Colorado School of Mines beat Metro State Saturday night to clinch sole possession of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular-season title.
The Orediggers (24-4, 19-3 RMAC) had an 11-point lead at halftime and used a 13-0 early second-half run to blow the game wide open en route to an 89-57 win.
Colorado Mines finished the season winning 17 of its last 18 games including a big one on Feb. 17 that snapped the Fort Lewis College men’s school-record home winning streak at 30 games. The 94-82 overtime win at Whalen Gymnasium pulled the Orediggers into a tie with FLC.
The Skyhawks’ loss at Westminster on Friday, along with two Mines wins over the weekend, sealed the deal.
As the No. 2 seed, Fort Lewis (23-4, 18-4 RMAC) will host an opening-round RMAC Shootout matchup Tuesday against No. 7 UC-Colorado Springs (12-15, 11-11 RMAC). If the Skyhawks win, they will most likely head to Golden for the Final Four, where they might get another crack at the Orediggers in the final. If Colorado Mines loses its Tuesday matchup to Adams State (12-15, 10-12 RMAC) and FLC wins, the Skyhawks will host the Final Four.
Fort Lewis beat Colorado Mines in last year’s RMAC Shootout finale 73-72.
The Skyhawks are currently sixth in the regional rankings. A win Tuesday should cement them in the NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament.
