The No. 14 Black Hills State University men’s basketball team never trailed on Thursday night, cruising to an 80-58 victory over Westminster and a share of the RMAC regular season championship in A2 Arena. The Yellow Jackets took control early with scoring runs of 11-0 and 14-0 in the first half, powered by ten early points from Jaeton Hackley in the first ten minutes of the contest. The lead grew to as much as 29 points early in the second half as the Green & Gold went on a second 14-0 scoring run. The win clinched at least a share of the third RMAC regular season championship in program history, all within the last seven seasons, as they have amassed a total of 103 conference wins in the time span.
QUICK DETAILS
Score: No. 14 Black Hills State 80, Westminster 58
Team Records: No. 14 Black Hills State 23-4 (16-3 RMAC), Westminster 12-15 (7-12 RMAC)
Attendance: 2,359
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The scoring began in the contest with a driving right handed layup by Jaeton Hackley just 12 seconds into the match-up and the game then saw it’s only two ties at two and four apiece in the ensuing minutes. Following a 4-4 tie with 16:49 to play in the first half, the Yellow Jackets took control with a nearly three minute 11-0 scoring run, capped by another driving right handed layup by Hackley as he took the ball coast-to-coast after securing a defensive rebound to make it a 15-4 advantage with 12:54 on the clock. Hackley would score ten of the team’s first 19 points, as he reached double figures with another drive into the paint, this time finishing a right-handed finger roll on the left side of the basket to make it 19-7 with 10:12 remaining in the opening half.
- The Griffins briefly saw the margin back in single digits one last time as Jack Jamele made a tip-in second chance layup to make it a 19-11 contest with 8:06 on the clock. Following the tip-in, the Yellow Jackets saw their second major scoring run of the game, scoring 14 unanswered to grab a 22 point lead as Cam Lowe sank a turnaround jumper from the left-block to make it 33-11 with 4:59 left in the first half. The 22 point lead would be the largest of the first half for BHSU as Westminster answered with an 8-0 scoring run of their own to make it 35-21 on a left-wing 3-pointer by Jamele with just 2:02 remaining on the clock, marking the closest the Griffins would be the rest of the match-up.
- Black Hills State entered the halftime break with a 43-24 advantage as Lowe sank a pair of technical free throws with 18.9 seconds on the clock and then he hit a jumper from a step inside the right-wing with just 6.3 seconds to play for the 19 point edge.
- The Yellow Jacket momentum continued into the second half, extending their scoring run to 14-0 the first two and a half minutes out of the locker room. BHSU saw scoring from Jack Haggett as he made a driving right-handed layup and thunderous 2-handed fastbreak dunk as Hackley tossed ahead the assist, and additionally BJ Woodruff added a left-corner 3-pointer and Lowe hit a left-wing 3-pointer off a Woodruff assist and steal to make it 53-24 with 17:33 to play. The 29 point lead was the largest of the game for the Green & Gold.
- The Griffins eventually scored their first points of the second half as Michael Fraizer made a layup from the right-block with 16:31 on the clock to make it 53-26.
- While Westminster continued to trim away at the Black Hills State lead, the Yellow Jackets continued to put on a show with a pair of dunks. First Myles Johnson collected one of his three steals and found Haggett in transition for another fastbreak 2-handed dunk to make it 58-30 with 13:01 remaining in the game. Then with 7:25 to play, Joel Speckman got into the action with a right-handed poster off the dish from Hackley to make it 69-43 and get the crowd on their feet.
- The ensuing possession, Speckman went 1-of-2 at the charity stipe to push the lead to 70-43, however, after that point in time the Griffins would go on a 15-7 scoring run in the closing minutes. The scoring in the game would end with a left-corner triple from Johnnie Reed off a kick-out pass from Matias Aldana with 38.0 seconds remaining.
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Cam Lowe: 21 points, 8-of-14 field goals, 3-of-6 3-pointers, 2-of-2 free throws, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Jaeton Hackley: 12 points, 5-of-8 field goals, 2-of-2 free throws, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Myles Johnson: 11 points, 4-of-7 field goals, 1-of-3 3-pointers, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals
UP NEXT
The RMAC regular season championship is on the line on Saturday, February 28, as the Yellow Jackets can clinch the title outright, while Colorado Mesa looks to play spoiler and claim a share of the title. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. in A2 Arena with all the action streaming live on the RMAC Network and KDSJ Radio. Additionally, the game will air on linear tv on KNBN-2 (Rapid City) and KSFL (Sioux Falls).
