By: Con Marshall
CSC Sports Information
With transfer Major Deng pouring in 42 points, the Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team breezed to a 74-56 win over Chadron State in the Eagles' final home game of the season Saturday night.
Deng was pretty much a one-man show. He scored 16 of the Orediggers' 35 points in the first half, topped off by a 3-pointer from half court as the buzzer was sounding. He then poured in 26 of his team's 39 points in the second half. No one else scored more than seven for the Orediggers.
Deng's hot shooting led the way as Mines improved its record to 21-6 overall and 15-4 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The win was the 442nd in the Pryor Orser's 23 years as the Orediggers' head basketball mentor, making him the all-time winningest men's coach in the RMAC.
Deng, who is 6-foot-4, is a native of South Sudan who moved with his family to Arizona when he was 10 years old. He's now 22. After graduating from high school in 2019, he was on the basketball roster at Pepperdine University four years, but seldom played. He received his bachelor's degree from the California school last spring and is a graduate student at Mines with one more year of basketball eligibility.
Deng made 12 of his 20 field goal shots against the Eagles, including 5-of-8 on 3-pointers, and all 13 of his free throws. He entered the game averaging 15.8 points a game.
His 42 points are the most scored by a Mines' player since Stephen Bahl tallied 50 against South Dakota Mines in 2004-05. They are the most posted against the Eagles since Colorado Mesa's Ryan Stephan also had 42 in 2015-16.
Five others have tallied at least 42 points against the Eagles over the years, topped by seven-footer Don Boldebuck's 47 in a game in Chadron when he was playing for Nebraska Wesleyan in 1951-52.
Neither Colorado Mines nor the Eagles was on fire early in Saturday night's game. Chadron State's only lead was at 14-13 after John Jenkins dunked a short pass from fellow post player Porter Anderson midway in the opening half.
Mines soon regained the lead but was ahead by only 26-21 with two minutes remaining in the half before going on a 9-2 run that included Deng's half-court 3-pointer which put his team ahead 35-23 at intermission.
The visitors shot just 40% (14-35) from the field and the Eagles only 34.6% (9-26) in the first half. Mines warmed up to 61% (11-18) in the second half while the hosts dipped to 25% (8-32).
The loss was the sixth in a row for the Eagles, but the only one that was lopsided. Each of the remaining five was decided by only five points or in overtime. Anderson was CSC's leading scorer with 14 points, including going 8-of-8 at the free throw line. Bryce Latimer also scored in double digits with 12 points.
The Eagles are 11-15 and 8-12. They'll conclude their season this coming weekend by playing at South Dakota Mines on Friday night and at Black Hills State on Saturday.
Colorado Mines—Majok Deng 42, Sam Beskind 7, Riley Schroeder 6, Adam Krasovec 6, Reagan Koch 5, Alex Romack 4, Cade Mankle 2, Markus Pastorcic-Straun 2. Totals 25-53, 7-17 17-21 74 points, 39 rebounds, 9 turnovers, 16 assists.
Chadron State—Porter Anderson 14, Bryce Latimer 12, Jarrett Taylor 9, Jalen Patterson 7, Josh Robinson 6, Martin Poznanovic 6, John Jenkins 2. Totals: 17-58 (2-17) 20-24 56 points, 33 rebounds, 6 turnovers, 8 assists.
Colorado Mines 35 39 ----74
Chadron State 23 33 ----56
3-pointers: CSM—Deng 5, Beskind 1, Reagan 1. CSC—Taylor 1, Patterson 1