GUNNISON, Colo. --- South Dakota Mines men's basketball faced off with Western Colorado on Saturday night in what was a tough battle in the Hardrockers first contest of 2023. The game was a battle, with both teams trading leads throughout the night, but it was Western Colorado who came out on top.
How it Happened – The Hardrocker men battled throughout the first half with the Mountaineers. The Hardrockers started with an early, 20-19 lead, but Wewstern Colorado would continue to score, taking a 41-35 lead into the locker rooms for halftime.
Early in the second half, South Dakota Mines was able to get things going with back-to-back three point possesions unanswered on a three-points shot from
Kolten Mortensen then a hoop and a harm on the next possession from
Brevin Walter who converted the free throw. Walter would hit a three, then a jumper on back-to-back possesions shortly after, giving the 'Rockers a 48-45 lead. Out of the timeout, Trase Olson picked off a pass and took it the other way for a layup, extending the lead to five. The two teams would continue to go back and forth, with Western Colorado going back up by points with 6:20 left in the game. The Hardrockers would continue to battle and trailed by two, 78-76 with under a minute to go, setting up for an electic finish. First, Western Colorado would be fouled on a three-pointer, but Robel Desta would hit just one of three. On the other end,
Kolton Frugoli would find
Kolten Mortensen for a game-tying three-pointer, only to see Kade Julefs hit a jumper with 2.3 seconds left to give the Mountaineers an 81-79 lead. The Hardrockers would have one more chance, but were unable to connect, falling 81-79
Notes – Brevin Walter led the team in scoring with 30…
Alejandro Rama and
Jaxon Lloyd joined him in double figures with 16 and 13…Lloyd grabbed a team high six rebounds.
Up Next – The Hardrockers will be back in action next weekend at home as they take on Westminster on Friday night and Colorado Mesa on Saturday night.
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.
