GUNNISON – The No. 13 Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team put five players in double figures and posted a plus-22 rebounding margin en route to a 79-45 victory over Western State on Saturday evening at Paul Wright Gym in Gunnison.
Mines (17-2, 13-2 RMAC) out-rebounded Western State (2-17, 2-13 RMAC) 46-to-24 for its second game of the season with a rebounding margin of 20 or more. After just 40 percent shooting in the first half, the Orediggers exploded for 50 in the second, backed by a 17-of-29 (58.6 percent) effort from the floor and a 4-of-8 mark from the perimeter.
Head coach Pryor Orser's squad out-rebounded its two opponents over the weekend by an 84-to-49 margin and limited Colorado Mesa and the Mountaineers to just 36.3 percent shooting from the field.
Senior Trevor Wages led the way with a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double while shooting 6-of-12 from the field. Saturday's performance marked his second double-double against Western State and his 10th overall this season.
Fellow senior Luke Meisch added 13 points on a 5-of-6 shooting line. He finished second on the team with eight rebounds and chipped in two assists and a block as well.
Senior Brett Green finished 5-for-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from downtown on the way to 12 points while junior Brian Muller and freshman Gokul Natesan chipped in 10 points apiece to close out the Orediggers in double figures. Junior Trevor Ritchie added two assists, three boards and nine points as well.
Mines' inside presence battered the Mountaineers for the second time this season, allowing the squad to post a 40-to-20 advantage on points in the paint and an 18-to-8 advantage on second-chance points.
After entering the break up 29-19, the offense caught fire for the Orediggers in the second half as the squad built up a lead as high as 35 points before closing out the game for its third-straight win.
Mines will return home to the friendly confines of Lockridge Arena for a pair of pivotal weekend matchups when it hosts No. 3 Metro State and Regis on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Fans are encouraged to wear white for a "Whiteout" on Friday against Metro State for both the women's and men's matchups.
