by GUNNISON, Colo. — South Dakota Mines men’s basketball faced off with Western Colorado on Saturday night in what was a tough battle in the Hardrockers first contest of 2023. The game was a battle, with both teams trading leads throughout the night, but it was Western Colorado who came out on top.
How it Happened – The Hardrocker men battled throughout the first half with the Mountaineers. The Hardrockers started with an early, 20-19 lead, but Wewstern Colorado would continue to score, taking a 41-35 lead into the locker rooms for halftime.
Early in the second half, South Dakota Mines was able to get things going with back-to-back three point possesions unanswered on a three-points shot from Kolten Mortensen then a hoop and a harm on the next possession from Brevin Walter who converted the free throw. Walter would hit a three, then a jumper on back-to-back possesions shortly after, giving the ‘Rockers a 48-45 lead. Out of the timeout, Trase Olson picked off a pass and took it the other way for a layup, extending the lead to five. The two teams would continue to go back and forth, with Western Colorado going back up by points with 6:20 left in the game. The Hardrockers would continue to battle and trailed by two, 78-76 with under a minute to go, setting up for an electic finish. First, Western Colorado would be fouled on a three-pointer, but Robel Desta would hit just one of three. On the other end, Kolton Frugoli would find Kolten Mortensen for a game-tying three-pointer, only to see Kade Julefs hit a jumper with 2.3 seconds left to give the Mountaineers an 81-79 lead. The Hardrockers would have one more chance, but were unable to connect, falling 81-79
Notes – Brevin Walter led the team in scoring with 30…Alejandro Rama and Jaxon Lloyd joined him in double figures with 16 and 13…Lloyd grabbed a team high six rebounds.
