GOLDEN, Colo. - Brendan Sullivan's 24-point outburst paced #5 Colorado School of Mines as they remained unbeaten in a 67-57 win over Western Colorado.

The Orediggers (5-0, 4-0 RMAC) pulled away early in the second half, but the Mountaineers (0-4, 0-3 RMAC) battled the whole way to keep things interesting down the stretch. 

Sullivan collected 24 points and eight rebounds, while Michael Glen scored 12 and Ben Boone 11 as Mines shot .444 for the game but a much-improved .536 in the second half. The Mountaineers were led by Matthew Ragsdale's 13 points but were held to .333 shooting.

The visitors started strong, racing out to a 21-12 lead on hot shooting by Avery Rembao, but a 6-0 spurt on two Glen buckets and a pair of Titus Reed foul shots cut it to a one-basket game at the 7:11 mark, and seven straight points by Sullivan eventually gave Mines their first lead since the opening possession with 2:11 left in the half at 28-26. Sullivan drained a last-second three-pointer to make it 31-26 at the break.

Mines poured on the pressure tos tart the second half as Boone's layup sparked a 7-0 run to push their lead to double digits, and the Orediggers would eventually lead by as much as 16 on Boone's fastbreak layup midway through the second. Western wouldn't go quietly, however, squeezing the lead down eight on Jonathan McCloud's three-pointer with 2:29 to go, but jumpers by Glen and Sullivan over the next minute shut the door on any hopes of a Mountaineer comeback. 

NOTABLES
- Sullivan was just four points shy of his career high, shooting 10-of-17 overall and adding eight rebounds and two assists.
- The Orediggers entered the weekend with the nation's second-best scoring defense and shooting defense, and now are allowing just 51.6 points per game and a .322 shooting percentage. 
- Western's 57 points was the most surrendered by Mines in five games; the last time the Orediggers did not allow 60 points through their first five games was the 1963-64 season. 
- Titus Reed provided energy off the bench, scoring eight points with seven rebounds and three assists. 
- Mines held a 39-34 rebounding edge. Austin Means led all players with nine boards.
- Mines and Western met for the 183rd time in a series that dates back to 1925; it's both the oldest current and most-played series for the Orediggers. Although Western leads all-time 98-85, the Orediggers have won 11 of the last 12 contests.
- The Orediggers remained one of two unbeatens left in the RMAC as #17 Colorado Mesa edged Adams State 100-98.

NEXT UP
Mines closes 2020 against Fort Lewis Saturday at 7 p.m.