COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Time ran out on Colorado School of Mines' comeback attempt as UCCS held on for a 74-71 win in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals.

The Orediggers (16-11) saw their season come to a likely end despite nearly erasing a 15-point second-half deficit. The Mountain Lions (21-8) led wire-to-wire as they advance to face top-seeded Black Hills State in Friday's semifinal round.

Ben Boone led all scorers with 22 points as he drained five three-pointers, and the post combo of Kai Barr and Adam Krasovec combined for 29 points. It was the three-point shooting of UCCS, however, that made the difference in building their lead as they drained 11 of 29 shots - including 6 of 11 in the first half - led by Bobby Martin's 17 points and Jon'il Fugett's 16. 

A 7-0 run by UCCS in the middle of the first half extend their advantage into double digits for the first time, and they ultimately led 39-30 at halftime on the back of .571 first-half shooting. They came out of the break with five straight points to lead 45-30, their largest of the game, and kept the lead around 10 for much of the half until Mines keyed in on a 6-0 run in the closing minutes. After four straight points by Krasovec, a Barr inside shot cut the UCCS lead to 67-61 with 3:02 to go, and after two Fugett foul shots went in, Boone drained a three-pointer with 2:03 left to make it 69-64.

Fugett hit a crucial three-pointer in response but Barr answered with two straight baskets to get to within four points, 72-68, with 33 seconds to go; Mines was forced to foul, and Fugett made both of his shots before Boone canned a three-pointer with just over a second to go making it 74-71. UCCS successfully inbounded the ball, however, running out the clock for the win. 

NOTABLES
- Boone added three assists and a steal to his 22-point outburst.
- Barr had 16 off the bench and Krasovec scored 13. 
- In his final game as an Oredigger, Kobi Betts set a career high with eight assists as he scored six points with three boards and a block. 
- Mines shot .468 overall, but got to the line just seven times, making five. UCCS cooled off in the second half to shoot .458 for the game, and was 9-of-10 at the stripe.
- Krasovec and Brendan Sullivan led Mines with six rebounds apiece. UCCS held a 35-32 rebounding edge.