RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota School of Mines men's basketball team struggled shooting from the field Saturday afternoon and had trouble keeping pace with Westminster College, as the Griffins defeated the Hardrockers, 76-43, during a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matchup at the King Center in Rapid City, S.D.

The Griffins outscored the Hardrockers, 34-22, in the first half, and then turned it up a notch over the final 20 minutes, bettering the home team, 42-21, to win by 33 points.

SD Mines, a team that has been averaging over 45 percent from the field all season, was cold on Saturday, shooting just 29.1. They converted 16-55 attempts, made good on 4-20 three-pointers and were 7-12 from the free throw line. The 'Rockers came down with 28 rebounds, recorded 14 assists, two steals and had one blocked shot.

The senior heavy Westminster squad (15-2, 11-2) hit 29-60 baskets to shoot 48.3 percent from the field. The knocked down 6-13 from behind the arch and were a perfect 12-12 from the foul line. The visitors collected 42 rebounds, 14 assists, seven steals and one blocked shot.

Individually, the Hardrockers were led in scoring by sophomore Logan Elers who had 15 points, seven rebounds and one blocked shot. Freshman Troy Brady added 11 points, three assists and two rebounds.

The loss drops SD Mines to 6-12 on the season and 3-10 in the conference. Next up, the Hardrockers will head to Colorado to challenge Western State Colorado University on Friday in Gunnison, Colo., and then head to Grand Junction, Colo., on Saturday to take on Colorado Mesa.