RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota Mines men's basketball team finished their home opening weekend with a matchup against Texas A&M International.
Unlike Friday's matchup, which was a low-scoring defensive battle, this one was higher-scoring with good shooting, especially from the Hardrockers who emerged victorious.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Hardrockers got out to an early lead, expanding it to 11-5 after a steal and dunk in transition by
Alejandro Rama who had a big game. Later, Rama would hit a three, expanding the lead to 9, 18-9, The Hardrockers would continue to shoot it well and expand on that lead, going up 39-15 after a
Cameron Cohn three, eventually going into the half with a 41-28 lead.
South Dakota Mines would not ease up any early in the second half, scoring seven of the first nine points, expanding the lead to 18. A jumper by Rama followed by a Cohn three and another Rama three would give SDM a 60-38 advantage with just under 14 minutes to play. Back-to-back baskets by
Keagen Smith later gave them a 26-point lead. Texas A&M International would fight back, cutting the Hardrockers' advantage to 16, 71-55, but that would be the closest it would get. The lead would grow back to 20, prior to wholesale substitutions, and eventually would end with the Hardrockers getting an 84-66 win.
NOTES
Four players scored in double digits for the Hardrockers with
Alejandro Rama leading the way with 31 points followed by
Kolton Frugoli and
Cameron Cohn with 14 and
Guido Wanschelbaum scoring 13 in his first start…Rama added 7 rebounds, 7 steals, 4 assists, and 2 blocks…Cohn added 6 rebounds and 3 assists…As a team, the Hardrockers shot 53.2% and 43.5% from three.
UP NEXT
The Hardrockers will be back on the court next weekend, hosting MSU Moorhead and Augustana in the East/West challenge.
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 13 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.
