A day after Fort Lewis College lost 100-99 against University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in a game that saw 86 free throws, it was Colorado School of Mines that came to Durango and set a free-throw record.
Mines made 24-of-24 free throws, a single-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference record for free throws made without a miss. Paired with a 53.3 percent shooting performance and Mason Baker’s season-high 27 points, the Orediggers fought off Fort Lewis College for a 92-79 win Saturday night at Whalen Gymnasium in Durango.
“They made all the winning plays that a championship team makes,” FLC head coach Bob Pietrack said. “Just tip your hat to them. They made the plays to win the game, and they didn’t miss any free throws.”
It was the 11th consecutive win for the Orediggers, who are now 12-3 overall and 9-0 in RMAC play with a two-game lead on New Mexico Highlands, Regis and UCCS.
“It’s hard to do,” Mines head coach Pryor Orser said of the streak. “Our seniors Ben Sonnefeld and Ben Clare are unbelievable fifth-year guys who have been around and won a lot of games. Mason Baker is just a great player, and he kept us in the game there in the first half. He took us on the shoulders a lot, and I’m just really proud.”
FLC fought back from a 34-24 halftime deficit make it a tough game. FLC tied it at 42-42 with 14 minutes, 49 seconds to play, as Marquel Beasley started to take over the game. But, every time FLC tied the game or got within a basket, Mines would make a key play. After Beasley’s three-point play to tie the game, Brendan Sullivan answered with a 3-pointer for the Orediggers. FLC fought back to tie it again at 57-57 with 7:27 to go after two Beasley free throws, but Clare answered right back with a three-point play to give Mines another three-point lead. Quickly, Mines stretched the lead, and Baker scored six consecutive points to give Mines a 75-61 advantage.
The Skyhawks were outrebounded 34-28 and shot only 37.7 percent in the game, including 6-of-23 from 3-point distance. Mines made only 4-of-14, but Baker was 2-of-4 with two key makes.
“I think Fort Lewis did a great job coaching tonight,” Orser said. “They tried to run us off the 3-ball, and they did. They just missed some shots, and we made them in the second half. That was the difference in the game, and we finally rebounded it.”
Baker added three steals to go with his 27 points. Means finished 17 off the bench to go with seven rebounds, including four offensive boards. Clare finished with 13, and Sonnefeld had 12 points.
Beasley scored a team-high 25 points for FLC, and he grabbed eight rebounds. Otas Iyekekpolor was key to FLC’s second half run to tie the game, and he had 13 points and four rebounds and went 7-of-7 at the foul line. Alex Semadeni finished with 12 points and eight rebounds with four on each end of the floor. He also had four assists and three steals.
“Semadeni, he’s a warrior, a really hard guard,” Orser said. “I just have a lot of respect for him and how he plays. He plays the game the right way.
“Their posts, Beasley and (Iyekekpolor), they’re as good as anyone in the league.”
At 7-8 overall and now 2-7 in RMAC play, FLC’s conference tournament hopes took another hit. The team was exhausted after the frantic Friday night loss to UCCS, but Pietrack said the team will continue to fight hard the rest of the season. Three of the team’s seven conference losses came in overtime, and the Skyhawks have been competitive in all but one conference contest.
“We are going to keep playing really hard,” Pietrack said. “The guys really care. It’s unfortunate our season is not going better, but we still got a lot of games to play. Tonight, we got beat by a great team that’s on their way to winning an RMAC championship probably.
“Mines has a great program. We are not having a great season by any means, but we have a great program, too.”
FLC will host Western State Colorado University and Colorado Mesa University in a pair of regional rivalry games next Friday and Saturday.
“Our guys will keep working. We come back next week with rivalry games, and our team has a lot of potential to keep getting better,” Pietrack said. “We still have got 13 games to go. We’ve had a lot of injuries, and it’s hard to keep coming back when we get gut-punched like we have. I just know for sure that we will keep playing hard.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
