Con Marshall
GOLDEN, Colo. – The No. 8-ranked Colorado School of Mines men’s basketball team put together a pair of major runs, one in each half, that spelled the much of the difference while defeating Chadron State 104-77 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action played in Golden on Saturday afternoon.
Jalen Thomas paced the Eagles with 18 points by making 5 of 7 field goal shots and all eight of his free throws. Zy Wright was next with 16 points, including 3-for-6 on three-pointers, while Julio Phipps added 12 and Trey Ballard 10.
The Eagles are now 12-12 overall and 8-8 in the RMAC after the loss. Chadron State is currently in the eighth and final RMAC Tournament position, with a two-game lead over Westminster and Colorado Christian. Mines is now 21-3 overall and 15-1 in RMAC play to top the standings, meaning that if the season ended today, CSC and Mines would play again in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals.
The Eagles got off to a good start, hitting their first shot and leading the opening four-plus minutes before Mines tied the score at 11-11. After the teams exchanged layups that made it 13-13, the Orediggers launched their first major surge—a 17-3 run that put them ahead 30-16 with eight-and-a-half minutes left in the half.
Chadron State didn’t give up. The Eagles cut the difference to six points at 41-35 with three minutes remaining in the first half after their leading scorer, Jalen Thomas, sank four consecutive free throws.
Although Mines led 48-40 at halftime and added a pair of free throws to open the second half, the Eagles’ Zy Wright promptly nailed a pair of 3-pointers that cut the margin to only four points. Each team netted two points on its ensuing possession, making the score 52-48.
That’s when the Orediggers found their second big swing. The Eagles turned the ball over four times and missed a pair of 3-point shots in a four-minute span, allowing Mines to put together a 14-0 burst and go ahead 66-48. The hosts led by at least 20 points for the final 11 minutes.
Known for its outstanding depth this season, Mines had 10 players score at least five points. Senior Majok Deng, who poured in 42 points against the Eagles in Chadron last year, tallied 22 in this game and was the game’s top scorer. Alex Romack was next with 18 points and was the game’s top rebounder with eight. Three more Miners—Reagan Koch, Cade Mankle and Riley Schroeder—all added 11 points.
Mines made 19 field goals in each half while shooting 55 percent from the field and was 12 of 32 from behind the arc. The Eagles were 26-of-56 from the field for 44.4 percent and went 9 of 27 from long range. Both teams were 16-19 at the free throw line. The Orediggers won the rebounding battle 35-30 and had just six turnovers compared to the Eagles’ 17.