RAPID CITY, S.D.--- The Hardrocker Men's Basketball team hits the road this weekend as they play in New Mexico and Colorado. The first game is set for Friday February 8^th at 7pm in Las Vegas, NM as the Hardrockers take on New Mexico Highlands University for the second time in two weeks.

The Cowboys are tied with Black Hills State for third place in the RMAC while South Dakota Mines sits just a game out of the playoff race at 7-8 with seven games to go - and there are eight teams between third place at 10-5 and ninth place at 7-9 (there are also two teams at 6-9 just two games out).

The Top 8 teams make the RMAC Post-Season Tournament with the Top 4 hosting in the opening round - and the top seed still alive hosting the semifinals and finals. Colorado School of Mines leads the conference at 15-0 while Regis is in second at 12-3.

The Cowboys, ranked 10th in the latest regional poll, split a pair of home games last week, defeating UCCS (119-86) before falling at the end to 16th-ranked Colorado School of Mines, 81-78, on Saturday.

In the win over UCCS, the Cowboys drained a season-best 20 3-pointers while tying a season-high in points. Jordan Jones led six Cowboys in double figures with 29 points. In the loss to the Orediggers - a team that has won 17 straight - NMHU led by as much as 17 points in the first half and led for more than 30 minutes of the contest, but Mines took a seven-point lead with less than three minutes remaining before the Cowboys stormed back to take a 76-75 lead with 1:35 remaining. The teams traded baskets from there before the Orediggers drained a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left and the Cowboys were unable to answer. 

It was just two weeks ago the Cowboys played South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State on the road with NMHU falling to the Yellow Jackets 81-70 (a game the Cowboys led by 18 points at one point in the first half) and narrowly defeating thee Hardrockers, 73-70 (Gerad Davis led NMHU with 21 points).

The Cowboys continue to lead the conference in scoring at 87.5 points per game (18th in the nation) as well as turnover margin at +6.57 (second in the nation). Davis (20.0) and Raquan Mitchell (19.1) are second and third in the RMAC in scoring with Mitchell leading the conference and 14th in the country in 3-pointers made per game at 3.3. Nnamdi Okoro continues to lead the conference in rebounding at 7.9 boards per contest.
 
 
The Hardrockers will be in Pueblo, Colorado on Saturday to take on the Thunderwolves. Tip-off is set for 7:30pm.

CSU Pueblo has an overall record of 6-15 and a conference record of 4-11. CSU Pueblo has won one of their last five games. That one win came in their most recent game against UCCS (86-78).

Donovan Oldham continues to lead the Wolf Pack in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game, and leads the team in rebounds with 99. Jason Anderson, the RMAC's All-Academic Player of the Year, comes in just behind Oldham, averaging 10.5 points per game and has 96 rebounds on the year.

The Hardrockers swept a pair of home games last weekend, edging MSU Denver, 70-67, on Friday thanks to 22 points from Mitchell Sueker and a buzzer beating three-point goal from Troy Brady in overtime --- and then defeating Chadron State, 80-59, on Saturday while getting 32 points from Sueker (he was named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week).

South Dakota Mines has been paced by their defense as they're second in the RMAC in points allowed per game at 69.7 and third in field goal percentage defense at 43.3 percent.

After his big week, Sueker increased his scoring average to a team-best 13.7 points per game while also averaging 5.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Logan Elers is at 11.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.