SALT LAKE CITY - #10/11 Colorado School of Mines overcame a slow start to win on the road at Westminster, 79-73, and extend their perfect season start to 8-0.

The Orediggers were led by Adam Thistlewood's 20 points and nine rebounds, and a do-it-all effort from Sam Beskind with 12 points, four boards, five assists, and four steals. Brendan Sullivan hit 12 points and Kai Barr 10 off the bench.

Thistlewood scored his 1,000 collegiate point during the game in a combined career at Mines and Colorado State.

Mines had another terrific night at the foul line going 19-for-21, and that proved to be the difference in a game where Westminster (1-6, 1-1 RMAC) actually shot better overall than Mines at 49.2 percent to 41.5 percent, and made more three pointers as well (9 to 6). The Oredigger starting five were perfect at the stripe going a combined 14-for-14. 

Westminster's Taylor Miller was red-hot shooting 10-of-14 for a game-high 22 points.

Mines fell in a big hole to start the game as the Griffins raced out to a 16-4 lead, but Adam Krasovec and Reagan Koch injected energy off the bench to combine for an 11-0 run and quickly cut it to a 16-15 game at the midpoint of the first half. Mines built on its momentum from there, ultimately taking its first lead on a Trent Dykema three-pointer at the 6:09 mark and then heading into the half on an 8-3 run started by back-to-back Sullivan three-pointers to lead 40-34.

The visitors never trailed after that but Westminster never really went away, either, keeping in contact until the closing minutes when Thistlewood went on a solo 6-0 run of his own to increase the lead to 71-58 with 3:41 to go. The Griffins never gave up as Taylor hit three baskets for seven points in the final minute, but Sullivan, Beskind, and Dykema were perfect at the foul line to ice the game.

NOTABLES
- Thistlewood scored 885 points at Colorado State and already 130 at Mines to surpass the 1,000 mark between the two schools. The graduate transfer has now scored in double figures in each of the last five games and seven of eight to begin his Mines career. 
- Krasovec finished with nine points and four rebounds off the bench.
- Mines took care of the ball with just seven turnovers to Westminster's 16, and had 10 steals. 
- The Orediggers had 26 bench points combined between Krasovec, Barr, and Koch. 

NEXT UP
Mines returns home to host South Dakota Mines Dec. 9 at 7 p.m.