30 percent from deep. SDM only had five assists, which was the second lowest amount in RMAC play for the Green and Gold this year and the 41 points allowed was the third lowest in conference games in 2025-26.
• The nine game win streak that ended in a loss to Colorado Mesa is the longest streak in Yellow Jacket's D2 history. It just past an eight-game win streak in 2017-18, when BHSU started the season 8-0 before losing to Colorado School of Mines.
• The Yellow Jackets have six wins this year by 20 points or more. They only did so five times in all of the 2024-25 season.
• The Yellow Jackets wire-to-wire win over Mines was their second wire-to-wire win in the last three games and their sixth of the season. They also beat CSUP, Regis, PUCPR, CCU, and SEU that way as well.
• The Yellow Jackets were in a defensive battle with FLC with BHSU winning 59-52 in what has been their lowest scoring win of the year. Both teams shot less than 38 percent from the field during the game with BHSU barely edging out FLC with 37.5 percent from the field and FLC shooting 37.3 percent. The two teams also combined for 4-31 (.129) from three-point range, which was the first time since BHSU's opening D2 game that the two teams have combined for less than four threes on more than 30 attempts
• Against PUCPR, The Green and Gold set the record for most rebounds in a single game in BHSU's RMAC history (61), most offensive rebounds in a single game in BHSU's RMAC history (29), least fouls in a single game in BHSU's RMAC history (4), and it was the first time since 2019 that the Yellow Jackets scored 90 points in a game (91), and the most assists in a game since 2017 (26). The Yellow Jackets used all of this to set the biggest win margin of the season and the biggest since 2017 (58).
• They won three games in a row by 50 or more points, which is the first time in program history. They beat PUCPR by 58 and then beat UPR Mayaguez by 51. Just last night they beat Regis by 53 to keep the 50-point streak alive.
• They defeated the Chadron State Eagles by 49 in what is now the second largest RMAC margin of victory in program history. The Yellow Jackets held a 51-10 lead at halftime. This held the record for largest RMAC margin of victory for just over a month before the Yellow Jackets broke it with a  53-point win over the Regis Rangers.
• The win over Western Colorado was the first time this season that BHSU had three players score over 15 points in a game. Bradie Schlabs had 18, Brinlee McRae had 16, and Audrey Norville had 15.
• The Yellow Jackets shot 25-31 from the free throw line in the win versus UCCS. It was only the second time since 2021 that BHSU made 25 free throws in a game. It was also only the fourth time in the program's D2 era that they made 25 or more free throws in a game and shot over 80 percent from the line.
• On the other hand, the 38.9 percent from the charity stripe (7-18) that UCCS shot was the lowest free-throw percentage by an opponent who shot over 15 free throws in BHSU's D2 history.
• In the matchup versus Regis, the Yellow Jackets set the season record for steals in a game with 21. They outrebounded the Rangers 50-22 and outrebounded them offensively 20-2. They shot 47.2 percent from the field on 35-74 and held Regis to 31.0 percent from the field and .67 percent from the three-point line. The Yellow Jackets held opponents to 2-30 from three in their matchups versus Regis and UPR Mayaguez combined.
• Reigning All-RMAC Second Team Bradie Schlabs is the only starter returning this year. She was named to the Preseason All-RMAC Team. She has started the year averaging 10.9 points per game, which leads the team, 4.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists. After becoming the first player in BHSU history to have 300 points, 100 rebounds, and 100 assists in a season last year, the sophomore has reached ten points in 14 of the 24 games this season. Schlabs is now ranked third in the RMAC in assists/turnover ratio (1.49), 11th in the country and first in the RMAC in total assists (131), and is sixth in the country and is leading the conference in assists per game (5.5). She has had two assists in every game this year and has had four in 21 of 24. She also has two steals in 12 of the last 19 games including a career-high five versus CSU Pueblo. She had a career-high 11 assists in the win over CSU Pueblo and had nine versus PUCPR. Against Western she had 18 points and 6 assists which led the team in both categories. She had her best all-around game of the season against Chadron. She put up 12 points, 8 assists, and had what was a career-high four steals. The eight assists was the most she's had in an RMAC game in her career. She finished January scoring 12 points with seven rebounds and four assists in the win over SDM. She had 16 assists this past weekend versus CSU Pueblo and UCCS with six steals. Schlabs put up her second 20-point game of the season versus Regis with five assists, and then bested that with 23 points and six assists versus Adams State, where she shot 9-17 (.529) from the field.
• Brinlee McRae has been on a tear recently. She has jumped from eighth on the team in scoring to second and is averaging 10.0 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game, but she averaged 17.0 points per game in Puerto Rico scoring 19 and 15 in the two games there, while coming back and scoring eight points with four assists against Regis. She has 24 of her 35 assists in the last ten games. She has reached double-figures in eight games in a row and reached 15 points in five of those eight. She is currently shooting 43.3 percent from the field on 224 shots and has multiple threes in seven of the last eight games, including four versus Regis. She had the best game of her career against MSU Denver, where she dropped a career-high 27 points and six rebounds. She shot 11-17 (.647) from the field and 5-8 (.625) from three. It was the most points, field goals made, and threes made by any Yellow Jacket this season. After a few rough games, McRae bounced back against Western putting up 16 points and three steals while shooting 6-13 (.461) and 2-5 (.400) from three in the comeback attempt. She had 12 points and two assists versus Chadron. She had an incredible game against Mines dropping a team-high 15 points, with eight rebounds, two assists, and three steals. She shot 3-5 from three point range. She has now led the team in scoring in three straight games. She put up 14 points and five rebounds versus CSU Pueblo and 17 points and eight rebounds versus UCCS. This past weekend, she put up a team-high 15 points versus the Orediggers and then put up 18 versus Regis going 7-11 (.636) from the field and 4-7 (.571) from three. She had 13 points and 8 rebounds versus Adams State with 11 in the first half.
• Sawyer Stoebner is third on the team in scoring with 8.6 points per game and had three ten plus point outing in a row against CSC, UCCS, and CCU. She is also leading the team with 6.2 rebounds. Stoebner is second in the RMAC in offensive rebounds per game (3.0). She went out and put 15 points on the Cougars and shot 7-7 from the free throw line. This was just after she had her first 20-point game of her career versus Minnesota Crookston. She also had 14 rebounds during the East/West Challenge with a career-high eight versus Sioux Falls. Stoebner had 11 points, five rebounds, and six steals in the dominant win over the Eagles. Then turned it around and had 10 points and 5 rebounds versus the Mountain Lions. Finally, she finished 2025 RMAC play by scoring 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds against the Cougars. Stoebner has now reached ten points in three straight games and had her first double-double of her career against MSU Denver when she put up 11 points and 13 rebounds, which was a career high. She followed that performance with another near double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds against NMHU. After a rough five games stretch, where she didn't score double digits, she put up 12 in the loss to UCCS and had her second double-double of the year with 10 rebounds. She put up 10 points versus CSM.
• Taylin Serlen has made a massive impact as of late for the Yellow Jackets. The Regis transfer, after only playing a combined 40 minutes in the first six games of the season has averaged 17.9 minutes per game this season. She is averaging 7.9 points per game and is shooting a team-high 52.1 percent from the field on 76-146 shooting. She has entered the starting lineup and made her presence known. Against UCCS, she was tasked with guarding one of the RMAC's top scorers the entire game and held her to eight points. She also shot 6-8 from the free throw line in that game en route to eight points, four rebounds, and a block. Against CCU, she had her best RMAC game of her career on Saturday. She had an RMAC career-high 17 points on 7-12 (.583) from the field and 3-4 (.750) from the line, she also had five rebounds and a block. In the two games in Puerto Rico, she averaged 15 points per game reaching 16 versus PUCPR with 7 rebounds and then 14 versus UPR Mayaguez with four rebounds. Serlen went 12-17 (.705) from the field in the two games. She had 14 points and eight rebounds versus MSUD including eight points in the first quarter. Serlen led BHSU in scoring against FLC with 12 points to go along with four rebounds and two blocks. She set a new career high in rebounds with 11 against SDM. She had 13 points and six rebounds last weekend versus CSUP. She put up three blocks and four steals in the win over Mines.
• Alli Glasscock is making a massive impact as a freshman. She has only been averaging 17.3 minutes per game but has averaged 7.5 points and 5.1 rebounds. She is shooting 41.0 percent from the file don 57-139 shooting. She is also shooting 80.6 percent from the charity stripe making 25 of 31 free throws. She nearly had a double-double versus Northern State, where she had 12 points and nine rebounds which were both career-highs. Against CSC, she had eight points, six rebounds and four steals. Coming back to the lineup against Regis, she had 14 points, 5 rebounds, and three steals in 15 minutes of action. 12 of those 14 points came in the fourth quarter and she shot 6-10 (.600) from the field. She had eight points and six rebounds versus the Roadrunners. She had her third ten-point game of the season against the Cowgirls. She also had six rebounds, which she has reached ten times in her last 14 games that she has had at least five rebounds. She had a 12 point game versus Chadron, where she went 8-8 from the free throw line including 6-6 in the fourth quarter. She put up ten points and seven rebounds in the win over the ThunderWolves. She had ten points and nine rebounds versus CSM.
• Maureen Ulrich has started 14 of 24 games this season and is starting to come on as of late this season. She is averaging 6.9 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 63-131 (.481) from the field. She has scored double digits seven times this year including 12 in the win versus Chadron State and a season-high 13 points in the win versus Regis on January 8. She shot 6-8 (.750) from the field in the game. She had eight points and an RMAC-game high of eight rebounds versus Fort Lewis, which she matched with eight rebounds in the loss to the Mavericks. She added another 12 points in the second game versus Chadron with six rebounds, where she went 4-7 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line. She just missed out on her first double-double of her career versus SDM. She had nine points and a career-high ten rebounds. She had a near double-double again versus UCCS, where she had nine points and nine rebounds with six points and five rebounds in the first half. She had a ten-point game versu Regis, where she also had seven rebounds. She matched that with another ten-point game versus Adams with five rebounds.
• Audrey Norville has turned into a solid player for BHSU. She played a lot of minutes last year and has now been thrown into the starting lineup. She is second on the team in rebounds with 5.9, while averaging 6.3 points per game. After not scoring in the first game versus SEU, Norville had a stellar second start, where she had her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Each of those were career highs. She had the best game of her career offensively against Western Colorado, where she put up career-high 15 points, five rebounds, and three assists. She went 4-6 from the free throw line in that game. Norville has had five or more rebounds in 18 of 24 games this year. She had six points to go along with the eight rebounds versus CCU and shot 2-2 from behind the arc. She had 17 combined points in P.R. and then had ten rebounds versus UPR Mayaguez. In the game against MSUD, she had a career-high six assists beating her previous career-high of two. She had six points and six rebounds versus NMHU. She then matched that with six points and seven rebounds versus the Skyhawks. She had one of her better games this season against Mesa with nine points, eight rebounds, and two assists. She then put up 15 points and five rebounds versus Western. In the win versus Chadron, she had eight points, five rebounds, and four assists. She had her third ten rebound game of the season versus SDM, but only had one point. She put up 11 points and five rebounds in the loss to UCCS.
• Emily Cooper is in the midst of a breakout sophomore campaign, the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native is averaging 5.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists this year. Cooper had a great game earlier in the season where she had 14 points versus Sioux Falls. She shot 5-12 from the field and 3-10 from the three-point line. While also adding three rebounds and three assists. Cooper beat that with a career-night versus UCCS, where she had a career-high 19 points, with 12 of them coming in the fourth quarter. She shot 4-8 from the field, 4-8 from three, and 7-8 from the charity stripe including making three of four in the final 18 seconds. She had nine points, four rebounds, and three assists versus the Roadrunners and went 3-5 (.600) from three-point range.
• Head coach Kelly Kruger is in the midst of his first season as Interim Head Coach of the BHSU Yellow Jackets. He is 16-8 in his time with the Green and Gold. He is in his 35th season as a head coach, however, and has a record of 547-454 with programs across all levels of college basketball including Northwestern College, Southwest Minnesota State, Adams State, Ashford University, and Iowa Central Community College. Kruger just coached his 1000^th career game this past weekend versus Regis.

 
NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS STORYLINES

• New Mexico Highlands currently sits at 11-13 and 7-10 in RMAC play this year. After losing to BHSU earlier this season, Highlands went on a tear and won four out of five games, but have came back to reality as of late losing four in a row before beating South Dakota Mines last night. During those four losses, Highlands fell to Fort Lewis by 20, Westminster, and then Adams and Mesa. However, besides the Fort Lewis game, they have done a very good job of keeping games close. Out of all there conference losses, only one has come by more than 12 points with that loss to FLC being the first.
• In their 71-61 win over South Dakota Mines, they shot 42.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from deep while only having nine turnovers and making 8-9 free throws. South Dakota Mines did shoot 44.2 percent from the field against them, but only shot .273 from deep and lost the rebounding battle 41-23.
• Through the first 24 games of the season NMHU is averaging 69.0 points, 34.3 rebounds, 13.1 assists, 10.1 steals, and 2.1 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 43.9 percent from the field, 31.3 percent from 3-point range, and 70.3 percent from the free throw line. Their opponents are averaging 64.1 points, 35.7 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 7.1 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game, while shooting the ball 39.7 percent from the field, 28.5 percent from 3-point range, and 69.0 percent from the free throw line.
• NMHU is ranked top 30 in the country in two stats. They are ninth in the country in bench points per game (31.8), and they are 26^th in field goal percentage (43.9). These two stats have kept the Cowgirls in games despite losing their best player to injury back in late January in Kapiolani Anitielu.

• In Kap. Anitielu's absence, Aniya Johnson has had to step up and be the leading scorer for the Cowgirls. She is averaging 12.3 points per game, and 4.2 rebounds per game. She is third in the conference in field goal percentage with 50.2 and has made 121 field goals in 241 shots and she is currently on a stretch of seven double digit games in the last nine. This included dropping a career-high 29 on Adams State and 21 on Westminster, but she is coming off a really rough start to the week, where  she had zero points versus SDM on only six shots.
• However, with Johnson struggling in that game it was Aspen Salazar who picked up the load. Salazar has been averaging 10.6 points this season and 2.5 assists. After three straight double-digit games after losing to BHSU, she put up less than ten in four straight games before the South Dakota Mines game where she had 23 with six rebounds on 7-13 shooting and 7-8 from the charity stripe.
• Kamalani Anitielu has also stepped up big recently. Anitielu is averaging 9.7 points per game and 2.6 assists per game while making 1.58 threes a game. She is the only Cowgirl who has started all 24 games and after the BHSU game, she reached double figures in five of the next seven games including 18 versus Chadron, however, she has scored in single figures in each of the last three games. She has gone 3-15 (.200) from deep in that stretch and only put up nine versus SDM.
• Head Coach Lindsey Fearing is in her second season as a head coach. The Black Hills State alumnus and former player of Athletic Director Mark Nore has a career 24-27 record and has brought life into the Highlands team that it had been lacking for a while. 

 
SERIES HISTORY

• The Yellow Jackets are 18-1 all time versus the Cowgirls and had a 16-game winning streak snapped this past year in Fearing's first season. She is 1-1 versus BHSU, while the Yellow Jackets are 16-0 in the past 11 years before that loss.
• The Cowgirls took down the Yellow Jackets by 14 in Las Vegas, N.M. with Anitielu dropping 28, but BHSU got them back at home last season winning by 21 in A2 Arena although Anitielu didn't play.
• Earlier this season, BHSU met with NMHU in A2 Arena and the Yellow Jackets took them down 67-60 in a game that was tied at halftime, but a 23-point third quarter for the Green and Gold gave them the win. Schlabs scored 14 points, while Stoebner missed out on a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.