GOLDEN – Led by strong efforts from both the perimeter and the foul line, the Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team held firm on their home floor and turned away visiting New Mexico Highlands by a 90-74 score on Friday evening at Lockridge Arena.
Mines (14-10, 11-9 RMAC) stayed in the driver's seat for a spot in the upcoming RMAC Tournament with the win and will officially clinch a spot with a win on Saturday against Western New Mexico. They now hold a one-game lead on the remainder of the field for the sixth spot in the tournament, and can move up to as high as fifth with some help from CSU-Pueblo, the current No. 5 team in the standings.
The Orediggers posted a plus-20 advantage on free throw attempts while the squad's bench outscored the Cowboys' (12-12, 10-10 RMAC) by a 30-to-5 margin, led by a career-best, 16-point performance from rookie Ruben Jackson.
He finished a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor, 4-of-4 from the perimeter and 2-of-2 from the foul line in 23 minutes of action and converted half of Mines' eight 3-pointers during the game.
In all, the squad shot 48.0 percent (24-of-50) from the floor, 66.7 percent (8-of-12) from the perimeter and 87.2 percent (34-of-39) from the free throw line.
Luke Meisch notched his eighth 20-point effort of the season with 21 on Friday. He finished 4-of-9 from the floor, 13-of-15 from the foul line and added seven boards and two assists in 28 minutes.
Brian Muller added 18 points and a career-high eight assists on a 5-of-13 shooting effort from the floor, including a 2-of-4 effort from the perimeter and a 6-of-6 line from the charity stripe.
Trevor Wages rounded out four Diggers in double figures with 13 points and nine rebounds on a 6-of-12 shooting effort. Cesar Mapeli added seven points and five rebounds and Ry Walter chipped in eight points on a pair of free throws and a 2-of-3 effort from the perimeter.
Mines got to the foul line early and often to counter a 6-of-12 effort from the perimeter by NMHU during the first half. The two-time defending RMAC Champions finished the first half with a 12-of-15 line from the charity stripe, and that number of trips to the line allowed Mines to get at least two fouls on four of NMHU's five starters during the first stanza.
The squads carried a pair of hot shooting lines into the break with Mines holding a 41-37 lead.
Mines continued to build its lead out of the break and increased its lead to 11 points at 56-45 with 12:46 to play in the game.
That lead turned into a 20-point cushion in just over three minutes and Mines would be able to make its free throws down the stretch to cruise to a 16-point, 90-74 victory.
Mines will look to clinch a spot in the RMAC Tournament tomorrow when the squad hosts Western New Mexico (10-14, 9-11 RMAC) at Lockridge Arena at 7 p.m.
