DALLAS, Texas – The No. 10 Black Hills State University men's basketball team secured the win in the first round of the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament on Saturday in the Burg Center, outlasting No. 14 Lubbock Christian in a 67-64 battle. A game that featured six ties and seven lead changes, the Yellow Jackets swung the momentum and took control of the match-up following an early second half run by the Chaparrals as Tristan Hurdle connected on back-to-back 3-pointers. The contest was highlighted with the RMAC Player of the Year, Cam Lowe, and the LSC Player of the Year, Amondo Miller Jr., going head-to-head, which saw Lowe secure his 15^th 20-point game of the year with a 24-point and 8-rebound performance to advance the Green & Gold to the second round.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: No. 10 Black Hills State 67, No. 14 Lubbock Christian 64
Team Records: No. 10 Black Hills State 28-4 (17-3 RMAC), No. 14 Lubbock Christian 27-6 (17-3 LSC)
Attendance: 345
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Lubbock Christian took the early lead in the contest, scoring the first four points in a minute and a half of action as Leo Nordberg made a driving right-handed layup and the Lone Star Player of the Year, Amondo Miller Jr., added a right-handed reverse layup with 18:32 to play in the opening half.
• Black Hills State got their scoring started by way of their 3-point shooting, first by way of a top of the key triple from the McKinney, Texas, native, Jackson Seale off an assist by Jaeton Hackley, and then a left-wing 3-pointer from the RMAC Player of the Year, Cam Lowe off an assist from Seale to even the game at six apiece with 17:26 left on the clock in the first half. Lowe then continued to have the hot hand, scoring 12 of the first 18 points for the Yellow Jackets as they continued to gain the momentum midway through the first half.
• A 12-3 scoring run for the Green & Gold gave BHSU their first lead of the contest and grew the margin to their largest of the opening half at 26-22 with 6:06 remaining on the clock. A transition play that saw Hackley give the ball off to Jack Hagget for the right-handed lay in at the basket gave Black Hills State their first lead of the match-up at 20-19 with 8:27 to play till the halftime break, and then a few minutes later Joel Speckman completed the old-fashioned 3-point play with a tough basket through contact from the left-block to give the Yellow Jackets the four point advantage and cap the scoring run.
• The Chaparrals held the Yellow Jackets without a made field goal the final 6:06 of the first half, entering the halftime break with a mini 5-1 scoring run to even the game at 27 apiece.
• LCU picked up where they left off at the end of the first half, scoring six unanswered to begin the second half and extending their scoring run to 11-1 as a steal by Nordberg led to a step through right-handed layup Antonio Pusateri to give the Chaps their largest lead of the contest at 33-27 and force a quick BHSU timeout with 18:11 to play.
• Out of the timeout, back-to-back 3-pointers by Tristan Hurdle off assists by Hackley and Lowe quickly turned the momentum once again in a back-and-forth game, evening the score at 33 apiece nearly a minute and a half later at 16:45 on the clock.
• The remaining 16 minutes of action featured three ties and three lead changes as LCU saw their final lead with 14:23 remaining as Miller added a right-handed layup, then the ensuing possession Hackley hit a pull up jumper from just inside the left wing to spark a 6-0 scoring run to give BHSU control of the game. Hackley assisted on a driving layup in transition by Myles Johnson to give the Yellow Jackets a 43-38 lead and force an LCU timeout with 13:03 remaining.
• Lubbock Christian would continue to battle back and tie the game at 44 apiece with 11:07 to play in the contest with a driving right-handed layup by Pusateri, however, Black Hills State once again responded and regained the lead with a pull up jumper by Lowe with 10:39 on the clock. The Yellow Jackets extended their lead out to a game-high six point advantage (58-52) as Seale knocked down a right-wing 3-pointer off a kick-out pass from Lowe with 5:43 left in the match-up.
• The Chaps made one final charge, going on a 10-4 scoring run to tie the game one last time with 51.1 seconds to play as Kendall Dow split a pair of free throws. The Yellow Jackets took the lead for good the ensuing possession as Hackley took the ball to the rim for a driving right-handed layup with 36.2 seconds remaining. Following a pair of stops on defense, Lowe added a pair of free throws and Hackley went 1-of-2 at the line as the Green & Gold iced the game away with five unanswered. A right-handed layup by Pusateri concluded the scoring in the game and brought the final to 67-64.

BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Cam Lowe: 24 points, 8-of-17 field goals, 2-of-6 3-pointers, 6-of-6 free throws, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
Tristan Hurdle: 11 points, 4-of-7 field goals, 3-of-6 3-pointers, 4 rebounds
Jackson Seale: 8 points, 3-of-7 field goals, 2-of-4 3-pointers, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 blocks, 3 steals
 
UP NEXT
No. 10 Black Hills State advances to the second round of the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament and will face the winner of No. 13 Eastern New Mexico and St. Mary's at 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, in the Burg Center in Dallas, Texas.
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