SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Looking to make it four in a row Saturday afternoon, the #10/9 Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team took the court at Behnken Field House against a team Westminster team that's as tough as anyone in the RMAC when playing at home. It came down to free throws and a last second heave at the end, but the Orediggers (19-3, 13-1) prevailed as all 11 players who checked in scored as part of a total team effort against the Griffins (11-11, 5-9) and became the first team to secure a spot in the postseason with a 60-57 win.
 
Simom Akena and Donaval Avila made it 4-0 Griffins with a quick start to the afternoon. They continued to lead it until Alex Romack went 1-2 at the line at 16:36 to level the score at 6-6. Akena and Jonathan Moore traded buckets next before Boston Painter went 2-2 at the stripe to retake the lead 10-8.
 
A hook shot from Adam Krasovec at 14:01 briefly tied things before Tommy Ball drilled a trey on the other end. Caleb Clark got lose for a dunk for Mines as it remained a one-possession game. Juani Dassie tied the score at 15 just before the under-12 media timeout with a three-pointer of his own before Markus Pastorcic-Straun gave Mines their first lead at 17-15 thanks to a pair of free throws.
 
Jack Jamele was the next man to tie the score before Romack and Deng both scored with a WU free throw in between to make it 21-18 just past the halfway mark of the half. The Griffins showed why they are a tough team at home, not letting the Orediggers pull away by more than three for the rest of the period. Potter retook the lead for the home team at 6:51 on a turnaround jumper but Krasovec answered right back with a wing triple to make it 26-24.
 
After each team exchanged 1-2 trips at the line following Krasovec's trip at 3:54, neither team scored until Potter did for Westminster at 1:45 to tie things at 27 following a combined 0-6 stretch. Parker Christensen retook the lead with a runner 30 seconds later, but it was Mines who took a lead into halftime as Cade Mankle found Clark for a straightaway three off an inbounds pass with 0.8 seconds on the clock to make it a 30-29 game.
 
WU responded to the buzzer-beater by Clark with the first three points of the half to take a 30-32 lead. Mines answered with the next five thanks a three-point conversion by Moore and a layup by Deng to make it 35-32. The back-and-forth continued as Westminster netted the next five thanks to Ball and Akena as the lead changed hands again 37-35.
 
The one-possession battle both ways was the story of the afternoon as Mines took a 41-39 lead thanks to Reagan Koch and Mankle doing work inside. Parker Christensen made it 43-42 in favor of WU at 10:38 before Akena's inside jumper made it a three-point contest. In a battle of "strike and counter" the Orediggers went on the longest run of the game as 12-0 to take a 54-45 lead, the largest of the game by any team with just under five minutes to go. Pastorcic-Straun and Alex Romack converted traditional three-point plays while Koch brought the Mines bench to their feet with a wing trey.
 
The lead peaked at 11 following a pair of Pastorcic-Straun free throws that made it 58-47 inside of three minutes, but the Griffins did anything but concede the contest. A parade to the free throw line made it only a two-point game at 58-56 with nine seconds left after Christensen hit four in a row and six during the sequence.
 
Deng was fouled on the subsequent inbounds pass and converted two key shots at the other end to make it a four-point game. Christensen then drew a foul with five seconds left and converted the first while the second hit back iron and went back into play. Deng appeared to get the rebounded before being fallen on by a Westminster defender, but the officials called a turnover on Mines, leaving the Griffins one final shot with 2.8 seconds remaining. Avila's last-gasp jumper ended up being a long two with his foot on the line, but it didn't matter as the shot clanked harmlessly away and the horn sounded on a 60-57 Mines win.
 
NOTABLES
-Romack paced the winning effort with 11 points behind 4-7 shooting to go with four rebounds and a block; he also went over the 500-point mark for his career in the win, with #500 coming on a tip-in at 5:53 in the second half
-Deng ended with nine including a pair of timely free throws late while plucking six boards and two steals
-Moore and Pastorcic-Straun each ended with seven points and four rebounds each
-Krasovec chipped in six off the bench
-Koch and Clark both went for five with a three-pointer and four rebounds while coming for six assists.
-All 11 players that checked into the game for the Orediggers scored
-Westminster's three-point shooting could have been a difference in the outcome, as they finished 1-15 from beyond the arc for the game and 0-8 in the second half
-The game saw 12 ties and 11 lead changes over the course of 40 minutes
 
UP NEXT
Mines returns to Lockridge Arena for two of their final three home games this season starting Thursday night against Black Hills State before welcoming Chadron State to town Saturday afternoon.

Fans can keep up with Mines men's basketball on X and Instagram at @minesmbb. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, X and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.