Beaver men’s basketball takes on No. 6 Black Hills State

Uncategorized Beaver men’s basketball takes on No. 6 Black Hills State By Minot State Athletic Department November 11, 2026 2 min read File photo. Minot State senior Kiku Parker Jr. dribbles past an opponent. Photo courtesy of Minot State Athletics Department Trending Back on the mainland, the Beavers look to continue their hot start to the season with a tough foe: No. 6-ranked Black Hills State. The Minot State men's basketball team heads to South Dakota for the Dakota Challenge, playing the 6th-ranked Yellow Jackets on Friday, then South Dakota Mines on Saturday. The University of Mary will play the same foes in the Dakota Challenge, the second year of the classic tournament, which the Marauders hosted last year. And last year, the Beavers ended up on the short end of both games and will be looking to turn that around this season. That will be a challenge the first night as the Beavers (2-1 overall) take on the host Yellow Jackets (1-1), who lost 76-66 to No. 7-ranked Lander, then rolled to an 89-76 win over Florida Southern, which received votes in the NCAA Division II preseason Top 25 poll. The Yellow Jackets have shot the ball very well out of the gate, hitting 52.2 percent (59-of-113) from the field, which includes 16-of-41 from 3-point range (39.0 percent). And the Yellow Jackets have done it with balance, as five players averaged double digits in their opening two contests, led by senior 6-foot-10 center Jackson Seale at 16.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, and 6-5 redshirt-junior forward Willie Patterson III, who averaged 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. As for the Hardrockers, they'll be making their season debut this weekend. Last season's team leaders, Jason Lee II, a 6-0 senior guard, and Ryan Sweeney, a 6-3, 5th-year senior guard, are back to lead the way once again. Lee averaged 18.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season, and led the Hardrockers with 55 3s and 155 assists, while Sweeney averaged 13.0 points and 3.2 rebounds. The Hardrockers' big man, 6-7 senior forward Gray Thompson, also returns after averaging 10.1 points and a team-best 6.0 rebounds per game. As for the Beavers, they pulled off a pair of comeback wins in Hawaii, and were led by 6-2 senior guard Jayse Boatwright, who earned Tournament MVP honors in the Hawaii Tip-off Classic as he averaged team-highs of 20.3 points and 6.7 rebounds for Minot State. Parker Falcon helped out with 10.3 points off the bench, including a team-high 7 3-pointers, as the Beavers proved resilient in their first three games, all of which were 1-point contests.