Sueker, meanwhile, is establishing himself as the go-to scorer for the Hardrocker men in just his first season, as he finished with a career-high 32 points, 18 in the first half

"We just play really well together," Sueker said. "I think our guys just love playing for each other and getting excited when somebody else makes a good play. That makes it really easy to play well."

The Hardrockers followed up Friday night's thrilling 70-67 overtime win over MSU-Denver, with not only a solid performance against Chadron State, but a hot start.

"That just shows the character of our guys," Mines coach Eric Glenn said. "They never cease to amaze me in the way that they can step up. This whole season has been like that for them, from the beginning."

Glenn also said it's a fact that the Hardrockers continue to improve.

"Our team gets better, whether it is from game-to-game, or practice-to-practice," he said. "At this time of the year that is huge, because at this time of the year, it is tough to get better."

Sueker scored 12 of the team's first 20 points in that opening run, and then scored six of eight after the Eagles had cut the lead to four six minutes into the second half.

The 6-foot-8 guard/forward's previous career high was 23 points earlier in the season and he was coming off a 22-point effort Friday night against MSU-Denver.

"The guys are having confidence in me allows me to step up and make plays," he said. "I thank my teammates for getting me in good positions to score."

Glenn said that Sueker's improvement on the court is not just on the offensive end, but on the boards and on defense.

"He is just a freshman, and you are just going to see things like this happen. Where his potential is, I have no idea, because he is so talented," Glenn said. "He is also doing some other things pretty darn well, other than his scoring. He was a monster on the boards both nights, and his defense has come along leaps and bounds over the last couple of weeks. He is starting to become a complete player, and that just helps his offense now."

The Hardrockers did just about everything well Saturday, shooting 53 percent from the field (28-of-53), hitting 86 percent from the free-throw line (19-of-22) and out-rebounding the Eagles 35-28. Mines also finished with 17 assists and nine turnovers.

Logan Elers finished with 16 points, four rebounds and five assists for the Rockers, who had now won three of their last four in the league and are in ninth place in the standings (the top eight advance to postseason tourney).

"Our goal every year is to make the conference playoffs. We're just trying to piece as many wins that we can to make that goal happen," Sueker said.

Jeremy Ruffin led Chadron State, 8-7 in the RMAC and 10-11 overall, with 19 points. Michael Sparks scored 12 and Jacob Jefferson added 10.

Mines is at New Mexico Highlands and CSU-Pueblo next weekend, while Chadron State is at Colorado Mines and Colorado-Colorado Springs.