LAS VEGAS, N.M. --- The South Dakota Mines men's basketball team finished up its 2023 schedule with a road contest at New Mexico Highlands.
In a much-different game than Friday's matchup vs. CSU Pueblo, the offenses for either team never really got going leading to a low-scoring matchup in which the Hardrockers fell.
How it Happened
Early in the first half, the two teams went back and forth, but with the teams locked at 8, New Mexico Highlands would get some space with a 10-0 run.The Cowboys would expand their lead to 28-17 on a Rodney Mason II jumper. South Dakota Mines would gain some momentum back, heading into the locker rooms, however, ending the half with a 9-2 spurt with Guido Wanschelbaum scoring three times along with a three-pointer from Guillem Garcia. At the end of the half, the Hardrockers trailed by four, 30-26.
In the second half, Kyrie Thomas hit back-to-back three-point shots for New Mexico Highlands expanding their lead back out to eight and would expand it further to 13, 43-30 with 13:20 to play. A Garcia three followed by an Ethan Bruns post score would shrink the Cowboys' advantage to 6, 45-39, but the Hardrockers were unable to sustain it, once again going down by double digits with 8:09 to play. With under five minutes to play, a Hardrocker 6-0 spurt on buckets from Cameron Cohn, Keagen Smith and free throws by Garcia cut the deficit back to 5, 58-53, but the Hardrockers were unable to get it any closer, falling 66-55.
Notes
Cameron Cohn led the Hardrockers in scoring with 18 and also chipped in eight rebounds…Keagen Smith posted a near double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds…Guillem Garcia and Guido Wanschelbaum each had one of their best games of the season, playing key roles and scoring eight and six points.
Up Next
The Hardrockers are done for the calendar year of 2023 and will be back again with RMAC contests on January 5 and January 6 against Fort Lewis and Adams State.
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.
