SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Ryan Sweeney's 30-point game guided South Dakota Mines Men's Basketball to a 75-70 victory at Westminster.
The Hardrockers outscored the Griffins 37-31 in the first half. Both teams played back-and-forth for most of the first half. With a four-point deficit,
Jason Lee picked up a layup and
Fred Libby made a three-pointer to give the Hardrockers an 11-10 lead. Both teams were tied at 13 until they went scoreless for the next two minutes. The Hardrockers would go on to go up by three.
After Westminster made it a one-point game with 8:31 left,
Luke Baltz landed a three-pointer to make the score 21-17. The Griffins responded with a 5-0 run with 7:29 left. A Hardrocker 12-2 run would make the score 35-26 with less than two minutes left. South Dakota Mines led 37-31 at the end of the half.
Westminster attempted a comeback, but it was not enough as they outscored the Hardrockers 39-38. South Dakota Mines started the half with a 7-0 run to go up 44-31. A Griffins 7-0 run midway through the half made the score 56-50 with 8:40 on the clock.
The Griffins brought the deficit down to four points after a Jack Jamele three-pointer at the 4:16 mark. The Hardrockers went on a 7-2 run to go up 69-60. South Dakota Mines would hold a lead until the end of the game, winning 75-70 over the Hardrockers.
Ryan Sweeney led the game with 30 points on 8-for-16 field goal shooting. He was 13-for-14 from the free throw line along with six rebounds and six assists.
Gavin Soukup totaled 13 points and seven rebounds, while Lee recorded 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Gray Thompson grabbed 10 rebounds, including four on the offensive side.
The Hardrockers shot 35% from the field, 31.8% from three-point range and 81.3% from the free throw line. They grabbed 43 total rebounds with 16 offensive boards. South Dakota Mines collected 28 points in the paint and 21 second chance points.
Following the win, South Dakota Mines improved to 9-9 and 6-4 in the RMAC.
What's Next
The Hardrockers will come back home on Jan. 29 to face Chadron State at 7:30 p.m. Following that game, they will go on the road for three consecutive games, starting at Black Hills State on Jan. 31 at 6 p.m.
