LAKEWOOD, CO – A close contest turned quickly against the Cougars in the final minutes.

In a game that feature numerous lead changes, a scoring spurt during the second half pushed Black Hills State to an 82-67 victory against Colorado Christian.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Neither team grab a substantial lead in the first 20 minutes as there were five lead changes and three ties. Colorado Christian had the biggest edge during the opening half when they took a nine-point lead with just under 10 minutes left until halftime. Black Hills made a late push for the advantage as they went ahead 32-29 at intermission.

Coming out of the locker room the nip-and-tuck contest continued as there were six lead changes in the first five-plus minutes of the second stanza. When Tyler Oliver converted a three-pointer with 7:37 left he gave the Yellow Jackets a 59-52 edge; their largest of the evening. Moments later the all-conference performer pushed that lead to 63-54 on a driving lay-up.

The visitors from Spearfish, S.D. continued their momentum as they nudged the lead to 15 points (71-56) when Sava Dukic drove to the hoop for lay-up with 4:21 remaining. Down the stretch to Cougars could not close their deficit under double figures.

In the second half turnovers played a factor as the Cougars committed six while Blacks Hills had just two. For the game the Yellow Jackets held a 16-5 edge in points off turnovers.

COUGAR LEADERS: Spencer Hoffman had a team high 20 points. The forward's career high in points came off a 9-for-15 shooting effort in just under 34 minutes on the court. Aidan Cantwell also scored in double figures as he tallied a 12-point performance.

Jake Hornick registered a Cougar best seven rebounds.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Colorado Christian made three shots from behind the arc; the lowest total in an RMAC game this season
• The Yellow Jackets hit 69.2 percent (18-for-26) of their second half shots
• Black Hills extends its winning streak to six games

UP NEXT: The Cougars conclude their first home weekend of the New Year tomorrow when they host South Dakota Mines at 7 p.m.