GOLDEN, Colo. - Colorado School of Mines overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to end 2021 with a win, storming back to defeat Chadron State 65-62 at Lockridge Arena.
The Orediggers (5-5, 3-3 RMAC) moved back to .500 as they fought back from a dismal start led by the bench spark of
Riley Schroeder with a career-high 12 points.
Brendan Sullivan scored 12 points and
Adam Krasovec had 11 to lead the Mines starting five. CJ Jennings had a game-high 24 points and Teddy Parham Jr. scored 17.
Mines shot just 2-of-18 to start the game, eventually trailing 30-13 with 7:24 left in the first half as the Eagles (6-9, 2-5 RMAC) got off to a hot start of their own. A three-pointer by
Brendan Sullivan, however, got Mines going and sparked an 18-3 end to the half for the Orediggers as they suddenly caught fire. Baskets by Schroeder and
Titus Reed ended the half with Mines down only three, 34-31, nearly erasing the 17-point hole in a span of seven minutes.
The second half then turned into a back-and-forth battle as the Eagles clung to the lead until Schroeder's and-one play with 12:38 remaining tied it at 47. Mines took its first lead since 2-0 a minute later on two
Kobi Betts foul shots, but Chadron wouldn't quit as they eventually took the lead back on consecutive Jennings baskets with just over four minutes to go.
Trailing again by three with 1:48 remaining after a Marcus Jefferson three-point play, Mines dug deep to cut the deficit to one on Sullivan's contested pull-up jumper with 1:33 to go, and a Betts steal led to a wide-open
Justin Engesser three-pointer - his only bucket of the game - with 55 seconds remaining to retake the lead at 62-60. Chadron would not score another field goal as Reed hit two free throws with 24 seconds left to make it a two-possession game, and Betts made another seconds later to lead 65-60. Two late foul shots by Jefferson made it interesting at 65-62, and CSC had one last-gasp chance having to go the length of the court with 1.5 seconds left before Mines defended the inbounds play to win.
NOTABLES
- Free throw shooting was a key for Mines to claw its way back as the Orediggers were 23-of-28 at the line led by Reed (6-of-7) and Krasovec (5-of-6).
Trent Dykema was also 5-for-5 at the stripe off the bench. CSC, meanwhile, was 12-of-18.
- Schroeder did a little bit of everything in 21 minutes off the bench going 5-of-7 for 12 points plus five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
- Engesser's only bucket was the late three-pointer, but the graduate transfer did just about everything else for Mines with seven rebounds, five assists, and a block to his credit.
- The Oredigger bench provided 25 points led by Schroeder with Reed pitching in eight and Dykema five.
- Mines won late despite having several key players in foul trouble as Krasovec fouled out and both
Ben Boone and Reed finished the game on four fouls.
- Seven different Orediggers had five or more rebounds, with Krasovec, Betts, and Engesser each grabbing seven.
- Mines extended its win streak over Chadron State to 26 consecutive games, the longest streak against a single opponent in program history.
NEXT UP
Mines begins 2022 with first-place Black Hills State Saturday at 4 p.m.
