RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota School of Mines men's basketball team put forth a very competitive effort Saturday evening during a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference rematch against the New Mexico Highlands Cowboys at the King Center in Rapid City, but couldn't seal the deal on a last second shot.

Down by three with one second left in the game, senior Konor Kulas threw an inbounds pass to the other end of the court where fellow senior Marco Pascolo caught it at the top of the key, turned and launched a three-point attempt that rattled off the iron.

New Mexico Highlands escaped with an 80-77 victory. The win was payback to the Hardrockers for defeating the Cowboys last week in Las Vegas, N.M. (81-66).
SD Mines fell behind early in Saturday's outing and trailed by 13 points midway through the first quarter. The Hardrockers were able to regroup and by halftime had chipped the Cowboys' lead down to four, 38-34.

The second half was a back and forth battle but SD Mines took the lead late in the second half, thanks to some clutch perimeter shooting. With just over two minutes to play, SD Mines was up by five, 77-72, but the Cowboys were able to regroup and retake the lead to set up the dramatic ending, on a 8-0 run.

"They played with a lot of energy and took it to us tonight," said Hardrocker men's basketball head coach Jason Henry. "They got all the loose balls and just wanted it more than us. We didn't have that energy that you need to win at home."

The Hardrocker finished the game shooting 54 percent, hitting 30-56 attempts including 11 from behind the arc and were 6-12 from the free throw line. SD Mines came down with 28 rebounds, had 24 assists, five steals and two blocks.

The Cowboys ended the game shooting 51 percent from the field, going 30-59 with nine three-pointers and were 11-20 from the foul line. NMHU recorded 30 rebounds, 10 assists, eight steals and one block.

Individually for SD Mines, freshman Jake Heath led the way with 18 points all coming from downtown (6-10). Senior Tyler Schoening added 11 markers and seven rebounds. Pascolo and Kulas each contributed with nine points while senior Jamall Taylor and freshman Jack Fiddler both dished in eight. Taylor also finished with six assists.

NMHU was paced by Kieran Woods with 21 points, Ron Lawton added 20 and Marlon Johnson put in 18.

"We have to do a better job of getting back on defense and compete to the end," Henry said. "It's a tough loss but we need to regroup and prepare for a competitive road trip."

The loss drops SD Mines to 9-7 on the season and 5-5 in the RMAC. Next up, the Hardrockers are back on the road, traveling to Alamosa, Colo., Friday to face Adams State and then will face Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., on Saturday.