ALAMOSA, Colo. (February 4, 2016)—Adams State closed out their four-game home stand last weekend and will come back to  Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) action for a pair of away games. This weekend, the Grizzlies will start things off against the Black Hills State University Yellow Jackets on Friday and will close against the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Orediggers on Saturday. Both games are slated for 5:30 tip-offs with live stats being made accessible for fans by following www.asugrizzlies.com.

Last Time Out
The Grizzlies (2-16, 1-14 RMAC) squared off against Regis University in their last RMAC affair and lost 90-43. The loss against the Rangers extended the Grizzlies RMAC losing streak to 11 straight games. Offensively, the Grizzlies were paced by Cydney McHenry who picked up nine points in the affair.

About Black Hills State University (15-4, 12-3 RMAC)
The Yellow Jackets have made a huge turnaround from last year's 15-12, 13-9 RMAC record. With only a handful of conference games remaining, BHSU has already tied last season's win total and are sitting atop the Rocky Division. Spanning back to last year, the Yellow Jackets are winners of 16 out of their last 20 games. They have gone to toe-to-toe with the some of the RMAC's toughest competition and have chalked up wins over Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and back to back wins over Regis University. In their three conference losses, BHSU has only lost by a combined 24 points and that includes their thrilling 65-64 overtime loss against Colorado State University-Pueblo.  Under the guidance of Head Coach Mark Nore who is in his 14^thseason at the helm of the program, BHSU has assembled one of the most complete teams within the RMAC.

Black Hills State University currently has the fourth-best offense within the conference. On average the Yellow Jackets score 69 points per game and are one of the best teams in the RMAC at shooting the ball from beyond the three-point-line. BHSU's offensive attack is spearheaded by the play of their two dynamic senior guards Christine Thorn and Bailey Kusser. Thorn paces the team offensively with an average of 11.4 points per game while Kusser, the more legitimate threat of shooting the ball from downtown, ranks within the top-ten in the RMAC on converted three-point-shots per game.  

Statistically speaking the Yellow Jackets have the best defense within the conference and only allow on average 55.1 points per game. BHSU holds down the number one ranking largely due to their conference best turnover margin. On average the Yellow Jackets force opponents to yield 21 turnovers per game which disallows opposing offenses to develop any sort of rhythm. Coincidentally the 55.1 points allowed per game is the same margin the Grizzly offense produces on average. 
 
About South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (9-10, 6-9 RMAC)
Currently the Orediggers are riding a two game losing streak and are losers of six of their last ten games. While SDSMT holds a 5-4 record at home, the team has struggled so far throughout the season trying win games away from the confines of the King Center. On the road the Orediggers hold a 4-6 record which includes their last two losses. In their last outing, SDSMT lost to Colorado Christian University by a 78-45 score.  South Dakota School of Mines and Technology is currently ranked 7^th within the Rocky Division.

The Orediggers have the 8^th best offense from a statistical standpoint with the entirety of the RMAC. On average the team scores 63.5 points per game and converts nearly 40 percent of all their shots taken from the field.  Junior center Megan Roher is the team's leading scorer who averages 14.4 ppg. Roher is just as much a threat defensively, picking up on average nearly two blocks per game along with five rebounds.

Defensively the Orediggers boast the conference's 10^th best defense that allows an average of 64.1 ppg.  SDSMT defense disallows second- chance baskets and has the RMAC's third best defensive rebounding mark with an average of 18 per game.

The Orediggers are coached by Ryan Larsen who is in his third year at the helm of the program.

Stay Connected
For any updates regarding Adams State athletics stay connected with www.asugrizzlies.com. Updates are also available through the Grizzlies official Twitter (@ASUGrizzlies) and Facebook (TheAsuGrizzlies) accounts.