CANYON, Texas - In a rematch of the 2017 regional final, #11 West Texas A&M exacted revenge as they handed Colorado School of Mines a 79-65 defeat in the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship First Round.
The Buffs (29-3) advance to the NCAA Second Round to face the Fort Lewis and Texas A&M-Commerce winner. The Orediggers end the season at 22-9.
Adam Laine led the Mines effort with a 20-point, 11-rebound performance and the Orediggers had four scorers in double digits, but they had no answer for the Buffs' David Chavlovich, who drained 27 including five three-pointers to go with five assists.
It was a tight first half with both teams enjoying time in front, but WT put some space in the game with an 8-0 run to lead by 10, 32-22, with 3:42 left before the break. Mines did well to stay in it, using a strong open to the second half to cut the deficit to four after back-to-back
Ben Sonnefeld three-pointers, but a 7-0 run by the Buffs came in the midst of a more than four-minute Oredigger field goal drought to put them up 55-43 at the 12:42 mark.
Mines never got closer than nine points after that with a 15-4 run late in the game ultimately putting it away.
NOTABLES
- Mines was making its fifth consecutive NCAA appearance. The Orediggers have made the postseason in eight of the last nine seasons, all under head coach
Pryor Orser.
- Leading the nation in three-point shooting percentage heading into the tournament, Mines struggled in the first half going 0-for-6 before an improved 6-for-13 rate in the second half. WT was 11-for-27 from range in the game.
- Mines outrebounded the Buffs 39-29.
- Schroepfer wrapped up a fine career with 1,265 points and 242 three-pointers. His .471 career three-point shooting percentage is a Mines record, well ahead of Mike Ziegler's previous standard of .423; Schroepfer's 242 made buckets is fifth all-time.
- Laine closed his career with 953 points; it was his third career double-double.
- Glen finished a superb freshman season just shy of a double-double as he had 11 points, eight boards, a block, and a steal. Glen ended his rookie campaign with 334 points, 45 blocks, and 221 rebounds; his block total is seventh-most in a season at Mines and the second-most by a freshman.
