RAPID CITY, S.D. – On Saturday night, the South Dakota Mines men's basketball took on the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in a crucial matchup between the currently seeded #8 Hardrockers and #9 Mountain Lions with the eight spot being the final RMAC playoff qualification spot.
It was an important contest for both teams in the playoff race and the teams played like it. The game was a battle from minute one to minute 40, but the Hardrockers emerged with a crucial victory, moving to 8-10 in conference play and 10-14 overall. With the head-to-head victory, South Dakota Mines now holds a 1.5 game advantage over UCCS as the nine seed as the Mountain Lions are now 11-14 (7-12).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Early on in the first half, UCCS was hitting their shots, getting back-to-back three's and a steal and score to get out to an 8-2 advantage, but the two teams would stay close with UCCS holding a slight edge, 25-22 at the under-8 media timeout.
Back-to-back layups from Kolton Frugoli and Ethan Bruns would briefly give the Hardrockers a lead only to be answered by Shareef Jaudon three for UCCS.
Later, Cameron Cohn would knock down two straight threes' then a pair of free throws to give the Hardrockers a two-point lead and SDM maintained a narrow, 2-39 lead at halftime.
Early in the second half, Cameron Cohn continued to hit shots, nailing an early three to give the 'Rockers a five point lead.
Later, with the game tied, Keagen Smith came up big with a three to break a tie at the 12-minute media timeout. With just over eight minutes to play, UCCS would retake the lead, 65-63 on a Xavier Martinez three. An 8-1 Hardrocker run would follow, putting SDM up 71-66 with just over five minutes to play.
Up five, Frugoli would convert on an and-1 to stretch the lead to 76-68 with 4:33 remaining. Frugoli would continue to be clutch down the stretch, hitting another couple of buckets to help seal the win for the Hardrockers, 83-79.
NOTES
Cameron Cohn led the team, scoring 23 points…Kolton Frugoli was huge especially in the second half on his way to a total of 18 points and eight rebounds on 8-12 shooting…Keagen Smith added 14 points and six rebounds, while Rama scored 11 points, adding seven rebounds and four assists.
UP NEXT
Next weekend, the Hardrockers are on the road, taking on Adams State and Fort Lewis.
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.
