CHADRON, Neb. – The tension was palpable in the waning moments of action from the Chicoine Events Center as the Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team withstood a second half rally by Chadron State to sweep the season series with a 74-72 in the second of two meetings. Though the Orediggers (14-13, 10-6) led from start to finish, the win wasn't without drama as the Eagles (6-18, 4-12) had a chance to tie or take the lead at the free throw line in the final seconds but failed to convert when it mattered most.
 
Trent Minter and Jonathan Moore went 3-3 from downtown to start the action as Mines quickly raced out to a 9-0 lead. Jadon Cool splashed a three to get CSC on the board, but Moore kept the train rolling for Mines he converted a three-point play the old-fashioned way to make it a nine-point lead just over five minutes into the action. The Orediggers continued to comfortably lead throughout the first half as Will Cordonnier, Kellon Johnson and Alex Romack helped pace the offense while the Eagles struggled to string together possessions. Isaiah Randolph briefly closed the lead back to six at 26-20 with 6:17 left following a 7-2 run, but a Braydon Jacob three and a Derek Lamb layup quickly pushed the advantage back to 11. Mack Keighran had a crack at keeping it close as he scored the next five, but a 9-2 Mines run to end the frame highlighted by a Silas McCurnin three gave the Orediggers a 40-27 lead at the intermission.
 
Mines continued to maintain a comfortable lead to resume play as a three-pointer from Shelton Henton made it 46-32 less than three minutes into the period. The lead peaked at 17 following a three from Braydon Jacob to make it 57-40 to cap an 8-3 run. Momentum started to shift over the next few minutes as Chadron State finally got going and strung together a 17-4 run starting with a Randolph layup at 11:53 and ending with a Jackson Schauer three-pointer at 7:34 to close to within four at 61-57. A pair of quick layups from Moore and Johnson offered Mines a brief moment of respite before the Eagles went back on the attack by scoring the next seven to make it 65-64 with 3:25 to go. This time Romack was the stone that broke the wave as he scored four of the next six points in the game to keep Mines in front 69-66 with 2:37 to go. With the home crowd sensing an upset in the making, the pressure was on both teams in the final minutes. Minter converted a pair of key free throws ahead of a layup by Randolph, while Johnson reversed a layup from Kasen Lehman before a Blessing Adesipe three-pointer made it 73-71 with 1:21 to go. A 1-2 trip to the free throw line by Zach Smith made it a one-point game in the final minute before a loose ball foul in the scramble for the rebound off a miss by Randolph sent Smith right back to the line. Trailing by one with 1.9 seconds left and shooting the 1-and-1, Smith needed both shots to give the Eagles a shot at the tie or the win, but instead left the first one short as Romack hauled in the miss before being fouled. The Hoosier went 1-2 from the line the other way with 0.9 seconds left as the desperation heave off the miss was no good as Mines held on for the 74-72 win.
 
NOTABLES
-Moore led four in double figures with 16 points on 6-11 shooting and recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 rebounds
-Romack recorded his 17th double-double of the year with 13 points on 4-8 shooting and 5-6 from the line with 10 rebounds as well while adding three blocks
-Minter went for 12 on 4-5 shooting including 2-2 from three and the free throw line while just missing a double-double with nine rebounds
-Henton finished with 10 thanks to 3-5 shooting from long range with three assists and a blocked shot
-Jacob chipped in eight off the bench on 3-6 shooting including a pair of three-pointers while adding a block and a steal
-The Orediggers finished +17 in rebounding margin at 44-17 and totaled five blocks in the game
-Mines has now won 34 in a row against the Eagles dating back to January 24, 2008 and improves to 51-44 all-time and 23-29 on the road
 
UP NEXT
Mines closes the regular season with three of four at home starting with two games this week against UCCS on Thursday February 19 and against CSU Pueblo on Saturday February 21. Thursday night's game is the annual Rock The Lock Night while Saturday will celebrate Mines basketball alumni weekend.

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.