Mines (5-5, 2-3 RMAC) vs. Westminster (7-2, 5-0 RMAC) – Friday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (5-5, 2-3 RMAC) vs. Dixie State (6-3, 2-3 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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ON THE RMAC NETWORK
Every Mines home game and RMAC road game can be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at minesathletics.com/tv. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC".
 
HAPPY NEW YEAR
The Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team will celebrate the dawn of a new year by hosting RMAC foes Westminster and Dixie State Friday and Saturday inside Lockridge Arena. Mines enters 2019 riding a two-game win streak after earning its first conference wins of the season and pulling up to .500 overall. However, with Westminster undefeated in RMAC action and Dixie State at 6-3 overall, the Orediggers have their work cut out if they want to extend their hot run.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Mines has been on hiatus from competition for almost three weeks, so some may forget exactly what happened. On Dec. 14, the Orediggers earned their first RMAC win of the season with a 71-36 drubbing of Colorado Christian inside Lockridge Arena. Raven Herrera went off for 25 points and 10 rebounds, marking her fourth double-double of the season. Nicole Archambeau grabbed 12 rebounds with eight points and five assists while Heidi Hammond dropped 15 on the Cougars. Mines used that momentum the very next day (Dec. 15) to knock off Regis 65-60, also inside Lockridge Arena. In Sunday's win, Archambeau teamed up with Denali Pinto for 34 combined points (17 each) as Anna Kollmorgen scored 10 points, dished out six assists and racked up two blocked shots.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
Westminster makes the 500-plus mile trip (according to Google Maps 515-524 miles) from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Golden boasting an overall record of 7-2 with the previously mentioned RMAC mark of 5-0. The Griffins' premier win of 2018 came Dec. 7 as they knocked off nationally-ranked Black Hills State 92-89 in Spearfish, S.D. That landmark win came in the midst of and continued to fuel WC's current six-game winning streak. Three Griffins average double-digit scoring numbers with Denise Gonzalez leading the way at a clip of 16.6 points per game. Hunter Krebs is not far behind with 16.4 points per game. Krebs also leads Westminster with 6.9 rebounds per game and nearly 2.0 blocks per game this season. Gonzalez is dishing out assists at a rate over 4.0 per outing. On the national stage, the Griffins are borderline elite in ball security as they rank #14 in fewest fouls and fewest turnovers in all of NCAA Division II.
 
FROM PARSONS TO GRIFFINS
Westminster College athletics teams were originally nicknamed the Parsons as an ode to the school's religious (Presbyterian) roots. However, in 1979, the institution went from spiritual to mythical as it became known athletically as the Griffins. Also spelled griffon or gryphon, the school's mascot is a legendary creature featuring the body, tail and back legs of a lion while also sporting the head and wings of an eagle. It is not a real animal and seems appropriate for the school as Westminster College sports teams became mythical in 1967-68 with financial crisis forcing the discontinuation of intercollegiate athletics. The program experienced rebirth starting in the 1990's and eventually joined NCAA Division II and the RMAC in 2015-16.
 
SCOUTING DIXIE STATE
Dixie State's women will travel even further than its Utah counterpart with more than 600 miles (621 according to Google Maps) between Golden and St. George, Utah. Prior to its Saturday date with the Orediggers, the Trailblazers face off against UCCS in Colorado Springs. Dixie State enters the weekend 6-3 overall and 2-3 in the RMAC. The Trailblazers boast no landmark victories this season. However, DSU has four double-digit victories with one win coming in triple overtime against St. Martin's. Similar to Westminster, Dixie State carries three players on its roster averaging double-digit scoring numbers. The leader of that trio is Mariah Martin with 14.3 per game. Martin also leads the Trailblazers with 40 assists over nine contests. Lisa VanCampen is a force on the glass with 7.7 rebounds per contest. She also has 14 steals and 11 blocks. In the national statistical rankings, DSU is #23 in DII in three-point field goals per game and #25 in steals per game. It would appear Dixie State loves the long ball and digs defense.
 
TRAILBLAZERS, REBELS AND BISON – OH MY!
The nickname Trailblazers is relatively new for Dixie State. Originally known as the Rebels, DSU attempted to adopt the nickname Red Storm in 2009 in an effort to distance itself from deep South associations. The change was unsuccessful and the University made the change to Trailblazers in 2016. The name is defined as, "a person who makes a new track through wild country," while the bison image is a carryover from the Red Storm era and is claimed as, "an authentic and worthy nod to southwestern Utah's hardscrabble history. The bison's name is Brooks which is a reference to the school's first student, Samuel Brooks. And now you know.
 
LOCKRIDGE ARENA
Fondly referred to as "The Lock", Mines' home court for volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball features seating for 3,000 at Oredigger home athletics events. The venue has also twice hosted the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball South Central Regional Tournament. Additionally, Lockridge Arena hosts numerous major campus events and has been graced by the presence of Barack Obama, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye and many others.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday's contest marks the sixth installment in the all-time series between Mines and Westminster. The Orediggers lead the series 3-2 after going 1-1 last season with an overtime loss on the road and double-digit win at home against the Griffins. Saturday's RMAC showdown marks the dawning of a new rivalry as Mines and Dixie State meet for the first time in both program's histories. The 2018-19 season is Dixie State's first as members of the RMAC. However, rumor has it the rivalry won't last long as the Trailblazers eye a leap to the NCAA Division I level.
 
ARCHAMBEAU OWNS WESTMINSTER
Mines' senior forward/guard Nicole Archambeau vaunts an impressive stat line in two games against Westminster. In last season's series, the transfer from Colorado Mesa averaged 16.5 points and 10 rebounds per game versus WC. She put up a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double in the first meeting and casually provided 18 points and eight rebounds in the second meeting. Rounding out her stat line with some sweet, sweet frosting are three total blocks and seven total assists in a combined 80 minutes of action. The Orediggers hope for a similar performance this weekend as the look to knock off one of the #1 teams in the conference.
 
ONE HUNDRED WINS, AND COUNTING
Mines' head coach Brittany Simpson closed 2018 by winning the 100th game of her career with the Orediggers' 65-60 victory over Regis. In her seventh season, Simpson holds an overall mark of 100-82. She is just the second coach in program history to reach the 100-win landmark. The Orediggers' other 100-win coach is Simpson's predecessor and former boss Paula Krueger who went 133-125 in 10 seasons. Simpson currently averages around 15 wins per season, putting her on pace to become Mines' all-time wins leader in less than three years.
 
NEW YEAR FUN FACTS
Friday marks the seventh time coach Simpson enters a new calendar year as a collegiate head coach. She has opened a new calendar year with three straight wins dating back to 2016 including two over Westminster. Simpson is 4-2 overall in new-year openers as her squads average nearly 62 points per game when playing for the first time in the new calendar while limiting opponents to just 57 points per game. Mines' biggest margin of victory when playing its first game in a new year under Simpson was a 77-58 victory over Westminster on Jan. 7, 2017. Additionally, Simpson and the Orediggers have played four of those games on the road and two at home with a 3-1 advantage away from Golden.
 
HOME COOKIN'
The Orediggers are just 5-5 overall as they enter 2019. However, not surprisingly, Mines has shown a preference for its home court inside Lockridge Arena. In the 2018-19 season, the Orediggers are 5-2 at home while 0-3 on the road. Offensively, Mines averages 70 points per contest at home and limits opponents to 58 points per game. Comparatively, the Orediggers score exactly 50 points per road contest while giving up 62. It's clear Mines prefers the comforts of home and the friendly confines of Lockridge Arena. But then again, who doesn't prefer a little home cooking?
 
WAY-TOO-EARLY RMAC BRACKET
If the season were to end today, just five games into conference play, the RMAC Tournament would shape up as follows. Either Colorado Mesa (8-1, 5-0) or Westminster (7-2, 5-0) would have the #1 seed with the other as #2. Black Hills State (8-1, 4-1) and CSU-Pueblo (6-5, 4-1) would split the #3 and #4 seeds with all four of those teams hosting quarterfinal games. Colorado Christian (5-6, 3-2), UCCS (4-7, 3-2) and Western Colorado (7-2, 4-1) would take up the #5, #6 and #7 slots with Mines slipping in at #8 to round out the tournament field. However, with 17 games remaining and two "tournament teams" under .500 overall, anything could happen.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines returns to action Jan. 11-12 as the Orediggers travel to Alamosa and Durango to take on Adams State and Fort Lewis. Live stats and video will be available at MinesAthletics.com.