The Colorado School of Mines Orediggers defeated the UTD men’s basketball team Nov. 16 in a score of 90-55, dropping their record for the season to 2-2.
After winning two games in a row, the Comets struggled to generate quality offense and had their defense eviscerated by a three-point onslaught from the Orediggers. The game started off sloppy, with a lot of turnovers and missed shots between both teams. Through the first three minutes, only the Comets scored and the game sat at 5-0. From then on, the Comets lost all control over the game.
The Orediggers ripped off a 13-0 run, foreshadowing the domination to come. By the end of the first half the Orediggers led 36-21, an extended run of 36-16. The Comets shot only 7-26 — at 26.9% accuracy — from the field at the half and only 2-11 at 18.2% from the three-point line. They had 12 turnovers to only five assists. The Orediggers’ offense was not efficient in the first half, with 42.4% from the field and 37.5% from the three-point line, however, they were at least average and limited turnovers, resulting in a 15-point halftime advantage.
The second half saw the Comets’ offense improve. Though the players turned the ball over at a high rate again, they were considerably more efficient from the field as a whole, with 40.9% from the field and 37.5% from the three-point line. However, the Orediggers’ offense exploded in the second half, shooting 17-27 from the field at 63% and 8-14 from the three-point line at 57.1%.
After the Orediggers went up by 20 points, the Comets were able to cut the lead down to 16 with 15 minutes left, leaving a small window to come back. The Orediggers then went on another big run to go up 23 with eight minutes and change left. The rest of the game was garbage time, and hot shooting by the Orediggers’ bench inflated their already massive lead.
Forward Jordan Balderaz led the team in scoring with 13 points at 4-6 from the field, rebounding with six boards and four assists. As a team, the Comets shot 16-48 from the field at 33.3% and 5-19 from behind the arc at 26.3%, grabbed 25 rebounds, had 10 assists to 25 turnovers and recorded six steals and three blocks.
The Comets will have six days rest before they participate in the Paul Peak classic in Georgetown, Texas. They will play the Schreiner University Mountaineers Nov. 22 at 5 p.m. and the Southwestern Pirates Nov. 23 at 5:30 p.m.