DENVER, Colo. – South Dakota Mines Men's Basketball took down MSU Denver 68-62 to reach 4-1 in RMAC play for the first time in program history.
The Hardrockers won the first half 36-30 over the Roadrunners. Both teams played back-and-forth in the beginning of the first half. After
Ryan Sweeney gave South Dakota Mines a 12-7 lead, the Roadrunners answered with five straight points.
Jason Lee made the score 21-14 with 8:35 left.
MSU Denver took a one-point lead with 6:15 left in the half. With a three-point deficit,
Gray Thompson's three-pointer started four Hardrocker made three-pointers to end the half. That capped off an 11-2 run to give South Dakota Mines a 36-30 lead at halftime.
Both teams scored 32 points in the second half to give South Dakota Mines a 68-62 victory at MSU Denver. An 8-0 Roadrunners run made the score 38-36 at the beginning of the half. Sweeney and
Luke Baltz hit back-to-back three-pointers to give the Hardrockers the lead back.
Abel Hutchinson gave the Hardrockers an eight-point lead with 11:24 left in the game.
Following a Roadrunners three-pointer, a 9-4 Hardrockers run made it a nine-point game with 7:36 left. Another Hutchinson three-pointer secured the Hardrockers victory with 1:10 left in the game. Thompson blocked a shot at the 27 second mark to shut down the Roadrunners offense and give South Dakota Mines a 68-62 win.
Hutchinson led the game with 19 points and nine rebounds. He was 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-3 from three-point range. Lee totaled 18 points, seven assists, four steals and three rebounds. Thompson picked up 10 points and nine rebounds, while Sweeney had 10 points and four assists.
As a team, the Hardrockers shot 39.7% from the field and 32.1% from deep. They outrebounded the Roadrunners 43-34 with 28 points in the paint and 21 points off turnovers. The Hardrockers totaled 16 assists, seven steals and three blocks.
South Dakota Mines moved to 7-6 overall and 4-1 in the RMAC with the win. The Hardrockers are 4-1 in the RMAC for the first time in program history since moving to the conference in 2015. They are also on a five-game winning streak.
What's Next
The Hardrockers will go to Colorado School of Mines on Jan. 10 at 3 p.m. They return home on Jan. 15 to face Fort Lewis at 7:30 p.m.
