BISMARCK, N.D. – South Dakota Mines Men's Basketball went 1-1 at the Dakota Challenge, highlighted by an 84-79 win over Minot State, their first win against the Beavers since 2012.
Game 1: Hardrockers at UMary, 71-82 L
To start off the Dakota Challenge, UMary topped South Dakota Mines 82-71.
The Hardrockers outscored the Marauders 38-34 in the first half. With an early 3-7 deficit, the Hardrockers went on a 7-0 run, guided by two
Gavin Soukup three-pointers. Both teams traded points until
Fred Libby made a three-pointer to make it 17-13 with 10:03 left.
With 6:19 left in the half,
Darren Wallace hit a three-point shot to make the score 25-22. Soukup, Wallace and Libby all hit three-pointers down the stretch to give South Dakota Mines a 38-34 lead at halftime.
UMary won 82-71 after they outscored the Hardrockers 48-33 in the second half.
Jason Lee gave South Dakota Mines a 41-34 lead with an early three-pointer made. A 13-3 Marauders run gave them a 47-44 lead. Soukup tied the game with 14:59 left after another three-pointer.
The Marauders went out to a 12-point lead with 8:07 left in the game. They held that lead until the end as they won 82-71 over the Hardrockers.
Soukup recorded 22 points, four rebounds and two assists off the bench. He was 7-for-9 from the field and 7-for-8 from three-point range. Sweeney and Wallace both put up 12 points.
Gray Thompson had nine points and 10 rebounds.
Jason Lee collected five points, eight rebounds, six assists and two steals.
South Dakota Mines shot 35.9% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc. They totaled 30 bench points, 17 second chance points and 16 points in the paint.
Game 2: Hardrockers vs. Minot State, 84-79
South Dakota Mines finished the Dakota Challenge with an 84-79 win against Minot State.
In the first half, the Hardrockers outscored the Beavers 39-38. Soukup and Libby both hit three-pointers to give the Hardrockers a 16-11 lead early.
Abel Hutchinson made it 20-12 with 12:05 left in the half.
The Beavers went on a run until Lee landed a three-pointer with 7:44 left to make it a six-point game. With a 37-38 Beavers lead at the end of the half, Sweeney put up a layup to give the Hardrockers a 39-38 lead going into halftime.
South Dakota Mines won 84-79 after they outscored Minot State 45-41 in the second half. With a two-point lead with 11:19 left, the Hardrockers went on a 9-2 run to go up 65-56. Thompson landed a three-pointer to make it 70-58 with 6:49 left.
Hutchinson's layup with 1:52 left in the game made it a 13-point game. The Beavers attempted a comeback at the end of the game, but the Hardrockers hit free throws to close out the game.
Lee recorded a double-double with 27 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. His 10 assists are tied for the most by an RMAC player this season. Soukup collected 17 points and three rebounds. Thompson totaled 12 points and seven rebounds.
The Hardrockers shot 49.1% from the field and 39.1% from three-point range. They were also 21-for-24 from the free throw line. South Dakota Mines had 36 points in the paint, 20 fast break points and 20 bench points.
For South Dakota Mines, it is their first win against Minot State since Feb. 11, 2012. The Hardrockers had lost four straight games against the Beavers until Saturday.
What's Next
The Hardrockers return home on Dec. 2 to face Black Hills State at 7:30 p.m. to start RMAC play. After a road contest at Chadron State on Dec. 6, the Hardrockers will start a three-game homestand, beginning with Colorado Christian on Dec. 11.
