LAKEWOOD, Colo. - Mason Baker's 27 points and a hot shooting night overall by Colorado School of Mines helped them repel a second-half Colorado Christian surge to win 86-78.

The Orediggers (5-3, 3-1 RMAC) won their third in a row shooting a season-best 58.6 percent as four starters - Baker, Michael Glen (18 points), Brendan Sullivan (15), and Titus Reed (14) - scored in double digits. The Cougars (0-9, 0-3 RMAC) erased a 12-point halftime deficit to lead by as much as five in the final 10 minutes, but a 14-2 Mines run proved decisive in the win.

Baker continued his terrific play shooting 10-for-13 to tally his 27, and added four assists, four rebounds, a steal, and a block to his night. Michael Glen was 7-of-10 on his way to 18 points and six rebounds, while both Reed and Sullivan were second-half sparks. Jake Hornick led CCU with 22 points and Justin Engesser had 18 points with eight rebounds.

Mines took advantage of of Cougar turnovers in the first half to build a 46-34 lead at the break despite both teams shooting over 50 percent. The lead didn't last long, however, as CCU hit an 11-2 run early in the second half that erased Mines' lead, and they took their first lead of the half on Hornick's three-pointer at the 12:08 mark. Glen answered with his own three before Engesser hit from the outside the next time down the floor, giving CCU a 62-60 lead.

The Cougars stretched that advantage to as much as five at 68-63 after Hornick's three-point play at the 9:50 mark; that capped an impressive 14-of-20 start to the half for CCU. Mines quickly flipped the script, though, as a Glen jumper, two Sullivan free throws, and Paul O'Leary's dunk gave the Orediggers the lead back in the midst of a 10-0 run. The suddenly ice-cold Cougars struggled to create offense after that, making just three buckets in the final 10 minutes as Mines pulled away, with Reed's three-pointer with 1:40 remaining the dagger.

NOTABLES
- It was Mines' best shooting night of the year after hitting 56.4 percent of their shots against Fort Hays State on Nov. 16.
- Baker is now averaging a team-best 21.4 points per game as he sank 27 points for the third time in four games. The junior is averaging an impressive 25.3 ppg in RMAC play, including 11-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc.
- CCU shot 14-of-20 (70%) in the first 10 minutes of the second half and 3-of-12 (25%) in the last 10 minutes.
- Mines outrebounded CCU 33-24.
- The Orediggers have won 13 straight over the Cougars dating back to 2013-14 and lead the all-time series 35-13.

NEXT UP
Mines heads to Regis on Saturday for a 5 p.m. start.