CHADRON, Neb. -- February 4, 2017 -- Colorado School of Mines' men rode a hot hand in the first half to a convincing win in the Chicoine Center Saturday night, toppling Chadron State College 87-57 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.

The Orediggers were 16-of-28 from the field in the first half and hit a remarkable 7-of-11 from beyond the three-point arc to develop a 34-8 lead in the first 14 minutes of the game.

Chadron State, meanwhile, managed just six field goals in 20 minutes of basketball to reach 18 points by halftime.

Colorado Mines never trailed, outrebounding the home team 46 to 33. 

Despite the final margin, the Chadron State bench was important in stemming the tide for the Eagles and preventing an even worse outcome. The six non-starters combined for 42 of the Eagles 57 points, with the starting five contributing 15. Myles Busby, in his second game back from a December injury, led the Eagles with 14 points on 8-of-8 free throw shooting, and Jordan Perry was 4-for-9 from the field to finish with a second-best 10 points.

Gokul Natesan of Mines shot 10-for-10 from the foul line getting 29 points, while Ben Clare had the double-double with 12 points and 10 boards.

Chadron State basketball is back on the road next week, at MSU Denver on Friday and UCCS on Saturday.