RAPID CITY - The Black Hills State Yellow Jackets overcame a 10-point deficit and a sluggish first half shooting performance by exploding for a 48-point second half in a 71-55 win over Peru State in the US Bank Thanksgiving Classic at Goodell Gymnasium in Rapid City.

"I didn't feel we came out and played harder than them early, but when you come back from a 10-point deficit and grab back the momentum it's a positive," said Black Hills State head coach Paul Sather. "Hopefully, we learned a lesson that every night is a fight no matter what the records are coming into the game."

Peru State came into Friday night winless at 0-9, and after a 10-day layoff the Yellow Jackets looked lethargic early. BHSU shot only 26 percent from the field in the first half, while Peru State pressured and had strong ball movement to jump out to a 15-5 lead.

However, Black Hills slowly cut the lead after 3-pointers from Cain Atkinson and Clay Pottorff while Luke Enos cashed in seven points in the paint. They went on an 18-9 run to close out the half and trailed by only one, 24-23.

The momentum carried into the second half for the Jackets. They heated up from the field, making five straight shots, and forced turnovers on four consecutive trips down the floor. They went on a 17-6 run with just under 10 minutes to go in the game, taking the lead 50-38.

"We talked to our guys at halftime about handling the pressure," said Sather. "We only had four turnovers in the second half, and our guys did a great job of playing with more confidence. Defensively, we also did a much better job forcing turnovers and then getting back into our offense."

Atkinson led the charge for the Yellow Jackets offensively, shooting 3-of-6 from the field in the second 20 minutes, and going 5-for-7 from the free throw line. Black Hills went to the line 26 times and were in the double bonus with seven minutes remaining in the game. They shot 77 percent from the line, which helped Black Hills close out the game.

Atkinson finished with a game-high 18 points, while Will John Johnson, Enos and Pottorff all finished in double figures. Peru State was led by Julius Durant with 13 points.

Black Hills State improves to 5-1 on the season and will battle Haskell University at 3 p.m. today at Goodell Gymnasium.