SPEARFISH, S.D. -- December 16, 2017 -- Chadron State College men's basketball will go into the break at 3-9 overall, 1-5 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, after dropping a hard-fought battle at Black Hills State University, by the score of 76-63.

Black Hills State improves to 6-4 (3-3 RMAC) with the win.

Chadron State protected the ball, and once again gave themselves more opportunities than its opponent, however the opponent tonight hit 53.8 percent of its shots and went 5-of-9 from three-point range in the first half. The Yellow Jackets seemed to come back every time the Eagles attempted to grab momentum in the second half, holding on for the win with 12-of-17 free throw shooting in the second half.

"We started the game the way we finished the night before," said CSC Head Coach Houston Reed. "We had some inside shots we wanted to get, that we didn't convert. We have to finish at the rim, and that seems like the story of the whole trip. The game was between who made shots. We didn't turn the ball over, we had some sureness, and we rebounded the ball. It came down to their players making shots, and ours making shots. When it comes down to that, we're doing something right. It just so happens, Black Hills made them more often."

BHSU's Fraser Malcolm was the greatest of those shooters, hitting on 10-of-15 attempts from the field while finishing around the rim time and time again. The shifty forward finished with 21 points and six rebounds to lead the Yellow Jackets in both columns.

The Eagles led through the first 10 minutes of the games, but Black Hills State chipped away and started to take control later in the first half, when they had two eight-point runs.

A third run of eight points for the Yellow Jackets came early in the second half, pushing them to their biggest lead of the night at 51-34 with 14:55 remaining.

"When you look at those runs, a lot of the shots on those runs came off missed opportunities by us," said Reed. "Whether it was a missed shot at the rim, or an open jump shot, we let those missed shots impact our defensive integrity. That comes with practice, but it also comes with maturity."

Black Hills State cruised to the win with an improved second-half effort on the boards, and the Yellow Jackets hit free throws down the stretch for the win.

CSC junior forward Jeremy Ruffin led the Eagles in both points and rebounds with 13 and eight, respectively. Jaisean Jackson added eight points and six assists.

Chadron State goes into break with casualties lingering. Sharpshooting freshman Dru Kuxhausen missed Saturday's game with a hip ailment. Freshman Walker Andrew, one of the better offensive options inside, was visibly struggling with pain in his shooting arm. In fact, Coach Reed said that freshman Eric Jamerman is possibly the only member of the squad not dealing with physical issues. Junior transfer Michael Sparks, who hasn't yet appeared in a game, will undergo hernia surgery over the break.

Despite the mounting afflictions, Coach Reed reported that no excuses are forthcoming from his team.

The Eagles' next outings are in southwestern Colorado at Fort Lewis on December 29 and at Adams State on December 30, completing a six-game road streak. Both games are slated at approximately 7:30 p.m., following the women's games.