RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The Hardrocker Men's Basketball team took on MSU Billings in a post-thanksgiving night showdown.
The Hardrockers battled all night against an MSU Billings squad that's receiving votes for the top-25 and came out on top with a 76-71 win.
How it Happened – The Hardrockers came out a little slow on the offensive end in the first half, while Jalen Tot was a handful on the defensive end as he helped lead the Yellowjackets to a 37-26 lead at halftime.
When they came out of the locker room, the Hardrockers started to knock down their shots, hitting 7-13 from three in the second half, and 18-29 from the field. At first, the Yellowjackets were able to keep Mines at arms' reach, until the Hardrockers went on an 11-0 run with three triples from Trase Olson,
Jaxon Lloyd and
Kolton Frugoli. The run would tie the game at 50, then it was
Kolten Mortensen's time to take over, scoring 15 points in the final 9:45 of the game to finish with a game high 28. His 5-in-a-row on back-to-back possessions catapulted the Hardrockers to a 68-60 lead, and hit another trey with 2:14 to go, putting the Hardrockers up 7. That along with some strong play from
Brevin Walter, scoring 12 second half points to help Mines put one in the win column.
Leaders – Kolten Mortensen led the team with 28 points, on a scorching 11-13 shooting and 6-8 from deep, also adding 7 rebounds…
Kolton Frugoli and
Brevin Walter added 14 points each and led the team in rebounding and assists with the from grabbing 8 and the latter dishing 5.
Up Next – South Dakota Mines takes on rival and top-5 team in the nation on Monday, welcoming Black Hills State to the King Center for a 7:30 tip off.
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 10 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.
