RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines men's basketball team finished off their home schedule for the calendar year 2023 by taking on MSU Denver on Saturday night.
In an offensive showdown and withgreat games from both
Alejandro Rama and
Cameron Cohn the Hardrockers would battle with the #18 Roadrunners but ultimately fell by eight.
How It Happened
Early in the first half, MSU Denver was able to get out an 8-4 lead thanks to some strong play on both sides of the ball. The two teams would battle back and forth with the Hardrockers' offense picking up its game and going into the next media at 18-17. MSU Denver would score 7 of the next 8 points, however, taking a 24-19 lead, until
Cameron Cohn converted an old-school three-point play, cutting the deficit to two points with 9:15 to play. Another Cohn and-1 followed a jumper from
Alejandro Rama, tying the game up at 27 with 7:13 to play. The two offenses would continue to score and answer each other. With 5:28 to play in the first half, the two were locked up at 32. A Rama jumper would give the Hardrockers the 34-32 advantage. A 5-0 run would expand the Hardrockers' advantage to 42-38. Late in the half, MSU Denver was whistled for a flagrant 2 foul, leading to the ejection of KJ Garrett. Going into the half, the Hardrockers maintain a 46-44 lead. The Hardrockers were led by Rama in the first half, scoring 17 and adding six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Cohn added 14.
Early in the second half, MSU Denver would gather some momentum, taking a six-point lead, 55-49 into the first media timeout at 15:39. A 6-0 run would follow, in favor of the Hardrockers and would knot the teams up at 59. Rama would continue to stay hot, hitting a three to give him 24 and push the Hardrockers in front, 62-61. Brayden Maldonado would not be outdone though, immediately following with five unanswered. The MSU Denver offense would continue to hit shots, taking a 77-68 lead, their biggest of the game with just under nine minutes to play. Cohn would continue to hit shots, nailing back-to-back threes, giving him 31 for the game. That would be followed by a Frugoli three cutting the deficit to 4, 85-81. Later, a
Kolton Frugoli three-point play tied the game at 87 with 2:02 remaining. MSU Denver would take an 89-87 lead. A Hardrocker turnover would lead to a Mario Lacy Jr. dunk and MSU Denver would leave with a 95-87 lead.
Notes
Cameron Cohn paced the Hardrockers with a career-high 32 points on 8-15 shooting and 12-15 from the free throw line…
Alejandro Rama scored 26 on 8-17 and 7-8 from the free throw line…Rama added six rebounds, three blocks and four steals…
Kolton Frugoli added 17 points…As a team, the Hardrockers shot 43.6%, but were outshot by the Roadrunners who hit 52.4% of their shots from the field…The Hardrockers were outrebounded 34-19.
Up Next
The Hardrockers close their 2023 with a pair of road games next weekend as they take on CSU Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands.
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.
