PHOENIX, Ariz.- South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (10-6) slashed a 12-point lead held by Arizona Christian University (10-2) to two points by halftime, took the lead for good with 8:28 left in the second half, and built its advantage to as many as 11 points on its way to a 90-80 non-conference men's basketball victory, Saturday, January 5, at ACU's Fultz Memorial Gymnasium in Phoenix. 

South Dakota Mines enjoyed a 30-11 free throw advantage, as ACU committed 27 fouls while the Hardrockers were whistled for just 16. SDSMT also went 17-for-27 from the field in the second half (.630) and shot .587 for the game (27-46). After making 7 of its first 13 three- pointers in the first half, ACU missed all 10 of its long-range shots in the second half. 

SDSMT, an NCAA Division II independent school from Rapid City, South Dakota, ended ACU's seven-game winning streak and handed ACU its first home loss of the season in seven games. Coached by Jeff Rutter, ACU plays its first Golden State Athletics Conference game ever, Tuesday, January 8, hosting defending NAIA champion, Concordia (11-3), at 7:30 p.m., in Fultz Memorial Gymnasium. The ACU women's basketball team hosts Concordia (2-10), Tuesday, at 5:30 p.m. 

Junior guard Charles King (Houston, Tex./Stephen F. Austin H.S./Phoenix College) and junior guard Jordan Block (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Claremont H.S./Pasadena City College) each scored 17 points for ACU. King also hit 3 three-pointers and gathered five rebounds and stole the ball from the Hardrockers three times, and Block, ACU's leading scorer and rebounder (15.8 ppg and 6.7 rpg), hit one three-pointer, grabbed five rebounds, blocked one shot and also stole the ball three times. Junior guard Mason Jones (Huntington Beach, Calif./Ocean View H.S./Eastern Oregon Univ.) finished with 15 points, one three-pointer, four rebounds, four assists, one blocked shot and four steals, and junior forward Daniel Cornelius (Phoenix, Ariz./Phoenix Christian H.S.) contributed 13 points on 5 of 7 shots, 2 three-pointers, 6 rebounds 

and one steal off the ACU bench. Freshman forward Jackson Helms (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley H.S.) added eight points and three rebounds, and senior guard A.J. Koch (Tucson, Ariz./Flowing Wells H.S.) scored just two points and passed six assists. 

Five Hardrockers scored 10 or more points. Junior forward Caleb Shockman, SDSMT's leading scorer and rebounder (11.4 ppg and 5.5 rpg), led all scorers in the game with 21 points, going 6-for-9 from the field and 9-for-9 from the free throw line, and also grabbed nine rebounds, passed two assists, blocked one shot and stole the ball from ACU twice. Senior guard A.J. Trennepohl added 16 points with 3 three-pointers, and freshman forward Konor Kulas totaled 13 points, eight rebounds and two assists. Reserve guards James Dean and Troy Whiteto contributed 10 points each, and Dean also hit 2 three-pointers and had 2 rebounds and one steal, while Whiteto made 7 of his 10 free throw tries and one three-pointer. Also off the Hardrockers' bench, senior center Andrew Rebol scored eight points, hit 4 of 5 shots and grabbed three rebounds. 

The Firestorm made 31 of their 68 shots (.456) in the game and went 7-for-23 from three-point range (.304), and 11-for-15 from the free throw line (.733), and committed 14 turnovers, blocked four shots, and stole the ball 11 times from the visitors. Both teams gathered 32 rebounds. SDSMT made 27 of its 46 shots (.587), 6 of 15 three-pointers (.400) and 30 of 38 free throws (.789), committed 18 turnovers, blocked two ACU shots and stole the ball seven times. 

ACU led the entire first half, building its lead to 24-12 with 9:05 left before intermission. Cornelius accounted for eight points with 2 three-pointers during ACU's early success, and King scored six, and Jones and Block five each. After the Hardrockers cut ACU's lead to 26-20 with 6:21 left, the Firestorm went on a 7-2 run and rebuilt its lead to 33-22 with 4:37 to go. ACU led 36-27 with 1:54 left, but SDSMT the last seven points of the half and trailed just 36-34 at halftime. 

The Hardrockers tied the game for the first time at 38, with 18:49 left in the second half, and led by three points three times in the next 75 seconds, until ACU took a 46-45 lead on Block's lay- up at 16:56. The lead seesawed back and forth four times and was tied twice more. After a three-pointer by Dean tied the score at 56 at the 8:53 mark, the Hardrockers never trailed again and outscored ACU, 9-3, over the next 2:22, and led 65-59.