RAPID CITY, S.D. -- A handful of mistakes and possessions can break a team in a close game.
On Saturday, it happened to Dickinson State against South Dakota Mines.
"In a game like that, the team with the fewest mistakes is going to win," DSU head coach Ty Orton said. "To be honest, we had a few more mistakes than Mines did."
The Hardrockers staved off the Blue Hawks' second-half comeback to take a 58-50 victory in a men's basketball game between former Dakota Athletic Conference rivals at the King Center.
Mines led 50-37 in the second half when DSU started chipping away, getting it as close as five points before time began running short.
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DSU's (3-4) best production came off the bench from a pair of seniors who normally start but were used as backups because of injuries.
Johnie Sanders scored 18 points, going 8 of 11 from the field, and Matt Lee had 11 points and seven boards.
"They've been hurt and haven't been practicing as much," Orton said. "Johnie played really well in the second half. He just relaxed and played."
But the Hardrockers (6-2) were just too much, relying on balanced and basic offense while contending with DSU's defense.
Former North Dakota Mr. Basketball Philip Schanilec had 10 points off the bench. A.J. Trennepohl also scored 10 points.
"We gave him (Schanilec) layups," Orton said. "He slipped on us twice and went right to the hole."
The Blue Hawks begin their first Frontier Conference campaign at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when they host Rocky Mountain College at Scott Gymnasium.
DICKINSON STATE (3-4): Ty Ackelson 3-8 1-2 8, Robbie Morey 1-3 0-0 2, Phillip Johnson Jr. 0-0 0-0 0, Jarek Hansen 2-9 0-0 4, John Hanstad 1-7 2-2 5, Johnie Sanders 8-11 2-4 18, Matthew Lee 5-9 1-2 11, Anthony Hodges 1-6 0-1 2, Ryan Sullivan 0-1 0-0 0, James Hayden 0-1 0-0 0, Brock Boos 0-0 0-0 0, Isiah Thomas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 21-55 6-11 50.
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SOUTH DAKOTA MINES (6-2): Caleb Shockman 1-7 6-6 8, Denis Dobkowski 1-2 3-6 6, Lucas Nolan 3-9 0-0 6, AJ Trennepohl 3-8 2-2 10, Calvin Thomas 2-7 1-2 6, Philip Schanilec 5-7 1-2 10, Konor Kulas 2-2 0-0 4, James Dean 1-5 2-2 4, Andrew Rebol 1-2 2-2 4, Adam Ahmudu Jr. 0-0 0-0 0, Troy Whiteto 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 19-51 16-22.
Halftime: SDM 23-18. Total fouls: DSU 20, SDSM 14. 3-point goals: DSU 2-21 (Ackelson 1-3, Hanstad 1-6, Hansen 0-5, Hodges 0-2, Sander 0-1, Hayden 0-1, Lee 0-3), SDSM 4-19 (Trennepohl 2-7, Dobkowski 1-2, Thomas 1-4, Nolan 0-1, Schanilec 0-1, Dean 0-3, Whiteto 0-1). Rebounds: DSU 37 (Hansen 11), SDSM 33 (Shockman 7). Assists: DSU 6 (Lee 2), SDSM 11 (Nolan 5). Steals: DSU 2 (Morey 1, Hanstad 1), SDSM 8 (Nolan 2, Trennepohl 2). Blocks: DSU 0, SDSM 2 (Shockman 1, Kulas 1). Turnovers: DSU 19 (Hanstad 5), SDSM 12 (Kulas 3).
