LAS VEGAS, N.M. – Led by five players in double figures and a plus-17 rebounding margin, the No. 11 Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team closed a regular season sweep of New Mexico Highlands with a 77-69 victory on Friday evening at the John A. Wilson Complex.
Mines (21-3, 17-3 RMAC) continued its hold on second place in the RMAC standings with the victory, but with Metro State's (22-1, 19-0 RMAC) 103-72 victory over Fort Lewis on Friday, the Roadrunners clinched at least half of the 2013-14 RMAC men's basketball title. The Orediggers must win their remaining two games and have MSU lose its remaining three contests for a share of the RMAC championship.
Rookie Gokul Natesan led the offense with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor, including a 2-of-4 mark from the perimeter. He added two rebounds, two assists and two steals while shooting 2-of-2 from the foul lie nas well.
Junior Brian Muller added 14 points on a 4-of-13 effort from the field, including a 3-of-8 mark form the perimeter and a 3-of-4 mark form the line while adding six rebounds, three assists and a steal in 31 minutes.
Senior Trevor Wages added 13 points and seven rebounds on a 4-of-6 shooting line. The Littleton native entered the weekend ranked third nationally in field goal percentage (69.4 percent) and now needs just 30 more rebounds to become the third player in program history with over 1,000 for his career.
Junior Trevor Ritchie was the most efficient shooter on the team after finishing 5-of-6 from the floor on the way to 11 points and two rebounds. The Portland, Ore., native added three assists and two steals in 29 minutes on the floor.
Senior Luke Meisch closed out the five Orediggers in double figures with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds while finishing 8-of-10 from the foul line. He added three assists and two steals while making his lone foul shot as well.
Mines shot 59.3 percent from the floor in the first half on the way to a 44-34 halftime lead. The squad would push its lead to as much as 11 points in the second half before closing with a 77-69 victory.
Mines will close the weekend with a 7:30 p.m. matchup on Saturday against Western New Mexico (1-22, 1-19 RMAC) at Drag's Court in Silver City, N.M.
