LAS VEGAS, N.M. – With a double-clutch three-pointer over two defenders off the left wing with 12 minutes and 15 seconds remaining in the second half, Matthew Ragsdale surpassed the 2,000-career points threshold as a part of a night of celebration for the Black Hills State University men’s basketball team, as they defeated New Mexico Highlands University, 77-66, at the John A. Wilson Complex on Friday night.
With the win, the Yellow Jackets reach the unofficial halfway point in the season with a 5-6 record, 3-2 in RMAC play. The Cowboys, meanwhile, fall to .500 across their ten contests this season, 2-3 against conference foes.
Ragsdale becomes the 16th playing in the history of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference to score 2,000 or more points, joining former high school and Yellow Jacket teammate Joel Scott on that list. The first 1,309 points came during his time with Western Colorado University through the first three years of his collegiate career, while he now stands with 699 as a Yellow Jacket after scoring 21 points in the contest.
In addition to his scoring, which led all players, Ragsdale matched a season-high with four assists and grabbed four rebounds for BHSU.
Meanwhile,
LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Black Hills State women’s basketball hit the road on Friday night to compete in their final contest of the 2023 calendar year, defeating the New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls, 63-46, from the John A. Wilson Complex.
The contest was a well-rounded effort on the offensive side of the ball for the Yellow Jackets (6-3, 3-2 RMAC), who held a hot first-half start that carried them through for the victory. BHSU finished the first two quarters with a .469/.636/.667 slash in the first half, holding NMHU to an eight-point quarter in the second while dropping 20 in the same frame.
Morgan Hammerbeck led the charge for the Yellow Jackets on the night, clocking out with a 6-of-10 look from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and 1-of-2 from the free throw line against the Cowgirls. Hammerbeck also nabbed two boards, a pair of assists, and a steal on the night.
Jaylen Ostenson came out of the gate red hot in the first half. Though quiet in the second half of the game, the freshman came off the bench and scored all eight points in the first quarter as she dropped two three-pointers and buried a driving layup to aid BHSU’s 19-11 lead in the first period.
