No. 19 Yellow Jackets Host Mountain Lions In Match-Up Of 2-0 RMAC Squads

In a battle featuring two of the remaining five unbeaten teams in RMAC play, the No. 19 Black Hills State University men’s basketball team hosts UCCS on Thursday night in A2 Arena. The Yellow Jackets will put a number of streaks on the line as they look to continue a 7-game home streak, a 7-game win streak against UCCS, and a 9-game win streak against UCCS in A2 Arena.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Date/Time/Location: Thursday, December 11 / 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: Along with streaming on the RMAC Network, the game will be available state-wide on linear tv as KNBN-2 (Rapid City) will air the contest as well as KSFL (Sioux Falls).

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.

#19 BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters Thursday’s home match-up with UCCS on a 5-game win streak, having beaten Chadron State in A2 Arena last week to improve to 7-1 (2-0 RMAC). The 7-1 start continues the best start to a season for the Yellow Jackets since 2022-23, which was also the last season they recorded victories in each of their first two conference games.
• For the second consecutive game, the Yellow Jackets held a +20 or better scoring margin in the second half as they defeated Chadron State 90-67 in the home opener last week Thursday.
• In a 28-point victory over the Hardrockers to begin RMAC play last week, the Yellow Jackets shot a season-best 60.0 percent from the field (39-65) and 46.7 percent from beyond the arc (14-30). The 14 3-pointers were also a season-best and marked the fourth time this season they connected on ten or more in a contest, improving to 4-0 in those match-ups in 2025-26 and 16-5 since the start of the 2024-25 season.
• The Green & Gold’s shooting against Chadron State marked the sixth time this year that they have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field, improving to 5-1 in those games this year and 15-2 since the start of 2024-25.
• The three 20-point scorers against the Hardrockers last week marked the first time since a November 16, 2024, game against Augustana that multiple players scored 20 or more points and the first time since March 13, 2022, against West Texas A&M that three players scored 20 or more points.
• BHSU has seen five players score in double figures in five of their eight games in 2025-26. A year ago, it occurred just five times, and they have improved to 9-1 in such games since the beginning of 2024-25.
• In the non-conference slate, 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 5-6 against the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) the last two years, and 9-11 since 2018-19, as they earned wins over Augustana (75-71), Minot State (72-65), and UMary (85-74). The lone loss of the season came from the hands of (RV) MSU Moorhead (100-85) on the road.
• Black Hills State snapped a 5-game losing streak in the East/West Challenge when they defeated Augustana on November 22.
• With their 86-54 win over Sul Ross State and 89-57 victory over Texas A&M International, 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.
• 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 15-4 in their last 19 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 seven consecutive games in A2 Arena and are 84-25 (77.1%) in the building since 2017-18.
• The Yellow Jackets enter the 2025-26 season as the preseason favorites in the RMAC and are now ranked No. 19 in the third regular season poll of the NABC Top-25 that was released on Tuesday.
• 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.
• Black Hills State recorded 20 or more assists in both games against Minot State and UMary, assisting on 22 of the 30 made field goals against the Beavers and 27 of the 34 made field goals against the Marauders. The Yellow Jackets are 4-0 when they dish out 20 or more assists in a game this year and 17-2 since the start of 2012-13. The 27 assists tied a NCAA Division II era program record that was set during a March 1, 2022, victory over New Mexico Highlands.
• The Yellow Jackets currently rank ninth in NCAA Division II in effective field goal percentage (59.0%), 13th in field goal percentage (51.2%), 13th in assists per game (19.1), 16th in defensive rebounds per game (30.0), and 19th in assist/turnover ratio (1.53).
• Through eight games the reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year, Lowe, averages 15.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. While finding his shooting touch the last four games, he has shot the ball 29-of-60 (48.3%) from the field, 12-of-31 (38.7%) from 3-point range, and 7-of-8 (87.5%) at the free throw line. Now with six double digit scoring performances this season and four straight entering Thursday night, he notched a season-high performance of 23 points against the Hardrockers last week for his 13th 20-point game of his career, shooting the ball 8-of-17 from the field, 4-of-12 from 3-point range, ad 3-of-4 from the free throw line. He grabbed a season-best nine rebounds against UMary, one of seven games that he has secured seven or more boards. He is the active career leader (minimum 20 games played) in points per game in the RMAC with a 15.71 career scoring average, is the leagues’ top free throw shooter (minimum 20 games) as he is 84.8 percent from the charity stripe in his career, is second in career rebounds (minimum 20 games) with an average of 7.71 boards per game, and is second in career 3-pointers made per game (minimum 20 games) 2.16 per contest.
• Myles Johnson, the December 1 RMAC Defensive Player of the Week following the Minot State and UMary contests, has reached double figures in seven of his first eight games back to the court, averaging 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game. Against the Beavers he matched a career-high three blocked shots, and against the Hardrockers last week Tuesday he recorded his fourth multi-steal game of the year. He has poured in a career-best 18 points on two different occasions this season, first against SRSU when he poured in 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor and 3-of-3 from the free throw line, and then against Augustana when he notched 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor with a 4-of-4 mark at the charity stripe. Thus far this season he is shooting 46-of-74 (62.2%) from the field, 3-of-11 (27.3%) from 3-point range, and 13-of-20 (65.0%) from the free throw line. He currently leads the RMAC and ranks 31st in the nation in field goal percentage. He missed all of 2024-25 due to injury but averaged 4.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 2023-24.
• Hackley, who posted one of the best shooting performances in program history last week against South Dakota Mines, is averaging 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.0 steal per game this year. Against the Hardrockers he scored 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 rebounds. He has dished out four or more assists in five of the eight games this year thus far, including a season-best of seven in the win over UMary. He has also collected a pair of steals against both Texas A&M International and MSU Moorhead. He has scored in double figures four times this season, and the 29-point performance against the Hardrockers was just the third 20-point game of his career. He entered the 2025-26 season in the top-10 of both the BHSU career assists and steals per game lists.
• Jack Haggett has made his presence known in the post with a strong start to his sophomore campaign, averaging 9.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game this season. With his fourth double digit scoring performance of the year, he poured in a season-best 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 shooting from the free throw line against Chadron State. Against the Eagles he also matched a season-high seven rebounds and recorded a career-best four steals. In back-to-back outings he dished out a career-best seven assists against UMary and then recorded another six against the Hardrockers. He has recorded three or more assists in six games and has posted a career-high three blocked shots twice in 2025-26. In the RMAC he currently ranks third in assist/turnover ratio (2.55), is fourth in blocks per game, and is ninth in assists per game.
• Newcomer Willie Patterson III is averaging 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 last week, 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.
• Regrouping after a 0-of-5 performance from deep in the season opener against Sul Ross State, Hurdle, quickly bounced back and has gone 17-of-32 (53.1%) from beyond the arc since then in the last seven games. The Preseason All-RMAC selection and the 2024-25 NCAA Division II leader in 3-point percentage is averaging 8.6 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 45.9 percent from deep this season. He has connected on three or more 3-pointers in four games this year, including going 4-of-4 against Texas A&M International and 4-of-9 against UMary as he now has 11 games with four or more 3-pointers in his Yellow Jacket career. He has scored in double figures six games this year, including posting a season-best 13 points against Chadron State in the most recent outing on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, 3-of-5 from 3-point range, and 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. He currently ranks seventh in the RMAC in total 3-pointers made (17) and is eighth in 3-pointers made per game (2.13).
• Another transfer making a large impact in the rotation this year is Jackson Seale, arriving from Eastern Washington and averaging 7.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 0.8 blocked shots per game. He is shooting the ball 48.9 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from 3-point range, and 75.0 percent at the free throw line. In last week’s win over South Dakota Mines, he recorded a new career-high of three 3-pointers as he was perfect from beyond the arc en route to scoring nine points. He has twice scored in double figures this season, pouring in a career-high 15 points against UMary on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, 2-of-4 from 3-point range, and 1-of-2 from the charity stripe, while also securing a career-high six rebounds. 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 twice.
• Ryan Thompson is in his eighth season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 146-67 during his career.

UCCS STORYLINES

• UCCS enters Thursday night’s game with a record of 5-3 (2-0 RMAC) after defeating Colorado Mesa (92-80) and Westminster (80-79) at home last week.
• En route to their first 2-0 RMAC start since 2021-22, the Mountain Lions, connected on a season-best 14 3-pointers against the Mavericks and added another 11 against the Griffins. UCCS has made ten or more 3-pointers in five games this year, going 3-2 in those contests.
• On the flip side, the Mountain Lions two RMAC opponents, CMU and WU, were held to a combined 9-of-41 (22.0%) from beyond the arc.
• The Mountain Lions were picked to finish fourth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll following a tie for seventh place in the 2024-25 conference standings as they went 17-12 (11-9 RMAC).
• True freshman Brody Hull leads the Mountain Lions with 14.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.4 assists per game. He is coming off his second 20-point game of the year as he scored a season-best 29 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field, 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range, and 6-of-7 shooting from the free throw line against Westminster last Saturday. He has scored in double figures in six of the eight games this year and has knocked down multiple 3-pointers three times. He grabbed a season-best eight rebounds against Cal State Dominguez Hills and has four games with five or more boards. He currently ranks sixth in the RMAC in free throw percentage (85.3%) and is seventh in steals per game.
• Xavier Martinez, a Preseason All-RMAC selection, adds 11.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game for UCCS from the point guard position. He has scored in double figures five times this season, including a season-best 20 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range, and 2-of-3 shooting from the charity stripe against Simon Fraser. Among the league’s top assist leaders, he has dished out five or more in five games, which also saw him post a season-best of ten against Cal State Dominguez Hills as he added ten points for a double-double. He currently ranks third in the RMAC in assists per game and is fifth in assist/turnover ratio (2.05).
• The Mountain Lions top rebounder is Marzouq Abdur-Razaaq who is averaging 5.8 boards per game and adds 10.3 points and 1.1 assists per game. He secured double-doubles in the first two games of the season, recording 18 points and 11 rebounds and Midwestern State, followed by 16 points and 11 rebounds against Cameron. He currently ranks seventh in the RMAC with 2.25 offensive rebounds per game. In total he has scored in double figures four this this season.
• Rounding out four double digit scorers for UCCS is Mario Williams Jr., who is averaging 10.6 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Twice this season he has connected on four 3-pointers, doing so against Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Dominguez Hills. He has four games this season with multiple 3-pointers. He also has three double digit scoring contests in 2025-26, with a season-best of 20 points and six rebounds against CSDH, shooting the ball 6-of-11 from the field, 4-of-7 from 3-point range, and 4-of-6 from the free throw line.
• Jeff Culver is in his 14th season as the head coach at UCCS, guiding the Mountain Lions to a record of 208-165 during his career.

SERIES HISTORY

• Since the 2009-10 season, Black Hills State and UCCS have met on the hardwood 29 times, with the Yellow Jackets leading the series 18-11.
• BHSU swept the season series in 2024-25, defeating the Mountain Lions 95-89 in overtime on December 12, 2024, in Colorado Springs as Cam Lowe poured in 28 points with six 3-pointers, and then on February 8, 2025, the Yellow Jackets defeated UCCS 75-66 with a 17-point and five 3-pointer performance from Tristan Hurdle.
• BHSU has won seven consecutive games in the series dating back to March of 2022 and have won nine consecutive games in A2 Arena over the Mountain Lions dating back to December of 2017.