Box Score CHADRON – Five Chadron State men's players scored in double figures to lift the Eagles to a 79-68 win over South Dakota School of Mines Tuesday at Armstrong Gymnasium.
 
The Eagles have now won their first three games of the season and are off to their best start since the 2004-05 campaign and have matched their win total from last season.
 
Chadron State only trailed once – Mines, now 2-3 this season, led 2-0 early in the first half – but the Eagles shot over 43 percent from the field and sank three 3-pointers in the opening half to take a 36-27 lead into the locker room.
 
The Hardrockers turned the game into a one possession affair a couple times in the second half but CSC, which hit 19 of 25 free throws for the game, iced the game from the foul line.
 
Chris Taylor paced Chadron State with 15 points and Grant Stone chipped in 13. Zac Bargen hit two treys and five of six free throws to account for 11 points and both Christopher Smith and Josiah Lee finished with 10 points.
 
The Eagles' deep bench paid dividends, finishing with 35 points. Both Stone and Smith finished in double digits and Kendrick Holliman scored eight points and added a team-high seven rebounds.
 
As a team, CSC finished with 11 steals and forced the Hardrockers to commit 16 turnovers. Taylor, Smith and David Downey each had three steals to lead the Eagles.
 
Caleb Shockman led Mines with a game-high 19 points and 14 rebounds.
 
Chadron State will play a Sunday matinee at the University of Nebraska-Kearney. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. (MST).
 
SDSMT  27 41 – 68
CSC        36 43 – 79