RAPID CITY, S.D. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs junior forward Justin Smith scored a season-high 27 points with eight rebounds and sophomore guard Blend Avdili added 21 as the Mountain Lions (9-12, 8-8 RMAC) earned a 95-85 overtime win at South Dakota Mines (10-13, 6-11 RMAC) tonight at the King Center. Sophomore Elijah Ross scored 17 points and led the Mountain Lions with five assists.

The Hardrockers put together a 10-1 run to build an 11-point lead at 38-27 with six minutes, 23 seconds, left in the first half. UCCS shot 60 percent in the rest of the half to cut the South Dakota Mines lead down to three points at 47-44 by halftime. Avdili scored 10 of the 17 points for the Mountain Lions in the stretch and led the team with 12 points at intermission.

Smith scored on the first two Mountain Lion possessions in the second half to provide a 48-47 UCCS lead, the first since the 13:36 mark in the first half. The Mountain Lions led by as many as six points after a three-pointer from Dalton Walker at 63-57 with 10 minutes to play in the half, but the Hardrockers went on a 12-2 run to retake a 69-65 advantage with 5:21 remaining.

South Dakota Mines built a seven-point lead at 75-68 with 4:12 to play, and maintained a five-point advantage at 77-72 with 2:55 remaining. Avdili scored on back-to-back positions to cut the Hardrocker lead down to a point at 77-76 with 49 seconds to play. The Mountain Lions didn't foul in an attempt to force a turnover or gain a rebound on a missed shot, but a foul by Ian MacDonald put South Dakota Mines' leading scorer, Konor Kulas, at the line for two free throws. He made both to make it a 79-76 Hardrocker lead with 19 seconds to play.

South Dakota Mines called a timeout after the free throws, and UCCS moved down the court to set up Ross' game-tying three-pointer with 7.7 seconds left. The Hardrockers missed the go-ahead three-pointer with three seconds left, and the rebound was eventually controlled by the Mountain Lions as the second half ended in a 79-79 tie.

The Hardrockers scored the first points of the overtime period with free throws, and after Advili tied with a jumper in the paint, South Dakota Mines retook a two-point advantage at 83-81 a minute into overtime. UCCS scored 14 of the final 16 points of the period and shot 67 percent from the field compared to 20 percent by South Dakota Mines, to control the overtime period and claim the 95-85 victory.

Smith went 11-of-17 from the field with a pair of three-pointers and a three-of-seven performance at the free throw line for his 27 points. Avdili recorded his third 20-point game of the season with five rebounds and four assists. Ross finished with his seventh 15-point game of the year and his fourth game in the last five with five or more assists. Tim Haas scored a season-high 10 points and Walker finished with nine.

UCCS will travel 45 miles to the northwest for a 6 p.m., game on Saturday against Black Hills State. The Yellow Jackets (7-16, 4-13 RMAC) dropped a 62-59 game to MSU Denver tonight. The Mountain Lions won the first meeting of the season 78-57 on Dec. 2.