RAPID CITY, S.D. – The South Dakota Mines men's basketball team took on the Westminster Griffins on Saturday afternoon, looking to win their second straight contest.
The Hardrockers played great defense all night, along with some clutch shots on their way to pick up their second straight victory and third in RMAC play, 64-53.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The men's team got off to a quick start in the first half thanks to strong play from
Tre Dowdell,
Abel Hutchinson,
Guido Wanschelbaum, and
Keagen Smith, among others, going up 19-10 with just over 10 minutes to play.
Immediately following that stretch, the Griffins scored 10 unanswered, going up 20-19 with 8:51 to go in the first half.
Guido Wanschelbaum would go to work, scoring on back-to-back nifty post moves, giving the ''Rockers the lead back at 23-20.
From there, the two teams went cold offensively, with the Hardrockers maintaining a slight lead at 27-24 with 2:37 to play in the first half.
A Dowdell three would take the lid off and expand the Hardrockers'Hardrockers' lead to 30-24 just before the half and led 30-27 at the half.
Westminster started the second half with a 7-0 run, giving them a 34-30 lead.
For the next several minutes, Westminster had a lead, and the Hardrockers were chasing it until a
Mac Terry three with nine minutes to play tied it at 48.
Later, Smith hit a big three off dribble penetration and a find from
Abel Hutchinson, giving the Hardrockers the lead with 3:50 to play at 53-51.
With 1:36 to play, Wanschelbaum scored in the post, expanding the lead to 59-51.
A couple of possessions later, Smith found Dowdell for a back-breaking three, giving the Hardrockers a 62-53 lead with 59 seconds to play.
Two made free throws from Wanschelbaum sealed the game. With just over 30 seconds to play, the Hardrockers took a 64-53 lead and would go on to win 64-53.
NOTES
Tre Dowdell led the team with 23 points on 5-11 shooting and 10-11 from the free throw line…
Guido Wanschelbaum was outstanding on the defensive end and scored 12 points on seven rebounds, recording two blocks and two steals…
Keagen Smith added eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
UP NEXT
Up next for the men is a matchup with Chadron State at the King Center on Tuesday night.
You can find the latest on South Dakota Mines men's basketball all year long on X and Instagram (@hardrockermbb), and you can also follow on Facebook at Hardrocker Men's Basketball. The latest on South Dakota Mines athletics can be found by following us on X at @GoHardrockers.
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.
