GUNNISON, Colo.  Colorado School of Mines got within three points of the lead with 33 seconds left in the game. However, Western Colorado did a good job down the stretch knocking down free throws, leading to the Mountaineers coming away with an 83-78 victory.  
 
JUST THE FACTS
Final Score: Western Colorado def. Colorado School of Mines 83-78.
Records: Western Colorado 3-8, Colorado School of Mines 4-4.
Location: Paul Wright Gymnasium; Gunnison, Colo.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was neck-and-neck early on, as both teams traded baskets all the way up to the 14:45 mark of the first half resulting in the game being tied at 13-points apiece.
• From there Western started to pull away slightly after Jordan Veening made an and-one, putting the Mountaineers up by three. That lead grew to five-points, a few minutes later on a Grant Wilkinson jumper.
• The Orediggers started to chip away at Western's lead, and manage to take a one-point lead with 6:25 left to go. That lead grew to five-points, but didn't last long as the Mountaineers closed the gap and managed to head into halftime with a five-point lead of their own.
• Matthew Ragsdale was a scoring machine for Western, recording 14-points in the first half, while Avery Rembao also was making his shots leading to him have nine-points.
• Western started to pull away in the second half, after Cole Sienknecht knocked down three free throws, increasing the lead to 11-points with 14:56 left to play. Yet, similar to before Colorado School of Mines wasn't going to go down without a fight.
• The Orediggers fought for the rest of the game, and got within one-point with 4:25 left in the game. Unfortunately, Colorado School of Mines struggled to get a stop that they desperately need, as they went home with an 83-78 loss.

COURT NOTES

• Ragsdale was lights out from the free throw line making 13-of-13, resulting in him scoring 23 points in the game.
• The Mountaineers struggled to shoot in the second half. Yet, that didn't matter in large part due to Western making 20-of-24 (83.3%) free throws. For the game the Mountaineers made 28-of-35 (80%) from the free throw line.
• For the Orediggers, Brendan Sullivan was their leading scorer with 25 points.
• Western did a great job holding onto the ball, only turning it over seven times, which is a season best for the team. They came into the game averaging 15.3 turnovers per game.

UP NEXT
Western will be home again tomorrow (Dec.18), taking on Regis University at 6 p.m.