GOLDEN – Led by a pair of 20-point performances by Brian Muller and Gokul Natesan, the No. 19 Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team ran away with an 86-60 victory over Chadron State on Friday evening at Lockridge Arena to remain unbeaten on the season. 

Mines (7-0, 3-0 RMAC) finished 28-of-54 (51.9 percent) from the floor in the win, while shooting 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) from the perimeter and 22-of-28 (78.6 percent) from the foul line. Chadron State (3-4, 2-1 RMAC) suffered its first conference loss in the defeat. 

The squad posted a 26-to-7 advantage in points off turnovers and added a 36-to-24 advantage on points in the paint. 

Mines led throughout and carried a 17-point, 41-24 halftime lead into the break before posting a plus-10 scoring effort in the second half in cruising to the victory. 

Muller posted a game-high 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 5-of-7 mark from downtoan. He was also 4-of-5 from the floor and added two assists in 29 minutes. 

Natesan finished 5-of-10 from the field, 9-of-10 from the line and 1-of-4 from the perimeter on the way to 20 points. The Santa Clara, Calif., product and reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year added four rebounds and an assist in 26 minutes. 

Senior Trevor Ritchie was the third of four Orediggers in double figures with 12 points in addition to five assists. He was 5-of-10 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line while adding four rebounds and a game-high four steals. 

Redshirt freshman Zach Rusk led the team with six assists and chipped in a block on the defensive end as well. 

Sophomore Caleb Waitsman closed Mines' double-figure scorers with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and added a game-high six of Mines' 29 rebounds in the game. 

Mines will close its weekend action on Saturday with a 7 p.m. matchup against Black Hills State at Lockridge Arena.