SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH – On Friday night, the Hardrockers battled with Westminster at Brehnken Field House.
The Hardrockers grew double-digit leads in each half with the second half lead sticking as the Hardrockers took a one-point lead with 14:24 to play and never gave it up, eventually getting a comfortable 9-point victory, 84-75.
With the win, the Hardrockers moved to 7-9 overall and 5-5 in the RMAC.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Alejandro Rama got off to a fast start, scoring 7 of the first 10 points for the Hardrockers as South Dakota mines got out to an early lead, but the teams would battle. A steal and stuff by Rama gave the 'Rockers and early 16-9 advantage. Moments later, the Hardrockers would go on an 8-0 run, jump started by Abel Hutchinson and then a three-pointer from Cameron Cohn gave SDM a 22-12 advantage. Westminster would fight back for the remainder of the first half, taking a 38-35 lead.
In the first several minutes, the Hardrockers would get the lead back and expand it to 7, 64-57. Two free threes by Cohn expanded the lead to 8 with under 5-minutes to play and in the closing moments, Keagen Smith connected on a layup to give South Dakota Mines an 11-point lead, before closing the game with an 84-75 victory.
NOTES
Alejandro Rama, Cameron Cohn, Kolton Frugoli and Keagen Smith were big factors on the offensive end, scoring 21, 20, 19 and 16 points…Those four shot a combined 26-47 (55.3%)…Overall, as a team the Hardrockers shot 55.6% and 45.8% from three-point range…Rama also led the team with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
UP NEXT
The Hardrockers are back at it tomorrow night for a matchup with #8/#14 Colorado Mesa for a 7:30 p.m. matchup.
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.
