GOLDEN, Colo. -  In a match-up of the RMAC's two best teams, it was the only fitting ending.

#14/11 Colorado School of Mines erased an eight-point deficit with 1:22 left in regulation to force overtime, then held off #21 Fort Lewis to win the RMAC Tournament championship in a 102-98 thriller.

Ben Clare sank 23 points, including the game-tying free throws with 2.0 seconds left, while tournament MVP Gokul Natesan scored 20 with five assists and two steals to break the Mines career record.

Mines has clinched the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament and will learn if they get to host the regional round during the selections Sunday at 8:30 p.m. MST on ncaa.com.

It was another classic between Mines and Fort Lewis, and their second overtime game of the year. Mines was forced to erase significant deficits in both halves, first with a 12-0 first-half run keyed by Kaan Korkmaz to erase a 10-point Skyhawk lead and then with their final run at the end of regulation. In the end the game featured nine ties and 14 lead changes.

Tied 65-65 with 4:41 remaining, Fort Lewis hit an 11-2 run to seemingly end it as Rasmus Bach and Joshua Blaylock hit back-to-back threes to make it a 76-67 game with 2:46 left. That set in motion a wild final two minutes as Natesan and Bach traded three pointers before Mines began to chip away. Luke Schroepfer hit two free throws with 1:46 to go, and Ben Sonnefeld earned a three-point play seconds later to cut the lead to 80-75. Natesan followed with a laytup at 1:08 to make it a one-basket game, but Daniel Hernandez put FLC back up 82-77 with 36 seconds left.

Clare took over the final 30 seconds. He hit a layup with 30 ticks left before Mines sent Alex Semadeni to the line for a pair; that had FLC up 84-80 for Natesan to hit two free throws, and Semadeni then threw the ball away on the inbounds with 22 seconds left. That led to Ben Sonnefeld's layup, and at the other end, Blaylock made one of two free throw tries to lead 85-83.

Natesan had a deep three look to win it with three seconds left, but Clare corraled the rebound and was fouled, giving him a chance to tie it with 2.0 seconds left; he sank both, and a half-courter by the Skyhawks was short at the buzzer.

Mines held Fort Lewis without a field goal for the first 2:32 of overtime, and used a 10-2 lead to build a 96-89 lead after Schroepfer's three-pointer with 1:41 remaining. Mines got it done at the line from there despite three-pointers from Bach and Blaylock, with Schroepfer and Natesan icing it in the final seconds.

NOTABLES
- The Tournament title is Mines' second and first since 2011-12, when they also won the double with the regular season championship.
- Clare and Ben Sonnefeld were named to the all-tournament team in addition to Natesan's MVP honor. Clare notched a double-double with 10 boards to go with his 23 points, and Sonnefeld scored a career-high 18 with four assists. Natesan averaged 22 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in the Tournament.
- Natesan now has 236 career steals, surpassing the long-standing record of 234 set in 1990 by Mike Ziegler.
- Schroepfer scored 12 of his 24 points in the final 1:46 of regulation and overtime.
- Clare shot 9-of-13 and was 5-of-6 at the line. His 23 points were a career high.
- Kaan Korkmaz was a huge first-half spark for Mines, scoring all 11 of his points in a 22-7 run that helped Mines erase a 10-point FLC lead to be up 39-34 at the half.
- Bach had an outstanding game for the Skyhawks, scoring 29 points. Blaylock had a big second half to end up 26 along with five assists and seven boards.
- Mines shot 27-of-32 at the foul line and 45.1 percent overall. Both Mines and FLC drained 11 three-pointers.
- Mines held a 44-39 rebounding edge.

QUOTABLES
"I can't be more proud of these guys and what they showed. They perserved through it... Somehow we fought and kept believing." - head coach Pryor Orser on Mines' comeback

"When I got up to the line I knew if it was any of the other four guys on the floor, I would have absolute faith in them, and I knew they would have faith in me." - Ben Clare on his game-tying free throws.

"I really like the challenge, it pushes me to be a better basketball player. Fifty percent of the game is offense, if you want to be a good player, you have to play defense." - Gokul Natesan on the challenge of guarding RMAC Player of the Year Joshua Blaylock