MOORHEAD, Minn. – South Dakota Mines Men's Basketball fell to both Augustana and (RV) Minnesota State Moorhead over the weekend at the East-West Shootout.
Game 1: Hardrockers vs. Augustana, 74-91 L
In their first matchup of the East-West Shootout, South Dakota Mines lost to Augustana 74-91 at Nemzek Fieldhouse.
The Vikings outscored the Hardrockers 37-28 in the first half.
Ryan Sweeney started his historic day with a three-pointer in the first minute. Augustana started the game with a 14-3 run until Sweeney hit back-to-back three-pointers.
Darren Wallace hit one later to make the score 12-16.
Gray Thompson made it 19-25 with a three-pointer, but the Vikings responded with one back. Sweeney put up two straight buckets, followed by another Thompson three-pointer later in the half. The Vikings went into halftime with a 37-28 lead.
Augustana won 91-74 after they outscored South Dakota Mines 54-46 in the second half. The Vikings went out to a 21-point lead in the first four minutes of the half. That lead turned into a 30-point lead with 12:20 left. The Vikings held a lead the rest of the way as they won 91-74 over the Hardrockers.
Sweeney totaled 32 points for the Hardrockers on 11-for-14 shooting and 6-for-7 three-point shooting. He also added five rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Jason Lee recorded seven points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.
Gray Thompson had nine points after he was 3-for-7 from three-point range.
South Dakota Mines was 38.2% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc. They had 16 points in the paint and 16 bench points.
Game 2: Hardrockers vs. (RV) Minnesota State Moorhead, 80-86 L
South Dakota Mines battled with (RV) Minnesota State Moorhead but fell to the Dragons 80-86 to close out the East-West Shootout.
The Dragons outscored the Hardrockers 43-37 in the first half. Wallace started out the contest with a three-pointer. Sweeney recorded five straight points to give the Hardrockers an 8-4 lead early. A 13-5 Dragons run gave them a four-point lead midway through the half.
After that run,
Abel Hutchinson hit a three-pointer, Sweeney landed a jumper and Thompson's three made it 21-17 for the Hardrockers. After Wallace hit another three-point shot, the Dragons recorded a 14-2 run to go up by nine points. They held a six-point lead going into halftime.
Both teams scored 43 points to give MSU Moorhead an 86-80 victory over South Dakota Mines. A Thompson three-pointer tied the score and a Hutchinson three gave the Hardrockers a 51-50 lead. That capped off four straight three-pointers made for South Dakota Mines.
Later in the half, the Dragons went on an 8-0 run to make the score 68-57. Hutchinson got the Hardrockers back within two points until a Dragons three-pointer with 3:18 left. MSU Moorhead closed out the game at the free throw line as they won 86-80.
Thompson led the team with 23 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. He went 5-for-9 from the three-point line. Sweeney recorded 17 points, three rebounds and three assists. Wallace drained five three-pointers and Lee totaled 13 points, nine assists and two steals.
South Dakota Mines shot 48.1% from the field and 51.9% from deep with 14 made three-pointers. The Hardrockers put up 21 points off turnovers and 20 points in the paint.
What's Next
South Dakota Mines will stay on the road next weekend as they travel to UMary to play in the Dakota Challenge. They will face UMary on Nov. 28 at 5 p.m. CT, followed by Minot State on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT. The Hardrockers return home on Dec. 2 to face Black Hills State.
