RAPID CITY, S.D. – On Friday evening, the South Dakota Mines men's basketball team played their lone game of the week, taking on Western Colorado at the King Center.
It was a battle throughout much of the contest until the Hardrockers were able to kick it into high gear in the second half and pull away with a double-digit, 81-66 win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
South Dakota Mines got off to a fast start in the first half, taking leads of 8-2, 10-4 and 15-7, but Western Colorado would bounce back with a 7-point spurt, tying the game at 15. For much of the remainder of the half it was a back-and-forth battle with the Mountaineers maintaining small leads, until Cameron Cohn scored four late points along with a jumper from Alejandro Rama tied the game at 35 going into the second half. Those two players and Keagen Smith were in double figures at the half.
Early in the second, it was more of the same with the two teams battling back and forth. The game was locked at 42 just five minutes into the second half and that when the Hardrockers would start taking control of the game. Smith hit a three, followed by an Abel Hutchinson finish in the post area to extend the lead to 7, 53-46. Western Colorado would cut the deficit back to 1, 58-58 after a Jamel Hollins jumper but then South Dakota Mines slammed the door shut, going on a 12-0 run and take a 70-57 advantage that they would never give up, winning 81-66.
NOTES
Cameron Cohn scored 26 points, while Keagen Smith added a season-high 20…Alejandro Rama was not too far behind, scoring 17, adding 3 steals……Cohn led in rebound with 9, while Rama and Walsh tied for the team lead with three assists…South Dakota Mines shot 44.8% for the game and 41.7% from three-point range but in the second half shot 51.9% and 54.5%...The Hardrockers had the rebounding edge, 30-23 and also hit 19-21 of their free throws.
UP NEXT
South Dakota Mines hits the road next weekend, heading to Salt Lake City and Grand Junction for matchups with Westminster and Colorado Mesa on Friday and Saturday.
Fans can find the latest on South Dakota Mines men's basketball all year long on X and Instagram (@hardrockermbb), while also following on Facebook at South Dakota Mines Men's Basketball. The latest on South Dakota Mines athletics can be found by following us on X at @GoHardrockers, hardrockerathletics on Instagram and Hardrocker Athletics on Facebook.
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.
