PUEBLO — Behind nine 3-pointers, second-ranked Colorado Mines cruised past Nebraska-Kearney 82-62 Friday in one semifinal of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament.
Mines will face Colorado Mesa in tonight’s title game at the Colorado State Fair Events Center.
A 3-pointer by UNK’s Tyler Shields cut the Mines’ lead to 58-54 with 5:45 to play, but a pair of layups by Dale Minschwaner and a 3-point basket by Brett Green on consecutive possessions over the next 40 seconds quickly pushed the Oredigger lead to 65-54.
The Orediggers were led by Luke Meisch’s career-high 18 points.
Colorado Mesa 65, Fort Lewis 62. Mike Melillo hit a 3-pointer with four seconds left to lead Mesa (16-12) past Fort Lewis.
The Skyhawks (16-12) had a chance to take the lead in their final full possession, but Mike Matthews missed a 10-foot jumper from the left baseline with 22 seconds left.
Women
Western State 70, Metro State 66. The Mountaineers (16-14) broke a 43-all tie with 11:02 left with a 7-0 run after top-seeded and seventh-ranked Metro State (25-3) lost all-conference point guard Jasmine Cervantes to an ankle injury.
Fort Lewis 68, CU-Colorado Springs 65. Dana Schreibvogel gave Fort Lewis (25-4) a four-point lead with two free throws with 19 seconds remaining, and the Skyhawks survived when UCCS’s (16-14) Lauren Wolfinger missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. FLC was led by reserve Jamie Simmons, who had 14 points and six rebounds.
