GOLDEN, Colo. -- February28, 2023The Colorado School of Mines Orediggers shot 53.3 percent from the field while defeating Chadron State 87-68 Tuesday in Golden, Colorado, at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Quarterfinals.
 
The loss ends CSC's season at 19-10 overall and 16-6 in conference play. The Orediggers improve to 25-4 overall and 18-4 in the RMAC. They will play Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction, Colorado, Friday in the RMAC Tournament Semifinals.
 
Mines started Tuesday's game on a 15-0 scoring run. Adam Thistlewood, a redshirt senior from Golden, scored all 15 of the points for the Orediggers.
 
The Eagles got on the scoreboard after Jarrett Taylor was fouled on a three-pointer and made all three shots from the charity stripe.
 
Thistlewood added two more points the following possession for the hosts, scoring 17 straight. The Orediggers extended their opening lead to 22-6 before Taylor added a three pointer for the Eagles
 
Chadron State lowered their deficit to eight with 10:07 remaining in the first half after Isaiah Wyatt drilled a three pointer, making the score 26-18.
 
The Orediggers responded with another scoring run, this time 18-9 in their favor. MJ Foust added a driving dunk for CSC right before half, sending the Eagles to the locker room with a 44-29 deficit.
 
Colorado School of Mines continued their hot shooting in the second half, extending their lead to as many as 27. Senior Gage Delimont, of Ainsworth, Nebraska, and Patrick McLachlan, a junior of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, both added layups in the final minute for CSC, making the final score 87-68.
 
The hosts finished 32-60 (53.3 percent) from the field. They made eight of their 19 attempts from three (42.1 percent), and were 15-17 from the charity stripe (88.2 percent). In the first half, Mines shot 60 percent from the field and 66.67 percent from three.
 
CSC finished 23 of 66 (34.8 percent) from the field, 15-21 (71.4 percent) from the charity stripe and 7-25 (28 percent) from three. The Eagle's 34.8 percent from the field was their second lowest total this season.
 
The hosts recorded one more rebound than CSC, winning the battle 39-38.
 
Chadron State had 12 turnovers in the loss, resulting in 15 Oredigger points. The Eagles scored nine points off 11 Mine's turnovers.
 
Josh Robinson led CSC in scoring with 11 points. Wyatt and McLachlan added 10 apiece. Robinson, Foust and Thistlewood all had a game high nine rebounds.
 
Thistlewood, a Colorado State transfer, led the game with 23 points. Brendan Sullivan and Adam Krasovec added 21 and 10, respectively. Sam Beskind had a game high seven assists for the Orediggers.
 
The Eagles finish their season with the best winning percentage a men's basketball team has had at Chadron since 1999-2000, when the team went 19-8, a winning percentage of .704.