RAPID CITY, S.D. - A second-half outburst by Colorado School of Mines gave them a 73-52 win at South Dakota Mines, clinching an RMAC Tournament berth in the process.
The Orediggers (18-6, 12-6 RMAC) earned one of eight RMAC Tournament spots with four games left to play as they outscored the Hardrockers (7-17, 4-15 RMAC) by a 41-21 margin in the second half with 61.5 percent shooting in the period.
Four Orediggers scored in double figures led by
Michael Glen's 18-point, nine-rebound effort and 14 points each from
Ben Sonnefeld and
Adam Laine, with
Luke Schroepfer scoring 12.
The visitors got out to a quick start, leading 10-0 as Schroepfer scored eight of those points, but SDSMT roared out of a timeout to take the lead at 14-12. It was back and forth for the rest of the first half as Mines took a late lead and was up 32-31 at the break.
The second half would be all Orediggers, however, as
Adam Laine converted an early three-point play to spark a 12-0 run that included eight points from Glen. That turned it into a 48-35 lead at the 13:11 mark, and after SDSMT pared the deficit back to eight on Logan Elers' layup at the 11:16 mark, Mines slowly built the lead back up and won by its largest margin, 21 points, as
Mason Baker hit the final basket of the game in the last minute.
NOTABLES
- Mines held SDSMT to 38.1 percent shooting in the second half and 40 percent overall. Most notable was the perimeter defense adjustment; SDSMT was 5-for-10 from three-point range in the first half to just 1-for-5 in the second.
- Mines had only three turnovers to SDSMT's 10, with eight steals led by Schroepfer's three.
- Sonnefeld had another impressive shooting day going 6-for-7 overall; he was 10-for-11 on Tuesday at Colorado Christian and is shooting .750 from the floor over his last four games.
- Glen was 7-for-11 and Laine 6-for-9 as Mines controlled the post; the pair combined for 16 of Mines' 30 rebounds as they held a 30-23 edge off the glass.
- Mines improved to 6-2 on the road this season.
- The Orediggers swept the season series from the Hardrockers, beating SDSMT 94-67 at home back on Dec. 9.
NEXT UP
The Orediggers return home to face Fort Lewis on Friday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in a rematch of the 2017 RMAC Tournament final and NCAA Second Round. The two will meet live on CET on Rock the Lock Night.
