LAS VEGAS, N.M. – South Dakota Mines Men's Basketball lost on the road to New Mexico Highlands 68-85.
The Cowboys won the first half 46-31 over the Hardrockers. After New Mexico Highlands took a 10-2 lead,
Ryan Sweeney and
Darren Wallace combined for five points to make the score 7-10. The Cowboys would increase their lead to 24-11 at the 10:42 mark of the half.
New Mexico Highlands held a double-digit lead the rest of the half. After two late free throws from
Guido Wanschelbaum, the Cowboys held a 46-31 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Hardrockers were outscored 39-37 to give New Mexico Highlands an 85-68 win.
Nolan Kliewer brought the deficit down to 11 points. However, the Cowboys went on an 8-2 run to go up 56-39.
With a Hardrocker 18-point deficit, the Rockers went on an 8-2 run to make the score 51-63. The Cowboys quickly increased their lead to 21 points and held a double-digit lead the rest of the game, defeating the Rockers 85-68.
Jason Lee recorded his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 assists. Sweeney collected 12 points and three assists. Wallace had 11 points and Kliewer put up a career-high 10 points on 5-for-6 field goal shooting. Wanschelbaum ended his night with 11 rebounds and 10 points.
The Rockers shot 46.3% from the field, 15.8% from three-point range and 88.2% from the free throw line. They totaled 44 points in the paint and 27 bench points.
They fell to 9-16 overall and 6-11 in the RMAC after the loss. They are tied for 11
th place with MSU Denver in the RMAC standings.
What's Next
The Hardrockers will take on Fort Lewis on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in Durango, Colorado. They are back home next weekend for their final regular season games against Colorado Mesa and Western Colorado.
