RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines men's basketball team is hosting two games this week as they look to get back on track.
On Thursday, they are set to clash with Western Colorado, while Saturday's matchup is with Westminster.
GAME INFORMATION
Western Colorado
Date/Time: Jan. 23 / 7:30 p.m.
Site: Rapid City, S.D.
Arena: King Center
Series Overall: Western Colorado leads 7-5.
Streak: South Dakota Mines Won 1
Series at South Dakota Mines: South Dakota Mines leads 3-2.
Streak at South Dakota Mines: South Dakota Mines Won 1
Watch Live: RMAC Network
Tickets: Ticket Central
Westminster
Date/Time: Jan. 25 / 3:00 p.m.
Site: Rapid City, S.D.
Arena: King Center
Series Overall: Tied 5-5.
Streak: South Dakota Mines Won 2
Series at South Dakota Mines: South Dakota Mines leads 3-2.
Streak at South Dakota Mines: South Dakota Mines Won 1
Watch Live: RMAC Network
Tickets: Ticket Central
DISCIPLINED BASKETBALL
South Dakota Mines plays with discipline, especially when it comes to fouling and taking care of the ball.
Regarding fouling, SDM averages 15.5 fouls per game, fourth in the RMAC.
Another crucial area of the game in which the Hardrockers excel is turnovers. Despite a weekend where they turned the ball over often, on the season, the Hardrockers average just 11.7 turnovers per game, third in the RMAC.
STRONG FROM BEYOND THE ARC
In conference play, the Hardrockers are one of the league's top three-point shooting and defending teams.
SDM hits 32.5% of their threes, fourth in the RMAC, while they allow opponents to hit just 28.7% of their attempts, second-best in the league.
SMITH FINDING FORM
Keagen Smith has been hovering just above double digits for most of the season thus far but has been a double-digit machine of late and scored a season-high against Fort Lewis.
Having scored 10+ points in nine of his last ten games, Smith scored 20 against Fort Lewis on 7-13 shooting before tallying a double-double against Adams State, grabbing 11 rebounds.
DEFENSE FIRST
South Dakota Mines has been strong on the defensive end all season, allowing 70.4 points per game, the fourth-best in the RMAC.
TRE TURNING IT UP
Freshman
Tre Dowdell has continued to improve throughout the season, and that was evident in his 19-point performance in the game against Adams State.
After the most recent contest, Dowdell scored in double figures in four of the past five games.
SCOUTING WESTERN COLORADO
Western Colorado is one of the teams in the glut of the middle of the RMAC, one of seven teams with 3-5 or 4-4 records in the RMAC; the Mountaineers are 6-9 overall and 4-4 in league play.
One of the Mountaineers' strengths is at the three-point line. They are fourth in the RMAC in three-point defense, allowing opponents to hit 33.5%, while they are fifth in three-pointers made per game, averaging 8.5 per contest.
Kade Juelfs and Amar Rivers are their leading scorers, averaging 12.9 points and 11 points per game.
Juelfs is their top three-point threat, hitting 41.6% from there on 2.64 makes per game.
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
Westminster is also among the mix of 3-5 and 4-4 teams, with a 3-5 RMAC record and 9-7 overall record.
The Griffins are strong in several categories, including assist/turnover ratio (third RMAC), assists per game (second RMAC), effective field goal percentage (third RMAC), and field goal percentage (first RMAC).
Parker Christensen is one of the top playmakers in the league. He is third in assists and has a 1.68 assists-to-turnover ratio.
Chase Potter and SImom Akena are two of the better scorers in the league as they put up points (16.3 and 15.6) per game and do it efficiently at 511% and 50.3% from the field.
LOOKING AHEAD
Regional rivals are up next for the Hardrockers. Chadron State is scheduled for a King Center visit on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at 5:30 before the Hardrockers head up the road to take on Black Hills State on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 5:00.
You can find the latest on South Dakota Mines women's basketball all year long on X and Instagram (@hardrockerwbb), and you can also follow on Facebook at Hardrocker Women'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 and four associate members located in California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.
MEDIA CONTACT
Josh Van Valkenburg-Gernert
Assistant Athletic Director
Athletic Communications
605-394-2355
