PUEBLO, Colo. – The South Dakota Mines men's basketball team took on CSU Pueblo in a battle on Friday night.
In a game that the Hardrockers got out to a big early lead, they had to fight to the finish, but thanks to the early play of
Cameron Cohn and late heroics from
Alejandro Rama among other key players, the men's basketball team escaped with an overtime victory.
How it Happened
South Dakota Mines started the game off hot, getting out to a 7-0 start and wouldn't relent, taking leads of 20-11 and 28-15 after a Keagen Smith three-pointer. Back-to-back three-pointers from Cameron Cohn and Brannagh Walsh would give the Hardrockers a 34-18 lead. Those two were critical in getting the lead to that point with Walsh's three giving him nine, while another Cohn three gave him 11 and expanded the lead to 19. CSU Pueblo would get two free throws from Brevin Walter, following a technical on Alejandro Rama, but SDM continued to roll. A three from Keagen Smith would beat the buzzer and give the Hardrockers a 48-32 halftime advantage.
In the second half, CSU Pueblo would begin to work their way back, cutting the lead to six but South Dakota Mines would put the pressure back and regain momentum, pushing the lead back to double digits on a three from Cohn who was phenomenal in the second half, scoring 17, giving SDM a 53-43 lead. Back-to-baskets from Rama later in the half expanded the lead back to 13, 74-61. The ThunderWolves would continue to fight, going on a 10-2 run, cutting the Hardrockers lead to five, 76-71. Up six with just over a minute to play, Cohn would hit a pair of free throws, followed by Rama hitting two. Up 5, following a turnover, CSU Pueblo would hit a three, cutting the deficit to two, 85-83 with under 30 seconds to play. After a lengthy review, the ball was in the hands of South Dakota Mines and Rama was sent to the free throw line and hit two again but the ThunderWolves got a three from Daeyon James, cutting it to a one-point deficit. Up three, Brevin Walter hit a game-tying three to send it to overtime after a missed three at the buzzer by Rama.
Early in overtime, Bryce Sherrell hit a big three to give South Dakota Mines an early lead, but the two teams would go back and forth and then Rama would take over. After scoring just 3 in the first half, he had 16 in the second half and the final six points for the Hardrockers in overtime, including a tough mid-range floater where he hung in mid-air giving the 'Rockers a two-point, 101-99 lead. CSU Pueblo couldn't find a last-second basket, making that the game-winner, and South Dakota Mines escaped with the win.
Notes
Cameron Cohn and Alejandro Rama combined for big games once again with Cohn putting up 33 and Rama scoring 25…Cohn shot 10-18 including 6-8 from three, while Rama started slow and finished strong, scoring just three first half points, but adding 16 in the second half and the final six, including the game-winner in OT, finishing 8-20…Keagen Smith had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds…Abel Hutchinson scored 10…Bryce Sherrell came up big in his first extended minutes of the season, hitting a clutch three in overtime and leading the team with five assists.
Up Next
The Hardrockers return to action Saturday evening for their final game of 2023 as they face New Mexico Highlands in Las Vegas, N.M. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. MT.
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.
