Box Score HOW IT HAPPENED
Gokul Natesan hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to give #21 Colorado School of Mines a 67-66 win over Nebraska-Kearney at Lockridge Arena.
In a game in which the Orediggers (3-1) didn't lead after the opening basket, Natesan poured in a game-high 21 points and Kaan Korkmaz scored all 14 of his points in the second half. Mines erased a six-point deficit with 1:40 to go, holding UNK scoreless in that span.
Ben Clare made the game's opneing layup but UNK's Trey Lansman answered with a three-pointer and the Lopers led all the way through the second half. Mines kept it close, and cut it to 36-33 early in the second half before Lansman and Josh Sweet drilled back-to-back trifectas to open the Lopers' largest lead of the game at nine.
Mines slowly chipped away as Korkmaz made his impact on the game, and his three-point play and subsequent layup brought the Orediggers back within a basket at 60-58 with 3:47 to go. UNK seized momentum back with a Kevin Dineen steal and bucket to lead 66-60 with 1:40 to go.
That would prove to be UNK's final points. Korkmaz made one of two free throws on Mines' next trip down the floor, and Natesan made another after UNK's Connor Beranek missed two of his own. That cut it to 66-62 with 56 seconds to go, and Dineen threw the ball away under pressure, leading to Natesan's layup with 45 tickets left.
Lane Rohrich missed the Lopers' last chance with 13 secodns to go, and after Caleb Waitsman's rebound and a pair of CSM timeouts, Natesan canned the buzzerbeater three-pointer from the right wing to lift them to victory.
NOTABLES
- Bench production was the difference as Mines generated 39 points to UNK's 17. Korkmaz (14) and Caleb Waitsman (12) provided the major chunk of that but Garrett Loew (7 points, 3 assists) and Adam Laine (6 points, 5 rebounds) were also key contributors.
- The Lopers (3-2) committed 17 turnovers leading to 20 Mines points. The Orediggers took care of the ball with 11 giveaways, and UNK only scored 10 off them.
- Mines struggled at the line, sinking 10-of-18 (55.6%). UNK went 26 times and made 18 (69.2%).
- Natesan finished with 21 points, five assists, and three steals.
- The Lopers were led by Connor Beranek, who had 16, but the Orediggers limited him well below his NCAA top-10 scoring average of 27.8 points per game. Beranek was held to 4-of-10 shooting from the floor.
NEXT UP
Mines will host a post-Thanksgiving tournament starting Friday with Evangel at 7 p.m.
