Bahl drops 40 as Orediggers hold for physical 82-74 win
Alamosa, Colo.— Senior guard Stephen Bahl scored 40 points, 20 in each half, as his Colorado School of Mines Orediggers held on for a physical and intense 82-74 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men’s basketball win over the host Adams State College Grizzlies on Monday night in Plachy Hall. The 6-foot Broomfield native, who leads the RMAC in scoring, hit 12 of his 18 shots from the field and drained five 3-pointers on just eight attempts while grabbing eight rebounds. He also chipped in four assists and a game-high four steals as the Orediggers won their fourth game in the last five and improved to 7-3 overall and 3-1 in RMAC play. ASC, which put up a valiant effort, fell to 0-10 overall and 0-4 in RMAC play.
CSM junior guard Kevin Wagstaff also had a fine night pouring in 23 points, 12 of which came on 3-pointers as CSM shot 47.6 percent (10-21) from beyond the arc.
Grizzly sophomore David Hull finished 11 of 21 from the floor and poured in a career-high 27 points while senior forward David Mitchell recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Redshirt freshman point guard Larry Charles also scored 13 points while grabbing seven rebounds
A total of 54 personal fouls were called in the game, 17 of which were whistled in the first eight minutes. Four players, two on each team, fouled out while ASC Coach Larry Mortensen was ejected after picking up two technicals with 12:04 left.
Bahl drilled all four of the ensuing free throws before Franklin Ryk made both of his after the original Hull foul as CSM stretched what was just a 7-point lead to 13. Wagstaff then drilled one of his four treys to give CSM a 64-48 lead, the Orediggers largest of the game.
Under the guidance of Assistant Coach Russ Caton, the Grizzlies did not give up and used a 8-0 run, triggered by a Richard Mincey 3-point play, to slice the deficit to just eight with 4:10 left.
However, the Grizzlies would get no closer as Wagstaff and Bahl combined to make seven of their eight free throws down the stretch to close out the win. Bahl was 11 of 16 from the line while Wagstaff drilled all five of his attempts As a team, CSM was 22 of 32 (68.8 percent) from the charity stripe on the evening. An even stronger 19 of 23 (82.6 percent) in the second half, the Orediggers made the most of a 53.2 field goal shooting percentage (25-47).
ASC was held to a 35.7 percent (10-28) effort in the first half, but heated up in the second half drilling 19 of 34 (55.9 percent). The Grizzlies also dominated the boards posting a 38-28 rebounding advantage, including an 18-8 edge on the offensive glass.
Led by Mitchell, the Grizzlies outscored the Orediggers in the paint by a 46-24 margin. Davey Iverson, who fouled out, and Farris Broussard led CSM’s inside game with eight and six points, respectively.
Both teams will now enjoy their respective Christmas breaks. ASC will next be in action on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 7:05 p.m. against NCAA Division I Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah. CSM will host Montana Tech on New Year’s Eve at 7 p.m.
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