RAPID CITY, S.D. --- South Dakota Mines played well for a large part of the game, however, New Mexico Highlands got hot in the second half, and the Hardrockers weren't able to answer.
Early in the first half, the two teams were going toe-to-toe with the Hardrockers getting the early 9-5 edge, but New Mexico Highlands would score 6-in-a-row going into the media timeout, up 11-9. With the game tied at 14, the Hardrockers would score 5 unanswered, before a Cowboy answer. An
Alejandro Rama three would give him 7 points early, and expand the Harder lead to 22-16. Rama would continue to play well, hitting two more treys, giving the Hardrockers a 30-17 lead. Heading into the media time out with just over 7-minutes to play, the Hardrockers led 30-21. Sammy Barnes-Thompkins would continue his good first half, cutting the Hardrocker lead to single-digits. A technical foul would be called on Marcus Brown after a dunk, giving
Kolton Frugoli the chance at free throws, hitting 1. At that point, South Dakota Mines led 35-26. Later, another Barnes-Thompkins three cut the Hardrocker lead to 35-31. Going into the locker rooms for halftime, the Hardrockers led 39-33.
Early in the second half, New Mexico Highlands had some momentum, cutting the Hardrocker lead to 2, 41-39. South Dakota Mines would immediately grab the momentum back, taking a 48-39 lead into the media timeout. The Cowboys would fight back to within 5, then a Frugoli three-point play would stretch the lead once again, to 9 this time. The Hardrockers would continue to hold that lead. With 8:05 to go
Keagen Smith would convert an and-1, expanding the Hardrocker lead to 10, 67-57. New Mexico Highlands would fight all the way back, tying it up at 69. Marcus Brown would give the Cowboys a brief, 70-69 lead before a Walter three. The two teams would go back and forth over the next few minutes, but Barnes-Thompkins would hit back-to-back Cowboy three's giving them a 76-74 lead. A pair of Mario Archuleta threes would give New Mexico Highlands an 84-79. New Mexico Highlands would continue to hit three's and the Hardrockers were not able to answer, falling 81-71.
An interview with Head Coach
Eric Glenn is posted below.
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 14 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.
