SPEARFISH, S.D. --- The Western Colorado football team racked up a season-high in points while the defense forced numerous turnovers as the Mountaineers defeated Black Hills State 42-21 on Saturday afternoon at Lyle Hare Stadium.
 
Sophomore quarterback Luke Nethercot – playing for the injured Connor Desch – tossed four touchdown passes and Josh Cummings rushed for two more while the Mountaineers (5-4 overall, 5-3 RMAC) forced five Black Hills State (2-7, 2-7) turnovers – led by two interceptions from Quincy Campbell.
 
Statistics from the game aren't available at this time – but will be posted when they are sent from Black Hills State.
 
The contest was scoreless nearly midway through the second quarter before Cummings broke free for a 9-yard touchdown run with 8:19 left in the first half to make it 7-0. On the Mountaineers' next drive, Nethercot converted a fourth-down pass to James Bryant to keep a drive alive before hitting Deyvon Butler on a play-action pass for a 23-yard score to make it 14-0 with 2:45 left in the second quarter.
 
But the Yellow Jackets kept it close as they scored on their opening drive of the third quarter – breaking a seven-quarter scoreless streak for the WCU defense – to make it 14-7.
 
The Mountaineers answered as Cummings scored on a 1-yard touchdown run on a drive where he had a 30-plus yard run earlier to make it 21-7 with 2:18 left in the third quarter.
 
BHSU scored on the first play of the fourth quarter to again cut it to a one score game at 21-14 and had a chance to tie it, but a tipped pass was intercepted by Campbell to give the Mountaineers the ball at the BHSU 46. WCU drove the short field and scored on a play-action pass from Nethercot to Kai Emmsley to make it 28-14 with 11:38 remaining in the game.
 
Again BHSU responded with a touchdown to make it 28-21 with 9:30 left in the game. But a Nethercot touchdown pass to Xander Witt with 6:02 remaining, a Dominick Fletcher interception with 5:30 left and a Nethercot touchdown pass to Bryant with 4:48 remaining made it 42-21 as the Mountaineers came away with their second win in a row.
 
Western Colorado returns home next week as the Mountaineers host New Mexico Highlands for Senior Day with the game beginning at 1 p.m. at Mountaineer Bowl.