RAPID CITY, S.D. In a game that saw seven lead changes and the score tied nine times, it was South Dakota Mines walking away with the 81-66 win over Western Colorado. The Mountaineers kept it close shooting 48% from the field compared to the Hardrockers 44%.
JUST THE FACTS
Final Score: South Dakota Mines Def. Western Colorado, 81-66
Records: Western Colorado 5-9 (1-6 RMAC), South Dakota Mines 6-9 (4-5 RMAC)
Location: King Center; Rapid City, S.D.
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Western Colorado and South Dakota Mines were tied at 35 going into the second half after the Mountaineers shot 54% from the field and 41% from three-point range. Kade Juelfs had eight consecutive points in the half for the Mountaineers.
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The Mountaineers took the lead quick in the second half on a driving layup from Jamel Hollins. It did not take South Dakota Mines long to respond with a three-point shot by Cameron Cohn. Cohn then put the Hardrockers up by three with a three-pointer with 15 minutes and 52 seconds on the clock but turned it into a four-point play after drawing a foul.
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The Mountaineers then would do what they did all night: respond quickly. Avery Rembao then made a jumper followed by a layup from Amar Rivers.
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Up two, Keagan Smith made a three-pointer to put South Dakota Mines ahead by five. The Hardrockers took their largest lead of the night (eight points) with 10:44 on the clock, but Rembao was able to cut the lead back to six with a jumper. Jamel Hollins went to the free throw line and registered two more points for the Mountaineers followed by a three-pointer from Kade Juelfs that put Western Colorado within one in the back-and-forth contest. With seven minutes left in the game, both teams were shooting over 50% from the field in the half.
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The Hardrockers capitalized on a couple of big runs in the final half to give them the edge over Western Colorado of the game including 11 points from Cohn in second half with six of those points coming in the final five minutes.
COURT NOTES
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Kade Juelfs led the Mountaineers scoring effort with 13 points, shooting 5-for-11 from the field, Jamel Hollins scored ten points in the contest with eight of them coming in the second half.
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Amar Rivers had four rebounds for Western Colorado, while Hollins had three steals and Andrew Reichart had three blocks.
UP NEXT
Western Colorado will now go to Spearfish, S.D., to face off against Black Hills State on Saturday, January 13 with tip off slated for 6 p.m.
