RAPID CITY, S.D. – On Friday evening with a playoff berth in their grasps, the South Dakota Mines' men's basketball team took on nearby rivals, Chadron State.
With a win, the Hardrockers would clinch a playoff spot, but with a loss, Chadron State would move into the seven seed and the Hardrockers down to the eight.
Unfortunately for the Hardrockers, despite a milestone from Alejandro Rama as he surpassed 1,500 career points, a 13-0 Chadron State run late in the game guided them to the win, moving South Dakota Mines down to the eight spot in the RMAC playoffs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Early on in the first half, the referees were letting the two teams play which slightly benefited Chadron State as they took a 9-6 lead into the first media.
Rama would convert on an and-1 to surpass 1,500 career points and give the Hardrockers a 19-13 advantage, but Chadron State would battle back, tying it at 23 with 3:11 to play.
The offense would begin to pick up for the remainder of the half, but South Dakota Mines led 32-30 at half after a buzzer beater by Kolton Frugoli.
In the second half, the Hardrockers got out to a five-point lead after a Rama layup, headed into a media at 14:05 remaining.
Later in the second half, Chadron State embarked on a 13-0 run to take a 63-54 lead with 3:16 to play.
South Dakota Mines would attempt a comeback, but it would be for naught as Chadron State picked up the 69-63 victory.
NOTES
Kolton Frugoli, Cameron Cohn and Alejandro Rama led with 16 points…Frugoli picked up a double-double, adding 10 rebounds and led the team in assists with three, also adding three steals…As a team, the Hardrockers shot 42.4%, outshooting the Eagles who hit 40.8%...Chadron State outrebounded the 'Rockers 42-30.
UP NEXT
The Hardrockers finish their regular season up with a matchup tomorrow afternoon with CCU, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The Hardrockers will honor six seniors.
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.
