Yellow Jackets open season in Texas vs. Hilltoppers, Rattlers

Spearfish, S.D. – The Black Hills State Yellow Jackets (0-0) are starting their 2026-27 regular season this weekend as they are coming off a loss to Montana State in an exhibition game. The Yellow Jackets will head down to the Lone Star State where they will play the other end of the home-and-home versus St. Edward's (0-0) in Austin on Friday and St. Mary's (3-1) in San Antonio on Saturday to kick off their season.

Know before you go

Date/Time/Location: St. Edward's: Friday, November 13 at 5 p.m. MT/6 p.m. CT in the Recreation and Athletics Center in Austin, Texas. St. Mary's: Saturday, November 14 at 3 p.m. MT/4 p.m. CT in the Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio, Texas.

Live stream: FloSports (pay-per-view) – links can be found above.

Radio: Both games will be streamed on KDSJ-TV on YouTube. Link for that can be found above.

Tickets: Tickets can be found at the link above.

Black Hills State storylines

• Black Hills State enters this season fresh off a strong year where the Yellow Jackets went 18-11 (14-6 RMAC) and won an RMAC tournament game over Western Colorado before falling to Colorado Mesa to end the season. BHSU earned key wins last year over Adams State, UCCS and MSU Denver.
• BHSU went 8-8 on the road last season with major wins over MSU Denver and Adams State away from home.
• Last season, the Yellow Jackets had one of the best rebounding seasons in program history as they averaged 43.7 rebounds per game and allowed only 31.1. They ranked fifth in the country in rebounds per game and fourth in rebound margin, and they also ranked 18th in offensive rebounds per game. That effort also helped lead BHSU to the longest win streak in the program's Division II history when they won nine games in a row.
• The Yellow Jackets are featuring a veteran-heavy team this year. BHSU is returning 69.3 percent of its minutes from last year and 70.3 percent of its starts, with four of the six players who started more than 10 games back for the Yellow Jackets.
• BHSU was projected to finish fourth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 155 points. The Yellow Jackets received one first-place vote, two second-place votes and two third-place votes. They were picked just behind UCCS and just ahead of Fort Lewis after finishing in a tie for fourth with Western Colorado last year.
• Reigning All-RMAC First Team guard Bradie Schlabs was the first Yellow Jacket to earn First Team All-RMAC since Danica Kocer and Niki Van Wyk in 2022-23. She was named Preseason All-RMAC and is one of four starters returning this year. She averaged 10.2 points per game, which was second on the team, along with 4.0 rebounds and 5.5 assists last year. She was the first player in BHSU history to have 300 points, 100 rebounds and 100 assists in a season her freshman year. The sophomore reached 10 points in 16 of 29 games last season, including season highs of 23 in the season opener versus St. Edward's and in the win over Adams State. Schlabs ranked fourth in the RMAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.45), eighth in the country and first in the RMAC in total assists (159), and sixth in the country and first in the conference in assists per game (5.5). She had at least two assists in every game last year and four or more in 25 of 29 contests. She also recorded at least two steals in 14 of the last 22 games, including a career-high five versus CSU Pueblo. She had a career-high 11 assists in the win over CSU Pueblo, which tied the program record. Her 159 total assists ranked third in program history, her 5.5 assists per game ranked second in program history and her 288 career assists rank seventh in program history. She is only 115 assists away from breaking the program assist record.
• Audrey Norville is another top returner for BHSU and the only other starter besides Schlabs who started all 29 games last season. She averaged 5.8 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. She had a career-high 15 points versus Western Colorado and three games with 10 rebounds, as well as a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double versus St. Mary's. She was one of the top defenders for the Yellow Jackets last year.
• Maureen Ulrich is another returner for BHSU this year. The 5-foot-8 junior from Phoenix started 14 of 29 games and averaged 19.5 minutes per game. She averaged 6.8 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Ulrich reached double figures in nine games last year, including four of the last seven. She had a season-high 13 points versus Regis and a season-high 10 rebounds versus South Dakota Mines.
• Addison Branscum started eight games for BHSU last year in her eight games played and was leading the Yellow Jackets in scoring before going down. Branscum averaged 11.0 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. She reached double digits in six of her eight games and had 19 points versus St. Mary's, 16 versus South Dakota Mines and 14 versus Northern. She also had 10 rebounds versus South Dakota Mines and recorded at least four rebounds in every game. She shot 45 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from 3-point range.
• Olivia Kieffer is the top transfer for BHSU. Kieffer is coming off a successful career at the University of South Dakota, where she spent the first three years of her career. During her three years at USD, she played 92 games with two starts, averaging 13.2 minutes per game. She shot 38 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from three and 67.2 percent from the line, while averaging just under two rebounds per game, 0.7 assists per game and 3.8 points per game. Her career high in points came in her sophomore season against Arizona State, when she had 16 points and went 4-for-7 from three. Against Northern Arizona, she had 15 points and went 5-for-6 from the field and 4-for-4 from three. During her college career, she appeared in five WNIT games with her best appearance coming in the third round versus Wyoming her freshman season, when she had six points on 2-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from three. She also had seven points versus UC Riverside in the first round of that run.
• Head coach Kelly Kruger is entering his first season as full-time head coach after serving last year as the interim. Kruger currently holds an 18-11 record at BHSU and has a 549-457 record overall after 34 years at Northwestern College, Southwestern Minnesota State, Adams State, Ashford and Iowa Central Community College.

St. Edward's storylines

• St. Edward's enters the year after going 15-13 (9-11 LSC). The Hilltoppers had a strong finish, winning each of their last three games and five of their final eight. After losing to BHSU in the season opener last year, they won six of their next seven, including a 3-1 mark versus RMAC opponents. They took two wins over St. Mary's down the stretch and beat Western New Mexico, Sul Ross State and Texas A&M-International.
• The Hilltoppers were 7-6 at home last season, including wins over Colorado Christian, Western Colorado, Sul Ross State and Western New Mexico to start 4-0 inside the Recreation and Athletics Center.
• St. Edward's averaged 62.4 points per game, 34.9 rebounds per game, 12.8 assists per game, 8.1 steals per game and 3.9 blocks per game. The Hilltoppers shot 39.6 percent from the field, 27.9 percent from three and 74.7 percent from the free-throw line. Their opponents averaged 63.1 points, 35.1 rebounds, 11.5 assists, 10.3 steals and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 39.4 percent from the field, 30.1 percent from three and 67.7 percent from the line.
• The Hilltoppers were top 75 in the country last year in four categories: 47th in blocks (3.9), 49th in free throws made per game (14.36), 59th in free-throw percentage (74.7) and 73rd in free-throw attempts per game (19.21).
• St. Edward's had five predominant starters who made 133 of 140 starts for the Hilltoppers. Out of those five starters, only two return from last season, so it will be a new-look team for SEU.
• The Hilltoppers were picked 10th in the LSC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 384 points, just behind UT Permian Basin and just ahead of Texas A&M-International. Last season, SEU finished in a tie for 10th at 9-11.
• Suni Davis is the top returner for the Hilltoppers. Davis, a senior guard from Fort Worth, led SEU in scoring last year, averaging 13.1 points per game. She was named Third Team All-LSC. She shot 34.9 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from three and made 124 of 149 free throws. Davis ranked second in the conference in free throws made (124), second in free-throw percentage (83.2) and fourth in free-throw attempts (149), and she was 10th in the LSC in points scored (366). She reached double figures in 20 of 28 games last year and had a season-high 27 versus South Dakota Mines, going 8-for-12 from the field, 3-for-6 from three and 8-for-8 from the line. She was a one-time LSC Offensive Player of the Week on December 1 for her performances against Colorado Christian and Western Colorado, when she had 21 and 24 points on 11-of-24 from the field and 20-for-20 from the free-throw line.
• Ramsey Robledo is the only other player returning who started a majority of games last year. Robledo, a senior guard from San Antonio, started all 28 games for SEU last season and averaged 6.2 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game, and she added 50 total assists and 31 steals. Robledo reached double figures in three games last year. She had 11 points, nine rebounds and four assists versus Sul Ross State, and she recorded 15 points and six rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep, against Cameron.
• Head coach J.J. Riehl is entering her 15th year as head coach of St. Edward's, where she has a 191-199 record. She has one 20-win season, in 2016-17, and has reached at least 10 wins in all but two seasons. She is coming off her first winning campaign since 2019-20, when the Hilltoppers went 18-11.

Series history vs. St. Edward's

• These two teams faced each other for the first time ever last year, when BHSU claimed a 73-42 win in the season opener. Schlabs led the way with 23 points in that matchup, while Branscum added 13 points and four rebounds.

St. Mary's storylines

• The Rattlers are 3-1 this year after playing in the Hoops in Hawaii Tip-Off Classic in Honolulu, where they defeated Chaminade by 15 and Hawaii Pacific by 7 but fell to No. 2 Colorado Mesa by 11. They then returned home to play Concordia (Texas), winning that game as well. Against Mesa, they lost the first quarter 21-7 and then won the rest of the way, ultimately falling 62-53.
• St. Mary's is coming off a 16-11 season where the Rattlers went 11-9 in LSC play and lost in the first round of the Lone Star Tournament to No. 6 West Texas A&M. They had a strong start to the season and were receiving votes for a short time in the WBCA Coaches' Poll. STMU remained in the hunt for a postseason berth for most of the season as they were in the top 10 of the region. However, they struggled to put two wins together toward the end and fell out of the running. They went 3-0 versus the RMAC last year, including wins over BHSU, South Dakota Mines and Western Colorado.
• The Rattlers were 9-5 at home last year, including wins over RV Washburn, Oklahoma Baptist and No. 7 Lubbock Christian. They are 1-0 at home this year with a win over Concordia.
• St. Mary's is averaging 58.8 points per game, 35.0 rebounds per game, 13.8 assists per game, 5.3 steals per game and 2.0 blocks per game. The Rattlers have shot 39.4 percent from the field, 31.5 percent from three and 63.6 percent from the free-throw line. Their opponents average 50.0 points, 38.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists, 8.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, shooting 31.6 percent from the field, 19.8 percent from three and 72.5 percent from the line.
• The Rattlers rank in the top 40 in the country in five categories: 28th in 3-point attempts per game (27.8), 32nd in 3-pointers made per game (8.8), 33rd in 3-point percentage defense (19.8), 36th in scoring defense (50.0) and 37th in field-goal percentage defense (31.6).
• St. Mary's also has a new look, returning only two of its five main starters from last season. The Rattlers return 61 of 135 total starts from a year ago.
• The Rattlers were picked seventh in the LSC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 540 points, just behind Angelo State and just ahead of UT Dallas. Last year, St. Mary's finished seventh in the conference with an 11-9 conference record.
• Allie Garcia is the top returner for the Rattlers. Garcia is averaging 11.0 points per game this year after leading St. Mary's in scoring last season with 10.5 points per game. Garcia was named Third Team All-Conference last season. She had a strong start to this season, scoring 16 points in the opener versus Chaminade and 19 points versus No. 2 Mesa, but has totaled nine points over the last two games and was held scoreless versus Hawaii Pacific. Garcia has been one of the better 3-point shooters in the country early this season as she is sixth in the nation in 3-pointers made (8) and ninth in 3-point attempts (21).
• Kamryn Griffin is off to a hot start this year. The junior forward from Central Arkansas is averaging 14.3 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game. Griffin is ranked second in the country in double-doubles (2), fifth in field goals made (25), fifth in rebounds (31), 10th in points (57) and 16th in field-goal attempts (43). After scoring eight points total in her opening two games, she scored 29 versus Hawaii Pacific and 20 versus Concordia (Texas). She also had 13 rebounds versus Hawaii Pacific and 11 versus Concordia for two double-doubles.
• Raynne Malik is the top defender so far this season and is having a breakout start after earning All-LSC Honorable Mention and All-LSC Defensive Team honors last year. Malik was a two-time LSC Defensive Player of the Week last season and has started this year even stronger. Malik is leading the country in rebounds (36) and is eighth in blocks (5). She is averaging 7.3 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game. Her opening weekend, when she had 26 rebounds and four blocks, earned her LSC Defensive Player of the Week. She then added 10 more rebounds versus Concordia.
• Head coach Valerie Huizar is entering her fifth year as head coach of the Rattlers and seventh overall as a head coach. In her previous six years as a head coach, she has an 85-88 record and a 44-67 mark with St. Mary's. She had two 20-win seasons at LSU-Shreveport in her only two years there before spending five years as a Division I assistant. She then took over the head coaching job at St. Mary's, where after two sub-10-win seasons, she produced her first winning season with STMU last year at 16-11.

Series history vs. St. Mary's

• These two teams faced each other for the first time ever last year, when St. Mary's claimed a 61-58 win in the first weekend game of the season. The Rattlers came back from a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter and closed on a 4-0 run in the final minute. Branscum had 19 points and six rebounds, while Norville recorded her first double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.