GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Despite hitting ten shots from beyond the arc in the contest, the Black Hills State University men's basketball team went cold late as they fell 64-57 to Colorado Mesa in the final road game of the 2024-25 regular season. The Yellow Jackets held a one point lead with just over eight minutes to play in the contest, however, the Mavericks defense took over as they held BHSU without a field goal the final 8:07 as they went 0-of-11 from the field down the stretch.
 
QUICK DETAILS
Score: Black Hills State 57, Colorado Mesa 64
Team Records: Black Hills State 15-11 (11-7 RMAC), Colorado Mesa 17-9 (11-7 RMAC)
Attendance: 923
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Colorado Mesa took control of the game early, breaking open an 8-2 advantage as Mason Honeyman pulled up for a 3-pointer from the right-wing with 17:54 to play, forcing an early Black Hills State timeout.
• The Yellow Jackets were able to respond, connecting on three 3-pointers over the next 5:13 of game time as they went on an 11-3 run of their own to take the lead at 13-11. BHSU took their first lead of the contest with 11:45 to play in the opening half as BJ Woodruff sank a right-corner 3-pointer off an inbounds play following the under-12 media timeout. The Mavericks would quickly regain their lead with five consecutive points as Yaak Yaak added a layup from the right-block after a dish by Emilek Jallow on the drive, and then Yaak found Honeyman on the right-wing with a dribble handoff 3-pointer giving CMU a 16-13 edge with 9:27 on the clock.
• In a back-and-forth end of the first half, the Mavs would lead by as many as six points on a pair of occasions. BHSU looked to be entering the halftime break only trailing by two as Blake Volmer collected a steal and finished the fastbreak layup through contact and a foul, making it a 30-28 game with 1:21 to play, however Honeyman connected on his third 3-pointer of the first half by draining a half-court shot after a quick kick-out pass from Yaak off a defensive rebound to make it 33-28 after 20 minutes of action.
• Starting with a left-corner 3-pointer by Caelin Hearne off an assist from Cam Lowe, Black Hills State started the second half red-hot from beyond the arc as they connected on their first three from distance. Capping the 9-4 run for the Yellow Jackets and evening the game at 37 apiece was Jaeton Hackley who found the bottom of the net from the left-corner off another Lowe assist with 17:31 to play in the game.
• Following the first tie of the second half at 37 apiece, the teams would find each other tied five more times as CMU never held a lead of more than two points. Ending the back-and-forth action was another 3-pointer by Hackley as Hearne found him on the right-wing after tracking down the offensive rebound, giving the Yellow Jackets a 50-49 lead with 8:07 to play in the contest.
• Despite BHSU taking the one point advantage with the 3-pointer by Hackley, it would be their final made basket from the field in the game as they went 0-of-11 from the field over the final 8:07 as their only points came on four free throws from Lowe, two from Hearne, and one from Joel Speckman. Colorado Mesa closed the game on a 15-7 scoring run as they earned the 64-57 victory, becoming the sixth team to punch their ticket to the upcoming RMAC Tournament in March.

BLACK HILLS STATE STATISTICAL LEADERS
Cam Lowe: 14 points, 2 3-pointers, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Caelin Hearne: 12 points, 2 3-pointers, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Tristan Hurdle: 9 points, 3 3-pointers, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
 
UP NEXT
Black Hills State returns home to A2 Arena for the final weekend of the regular season, beginning with a Thursday, February 27, match-up with Adams State that is set for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
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