GOLDEN, Colo. - #18 Colorado School of Mines captured at least a share of the RMAC regular-season title, beating UCCS 79-63 and getting a gift from afar thanks to Westminster.

Westminster's 84-78 win over #14 Fort Lewis helped give Mines the edge with one game to play, as the Skyhawks dropped their final regular-season game. It means that Mines could win the title outright with a victory over MSU Denver on Saturday, and no matter what are assured of the RMAC Tournament's #1 seed.

Senior Caleb Waitsman scored his 1,000th career point in the win, with Luke Schroepfer dropping in 25 points, Gokul Natesan 17, and Ben Sonnefeld a career-high 16.

Mines trailed only briefly in the first half and took control of the game thanks to a 17-6 run at the tail end of the first half. Schroepfer scored 11 of Mines' 17 in that span as Mines turned a one-point UCCS lead into a 41-33 advantage at halftime.

UCCS cut it as close as six to start the half, but Mines again built a lead on a 19-7 run, ballooning the advantage to 18, 60-42, with 12:59 to go. The Mountain Lions battled down the stretch but never managed to cut the deficit to single digits as Mines cruised in the final 10 minutes.

NOTABLES
- The title is the fifth in program history and the fourth under coach Pryor Orser. Mines last won a share of the crown in 2014-15.
- Should Mines win their RMAC Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday, they would be assured of hosting the RMAC Tournament semifinals and final next Friday and Saturday.
- Natesan stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, four assists, and three steals, and did it all without taking a foul shot.
- Schroepfer went 6-for-8 from the floor, 5-for-7 for three, and 8-for-8 at the line, and added three assists in one of his best performances of the year.
- Sonnefeld exploded in the second half and tacked on five assists and three steals to his 16-point game.
- Waitsman is the second active Oredigger to score 1,000 points, joining Natesan. He hit the mark with a second-half free throw.
- Mines shot 45.6 percent for the game after a hot start saw them sink seven of their first nine. UCCS made 40.3 percent of their shots.
- Three-point shooting was a huge edge for Mines as they canned 12-of-22 to UCCS' 5-of-16.

NEXT UP
Mines hosts rival MSU Denver in the final game of the regular season Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised live on CET.