RAPID CITY, S.D. – In a back-and-forth physical game, South Dakota Mines Men's Basketball lost 81-86 to Fort Lewis on Thursday night.
The Hardrockers outscored the Skyhawks 38-34 in the first half. With a seven-point defict, the Rockers went on a 10-0 run to go up 21-18 with 9:15 left.
Gray Thompson and
Gavin Soukup both hit a three-pointer in the run. Four quick Skyhawk points made it 22-21 with 8:27 remaining.
At the 5:11 mark and a 28-28 tie, Thompson and
Jason Lee combined to score four points and give the Hardrockers a 32-28 lead. Lee and Soukup hit back-to-back three-pointers, making the score 38-30 with 1:33 left in the half. Fort Lewis ended the half on a 4-0 run to make the score 38-34 at halftime.
Fort Lewis answered in the second half, outscoring South Dakota Mines 52-43 to win 86-81. The Hardrockers held a 48-40 lead until a Fort Lewis 11-2 run gave them a 51-50 lead with 10:03 left.
Ryan Sweeney hit two free throws and Soukup landed a three-pointer to make it 55-51.
Stewart Erhart answered Soukup until the Rockers guard hit another three-pointer with 8:57 left. A 13-3 Skyhawks run made the score 69-65 at the 5:22 mark. Sweeney hit a layup to give them a one-point lead until another 8-0 run from the Skyhawks gave them the lead back. That run carried them until the end as they won 86-81 over the Hardrockers.
Soukup totaled 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals against the Skyhawks. He was 5-for-10 from beyond the arc. Lee recorded 19 points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block. From the three-point line, Lee was 4-for-6. Sweeney picked up 14 points, while
Luke Baltz collected 13 points off the bench.
The Hardrockers shot 38.8% from the field, 34.3% from beyond the arc and 89.5% from the free throw line. They recorded 28 points in the paint and 18 points off 20 turnovers. This game saw six ties and 10 lead changes.
South Dakota Mines moved to 7-8 overall and 4-3 in the RMAC after the loss.
What's Next
South Dakota Mines returns to action on Saturday afternoon to play Adams State at 3 p.m. Following that game, the Hardrockers will go on the road for five of their next six games, starting at Western Colorado on Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m.
