RAPID CITY, S.D. - A slow start doomed #18/23 Colorado School of Mines for the second straight night, as the Orediggers fell 74-63 at South Dakota Mines.

The Orediggers (7-3, 2-2 RMAC) fell into an early hole after a hot start by the Hardrockers put them up 40-28 at the half. Gokul Natesan did what he could as he went 17-for-18 at the line to score 33 points, but no other Oredigger had more than four points on the night.

Mines cut the Hardrockers' double-digit lead down to as little as seven in the second half, but the hosts held on down the stretch. SDSMT made their first four shots of the game on the way to 60 percent shooting for the first half, while the Orediggers were held to 37.9 percent.

The Orediggers bounced back in the second half, shooting 53 percent, but the hole was too much to dig out of. After cutting the Hardrock's 17-point lead down to seven on Natesan's free throws with 7:04 remaining, SD Mines relied on solid foul shooting down the stretch to maintain their lead and win.

NOTABLES
- Natesan's 33 points were his career high in a regulation game. He sank a career-high 17 free throws.
- Natesan also had five steals in the game, becoming the third Mines player to reach 200 for his career and the first since Raul Varela in 1996.
- Zach Rusk and Natesan each had four assists. Rusk also had a team-best four rebounds. 
- RMAC leading scorer Konor Kulas had 18 to lead the Hardrockers, while Marco Pascolo had a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double.
- SDSMT's win snapped an eight-game streak by the Orediggers in the series. It was the first time the Hardrockers had beaten Mines as a member of the RMAC.

NEXT UP
Mines will head into Denver to face Metro State on Friday night at 7 p.m.