On a night where the 1975-76 SDIC Co-Champions and other 1970s alumni were recognized, the No. 19 Black Hills State University men’s basketball team took control in the opening half and cruised to a 96-76 victory over Colorado Christian in A2 Arena on Saturday night. The Yellow Jackets matched their season-high of 15 3-pointers in the win, propelling the offense to their fourth consecutive game with 90 or more points as they end the December portion of their RMAC schedule as one of just two remaining unbeaten teams in league play. Leading the charge for the Green & Gold were a trio of 20-point scorers as Cam Lowe (25), Myles Johnson (22), and Tristan Hurdle (20) combined to shoot 24-of-36 (66.7%) from the field and 13-of-19 (68.4%) from beyond the arc. Additionally, with Hurdle’s six 3-pointers and Lowe’s five, the pair became the first BHSU duo since December 10, 2022, (Matthew Ragsdale and Adam Moussa) to knock down five or more 3-pointers in the same contest.
QUICK DETAILS
Score: No. 19 Black Hills State 96, Colorado Christian 76
Team Records: No. 19 Black Hills State 9-1 (4-0 RMAC), Colorado Christian 3-7 (0-4 RMAC)
Attendance: 981
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A slow start to the contest for Black Hills State saw Colorado Christian hold a 4-2 advantage just over three minutes in as Pierce Bazil knocked down a left-wing 3-pointer. After that point the Yellow Jackets took control with a 19-2 scoring run to build a 15 point advantage (21-6) with 13:12 to play in the opening half. The run was sparked by a right-corner triple from Cam Lowe off an assist from Jaeton Hackley and was capped by a fastbreak right-corner 3-pointer by BJ Woodruff that was again off a Hackley assist. During the scoring run BHSU shot 7-of-8 from the field and was 5-of-6 from beyond the arc as Lowe, Tristan Hurdle, Myles Johnson, and Woodruff each made a triple.
- The Cougars were able to stay within striking distance, as a 7-0 scoring run with a step back right-wing 3-pointer by Joshua Reid and a pair of buckets by Bazil, trimmed the lead down to 21-13 with 9:50 to play till halftime. The margin stayed at ten points or less until the Green & Gold ended the half on a 20-6 scoring run over the final 5:13 to push their advantage to 21 points (49-28) at the break. During the run the Yellow Jackets again stuck from distance multiple times as Hurdle connected on a pair and Lowe hit from distance once.
- The scoring run extended to 24-6 in the opening minute of the second half as Johnson scored a tough second chance layup after securing an offensive rebound and Lowe hit a fadeaway jumper from the left-elbow to make it a 53-28 contest with 19:12 to play. The 25 point advantage was the largest of the game for the Green & Gold.
- Colorado Christian continued to battle, going on a 13-4 scoring run to trim the margin back to 16 points (57-41) as Schafer Reichart sank a right-corner 3-pointer with 14:43 remaining in the game. Lowe momentarily stalled the momentum with an answer from beyond the arc the ensuing possession, hitting his third 3-pointer of the match-up, and Hurdle hit his fourth triple of the contest a minute later to push the lead back to 20 points (63-43) with 13:55 to play. Despite the pair of 3-pointers for the Yellow Jackets, the Cougars continued to chip away in the second half with another 16-6 scoring run that trimmed the lead to just ten points (69-59) as Porter Bazil knocked down a left-wing 3-pointer with 9:05 left on the clock.
- The Green & Gold would not allow CCU to get within single digits despite the early second half scoring runs and went on to outscore the Cougars 27-17 the final nine minutes of action. During the scoring run BHSU went on a 12-1 run from 4:30 to 2:16 remaining, as the lead grew back to 21 points, as Hackley and Lowe hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make it a 91-70 game with just 2:16 left to play. Jack Haggett ended the scoring for Black Hills State with a right-handed layup with 27.0 seconds remaining and Zachary Reed hit a pair of free throws for Colorado Christian with 17.6 seconds left to bring the final score to 96-76.
BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Cam Lowe: 25 points, 8-of-13 field goals, 5-of-9 3-pointers, 4-of-4 free throws, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Myles Johnson: 22 points, 9-of-13 field goals, 2-of-2 3-pointers, 2-of-2 free throws, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 steals
Tristan Hurdle: 20 points, 7-of-10 field goals, 6-of-8 3-pointers, 1 rebound
Jaeton Hackley: 12 points, 5-of-10 field goals, 1-of-3 3-pointers, 1-of-1 free throws, 7 rebounds, 7 assists
UP NEXT
Black Hills State steps outside of RMAC action for their final contest of the 2025 calendar year, hosting Dickinson State for a 6 p.m. tip-off in A2 Arena on Friday, December 19.
