#19 Mines vs. Chadron State, Friday, 8 p.m. [Live Video] [Live Stats]
#19 Mines vs. Regis, Saturday, 7 p.m. [Live Video] [Live Stats]
 

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LAST WEEKEND
Mines dropped its first game of the season to NAIA Division I member Wayland Baptist last Friday in a 78-76 decision before bouncing back in a 121-30 blowout win over Diné. WBU got the better of a close game in the weekend's opener as four Orediggers scored in double figures led by Gokul Natesan's 21. Against USCAA member Diné, the Mines bench did most of the heavy lifting with career highs coming from Mark Winans (20P) and Ruben Jackson (17P).

IN THE RANKINGS
Mines dropped six spots to #19 in this week's NABC national top-25 poll. The Orediggers (5-1) suffered their first loss of the season over the weekend to 7-2 Wayland Baptist (NAIA), but have been ranked in all three NABC polls this season. A surging Regis (6-0) appeared at #19 in this week's D2SIDA media poll.

RECENT HISTORY
Mines beat Chadron on the road 88-73 last season, with Gokul Natesan scoring 21 with six assists and Adam Laine coming off the bench for 19 points and seven rebounds. Mines shot 63.6 percent in that game. The Orediggers have won 18 straight against the Eagles dating back to 2007-08. Mines left Regis an 80-72 winner last season, with Natesan (22P) and Laine (18P, 10A) against pacing the Orediggers as they held the Rangers to 37.3 percent shooting. Mines has beaten Regis in seven straight meetings going back to 2013-14.

NATESAN HITS 300 ASSISTS, NEARS 1,500 POINTS
Gokul Natesan recorded his 300th career assist against Diné, becoming on the fifth Oredigger to hit the plateau. Natesan is tied for fifth all-time with exactly 300 assists. He is also 13 points away from becoming the 14th player in program history to reach 1,500 career points.

MINES SIGNS TWO
Coach Pryor Orser signed forward Austin Means (Frenchtown, Mt.) and Landon Walker (Scottsbluff, Neb.) in late November during the early signing period. The pair will help bolster Mines' frontcourt for years to come. [Read more]

BIG BENCH PRODUCTION
One of the biggest reasons for Mines' early-season success has been bench production. The Orediggers are averaging 34.5 points per game off the bench. Last weekend alone, the Mines bench produced 30 points against Wayland Baptist and 75 in the blowout against Diné.

DEFENSE STEPS UP
Through the end of non-conference play, Mines leads the RMAC in per-game rebounding margin (7.3) and steals (8.33) and is second in scoring defense (66.5) and turnover margin (+4.83).

SCOUTING CHADRON STATE
The Eagles are 0-4 this season, which includes an overtime loss to Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 26. Warren Gordon leads the Eagles at 16.8 points per game with 12 three-pointers, and Darius Polley is at 12.8 points per game. Austin Hall's 5.3 rebounds per game off the bench leads the team.

SCOUTING REGIS
The unbeaten Rangers are 6-0, which includes wins over Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's. Dexter Sienko's 18.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game leads the team, with Kevin Metoyer averaging 13.8 points and 5.2 assists per night and Ryan Beisty 12.3 points and 6.2 boards.