Box Score RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota School of Mines men's basketball team has had a rough go of it lately as the Hardrockers are battling through the toughest part of their schedule.

The 'Rockers, who have been extremely competitive over the past six games, have been falling short in those contests as SD Mines has suffered a six-game skid, posting a 6-11 overall record and 3-9 mark in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Most recently, the Hardrockers fell to Black Hills State, 92-69, Tuesday night in Spearfish. A depleted roster, robbing the 'Rockers of its post players has taken a toll on the young squad.

Picking up the slack have been sophomore Logan Elers, freshman Troy Brady, sophomore Jake Heath and senior Brian Orr. These guys have each scored more than 150 points so far this season. Elers leads the team with 236 points and is averaging 14.0 points per game.  He shoots 56.9 percent from the field.

Brady has been a spark on the perimeter this year and has scored 199 points and is 47.0 percent from three-point range. Heath has 167 points and is 43.6 percent from beyond the arc. Orr has 163 points and is shooting 43.4 percent from the field.  

Also providing support is freshman Wilfred Dickson (47.0 percent from the field) and junior Jacob Anastasi (48.5 percent from the field).
 
Elers leads the team in rebounding.  He averages 5.6 rebounds a game for a total of 96 -- 24 offensive rebounds and 72 defensive rebounds. Elers also is credited with 28 assist, nine steals and blocked four shots.

Sophomore Jack Fiddler has pulled down 61 rebounds and provided 21 assists and leads the team with 10 steals and blocked six shots. Dickson has tallied 52 rebounds and Orr has contributed 51 rebounds.

Things don't get any easier on Saturday as SD Mines plays host to the new top dog in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference --- the Westminster College Griffins.

Senior Dayon Goodman leads the Griffins --- and the RMAC --- in scoring with 411 points, averaging 27.4 points per game.  He is fourth in the conference in field-goal and free throw percentage, and third in rebounding.
 
Goodman leads the Griffins in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots and has pulled down 121 rebounds, has 18 steals and blocked 17 shots. He is second on the team in assists with 52.
 
Quincy Bair, Sam Orchard and Tanner Newbold (all seniors) have each scored more than 100 points.  Bair has scored 148 points and averages 9.9 points per game. Orchard has 165 points and averages 11.0 points per game, and Newbold has scored 125 points and averages 8.3 points per game.

Orchard leads the team in assists with 55 and ranks second in the RMAC with a 3.4 assist/turnover ratio.
 
Westminster is second in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 42.5 percent.  Five Griffins are better than 40 percent from 3-point range.  Mason Smith is 3 of 6, Travis Devashrayee is 7 of 15, Goodman is 22 of 46, Laws is 20 of 48, Newbold is 21 of 50 and Orchard is 19 of 43.
 
The Griffins are second in the conference from the free throw line, shooting 77.7 percent.  Newbold is 91.7 percent from the charity stripe, making 22 on 24 attempts.  Goodman has gone to the line 116 times and made 101.  Orchard is 37 of 48, Bair is 37 of 48, and Mason Smith is 25 of 46.
The Hardrockers have a tall order ahead of them. Knocking down some perimeter shots and being disruptive on defense right out-of-the-gate would be beneficial for the home team.

The game will also feature the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers event, a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Basketball coaches across the country unite for a common cause – saving lives from cancer.

Coaches and their staff across the nation wear sneakers with their suits during games to raise awareness and help save lives by raising funds and encouraging people to educate themselves about cancer prevention, screening and early detection.

Saturday's tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. (MST) at Goodell Gymnasium in the King Center and the game can be view by logging onto: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sdsmt/ .