Colorado School of Mines at Colorado Christian [Live Video] [Live Stats]
The Orediggers, out to a 5-1 start, jump into RMAC play Saturday night, visiting Jeffco rival Colorado Christian.
ON A ROLL
Mines enters RMAC play at 5-1 overall and on a three-game win streak. The Orediggers defeated Nebraska-Kearney 67-66 last Wednesday thanks to Gokul Natesan's last-second three-pointer, then handily beat Evangel 92-75 as Natesan dropped 26, and a late surge helped Mines beat Haskell Indian Nations 85-67 thanks to Ben Sonnefeld's 10-point, eight-board, six-assist night and Natesan's 25 points.
IN THE RANKINGS
Mines bumped up three spots to #18 in this week's NABC Division II Coaches' poll. The Orediggers have been in the rankings every week this season.
WITH HONORS
Gokul Natesan earned RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career thanks to some huge performances last week. In three wins, Natesan averaged 24.0 points, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and 3.0 rebounds per game while shooting 57.4% overall and 50% from beyond the arc. He nailed the buzzerbeater game-winning three against Nebraska-Kearney to spark a 3-0 week for the Orediggers.
LAST YEAR VS. CCU
Mines swept the season series from Colorado Christian, winning 95-89 on the road and 87-77 at home. Brian Muller '15 starred in the road meeting, draining 35 points, while Trevor Ritchie '15 had 21 with six boards. Among active Orediggers, Gokul Natesan averaged 14.0 points per game and Caleb Waitsman 11.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in the two meetings last season.
MINES QUICK LOOK
The Orediggers have been led in scoring by Natesan, who averages 22.5 points and 4.7 assists per game. Ben Sonnefeld, taking over point guard duties as a redshirt freshman, has been impressive, dishing out 3.0 assists per game while snaring 4.0 rebounds a night and shooting 52% overall, including .882 at the line. In the paint, Mines has been led by the trio of Joe Dellenbach (8.0 ppg/2.0 rpg), Caleb Waitsman (8.8 ppg/4.7 rpg), and Adam Laine (7.0 ppg/4.0 rpg).
CCU QUICK LOOK
The Cougars are 4-2 and have won four straight coming into the weekend. They are led by the scoring of Zach McLemore, who averages 20.8 points per game. Ty McGee has been a defensive presence, dropping in 13.2 points to go with a team-best 9.5 rebounds per game. One thing the Cougars do very well – free throw shooting. CCU has been to the line 164 times in six games (they are +5.5 per game over opponents), sinking their freebies .726 of the time.
