COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. --- On Saturday night, the men's basketball team took on UCCS in hopes of picking up an important weekend sweep. In a game that was close for most of it, the Hardrockers were able to make some plays late, aided by a technical, and hit their free throws late to seal it.
How it Happened – In the first half, the two teams would battle back and forth with South Dakota Mines having the edge at halftime after a big first half from
Kolton Frugoli who scored 13. In the first half, the Hardrockers shot 6-11 from three and led by one, 32-31 at the half.
In the second half, the two teams battled back and forth with the Hardrockers finally getting some separation at 57-50, but a three from Jon'il Fugett would cut the lead back to three in favor of South Dakota Mines with 8:28 to play. Following that, Beni Fungula would be ejected from the game for a flagrant foul, with
Brevin Walter hitting both free throws.
Alejandro Rama would hit a turnaround jumper, giving the Hardrockers a four-point possession and an 8-point advantage. Later, the lead would grow to 67-58 on a Frugoli three. Another big three would be hit by
Keagen Smith, pushing the lead to 10, 70-60. UCCS would begin to foul, trailing 70-63 with just over a minute remaining, but the Hardrockers are a great free-throw shooting team and that would continue as they hit 8-8 down the stretch and prevailed, 78-67.
Notes – The Hardrocker offensive attack was balanced with four players reaching double figures (Frugoli – 21, Rama – 17, Mortensen – 14, Smith – 12)…Rama recorded his first double of the season, grabbing 10 rebounds…Mortensen and
Brannagh Walsh recorded 3 assists.
Up Next – The Hardrockers are back home at the King Center next weekend for their final home games of the season. On Friday they take on Adams State and Saturday meet up with Fort Lewis for senior 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 11 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.
