RAPID CITY, S.D. – This weekend, the South Dakota Mines men's basketball team hosts one game as they look to get in the win column.
On Friday, the Hardrockers host CSU Pueblo at the King Center in a game scheduled for a 7:30 tip.
GAME INFORMATION
CSU Pueblo
Date/Time: Jan. 26 / 7:30 PM MT
Site: Rapid City, S.D.
Arena: King Center
Series Overall: South Dakota Mines leads 8-4.
Streak: South Dakota Mines Won 1
Series at South Dakota Mines: South Dakota Mines leads 5-0.
Streak at South Dakota Mines: South Dakota Mines Won 5
Last Meeting: South Dakota Mines Won in Pueblo, 101-99 in overtime (12/2023).
Watch Live: RMAC Network | www.rmacnetwork.com/sdmines/
COHN COMES THROUGH
Cameron Cohn continues to play well in his first season as a Hardrocker. He leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.9 points per game on the season. That is the third best mark in the RMAC. Cohn is leading the conference in free throws made, hitting 95 so far this season.
MOVIN' ON UP
Alejandro Rama continues to move up the South Dakota Mines scoring leaderboard. Currently, his 1,327 points rank 13th in school history, just 13 points shy of 2023 hall of fame inductee Steve Wilcox.
STRONG SHOOTERS
South Dakota Mines has several players shooting at a high level from inside and outside the arc. Unbelievable, the Hardrockers have three guards shooting the exact same field goal percentage (42.5) in Alejandro Rama, Cameron Cohn and Kolton Frugoli. Keagen Smith leads the team, hitting 49.6% of his shots and 41.9% from deep. Frugoli hits 39.4% from three, while Cohn hits over 36%
TWO-WAY PLAYER
Alejandro Rama is averaging 18 points a game to sit in fourth in the RMAC, but is also making a difference in other areas. He averages 4.7 rebounds per game to sit in second on the team, is 8th in the RMAC in blocks per game and is tied for second in steals, averaging 2.1 per game.
BEYOND THE ARC
As a team, the Hardrockers are strong from behind the three-point arc on both sides of the floor, coming in fourth in the RMAC in opponent three-point percentage (30.7%) and third in makes, hitting 8.9 per game.
HANDLING THE ROCK
South Dakota Mines takes great care of the ball, turning it over just 10.8 times per game to lead the RMAC and come in the top-40 in NCAA Division II. In turnover margin, the Hardrockers sport a number of +2.65, second in the league.
LAST TIME THEY MET
Earlier this season, the two teams met in what was a battle. In a game that eventually took an Alejandro Rama buzzer beater in overtime, the Hardrockers were victorious 101-99. Cameron Cohn scored 33 in that one, while Rama added 25. Keagen Smith chipped in a double-double, scoring 12 and grabbing 10 boards.
SCOUTING CSU PUEBLO
CSU Pueblo is matching South Dakota Mines 5-6 RMAC record but sports a 9-8 record overall.
A familiar name for Hardrocker fans is Brevin Walter. Walter is doing the same things he did in a South Dakota Mines uniform and that's score at a high level. He is fifth in the RMAC in scoring, averaging 17.7 per game. Makiah Morris averages 15.2 points per game and 7 rebounds a game.
LOOKING AHEAD
Next week, the Hardrockers host a rare Wednesday night RMAC contest as rival, Black Hills State comes to visit. Following that contest, Chadron State is on deck for an away matchup on Saturday, February 3.
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
South Dakota Mines 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.
