Box Score

In the battle of the Mines, it was the hometown team that came out on top - and in a big way. Colorado School of Mines blasted South Dakota Mines, 97-43, in a lopsided win that gained the Orediggers ground in the RMAC playoff race.

Everything went right for CSM (14-6 / 9-5 RMAC), from its 13-for-25 three-point shooting night to its +11 rebounding margin to its 45-point halftime lead. Gokul Natesan scored 20, Adam Laine had 19, and Joe Dellenbach 11 points as the Orediggers had the luxury of spreading minutes to the entire bench.

The Orediggers' first five baskets were three-pointers, including two by Natesan, as they raced out to an early 15-5 lead and never looked back. The Hardrockers (7-11 / 5-9 RMAC) were held without a field goal for nearly eight minutes in the middle of the half, enabling CSM to build the lead to 35-11 and, eventually, a whopping 61-16 at halftime as they ended on a 17-2 run.

The second half saw the Orediggers cruise with every player on the roster seeing significant time; Ruben Jackson and Murphy Gershman each scored seven points and Ben Clare added six with two blocks.

NOTABLES
- Mines' 97 points were a season high, eclipsing the 95 against Western State in their last outing; the 61-point first half was also a season-best.
- Coming off his career high of 22 against Western State, Adam Laine had another superb night with 19 points, four boards, and three assists in only 16 minutes. His night included a perfect 7-for-7 performance at the foul line.
- S.D. Mines was held to only 21.3 percent shooting for the game, including 3-of-21 from beyond the arc. The Hardrockers were outrebounded 48-37.
- Caleb Waitsman corralled a game-high eight boards for the Orediggers.
- SDSMT had 17 turnovers leading to 24 CSM points.
- Career-highs abounded for the Orediggers, including Mark Winans in points (6) and rebounds (6), Clare in blocks (2), and Joe Dellenbach in three-pointers (3).
- CSU-Pueblo's loss to Colorado Mesa Friday night helped Mines in the RMAC race, putting the Orediggers a game ahead of Pueblo in the Mountain division standings. Mines is tied for fourth overall with UCCS, but hold the tiebreak against the Mountain Lions.

NEXT UP
Mines hosts Black Hills State Saturday night at 7 p.m.