Mines (5-4, 2-2 RMAC) vs. UCCS (1-9, 0-4 RMAC) – Saturday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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GAME DAY INFO
New in 2019, fans can purchase digital tickets online in advance via Mines' new ticketing portal, or buy them at the gate on game day. Ticket pricing remains the same as 2018 at $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, military, and children. Mines students, faculty, and staff are free with their Blaster Card. No pets (except service animals) are permitted inside Lockridge Arena.
 
ON THE RMAC NETWORK
Every Mines home game and all RMAC contests 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".
 
END OF A DECADE
This Saturday, the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team plays its last game of the decade, literally. The Orediggers host a RMAC showdown with UCCS, which also marks the decade's last contest of any sort inside Lockridge Arena. UCCS rolls into Golden seeking its first win in RMAC action while Mines is Fresh off a 2-0 weekend in the Denver metro area. The Mountain Lions are the Orediggers' third straight opponent with a record under .500, but still present a threat from long range and the drive to avoid a 0-5 start in conference play. Safe to say, all parties involved want to close the year and decade with a win. That fact alone should provide an exciting affair on Saturday evening.
 
LOOKING BACK
Last weekend, Mines collected two wins on the road. They were the Orediggers' first victories in RMAC action. Friday featured a 68-52 decision at Colorado Christian. Despite a three-point margin at halftime, Mines pulled away for its fourth double-digit win of the season. Sammy Van Sickle led the charge with a 26-point, 11-rebound double-double. The first of her career. Denali Pinto added 17 points, and Liz Holter dished out five assists with nine points and nine rebounds. On Saturday, the Orediggers battled it out with Regis and came away with a 75-68 win. Courtney Stanton poured in 22 points. Pinto racked up 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Heidi Hammond and Van Sickle combined for 22 points while Van Sickle also added four steals and a block.
 
SCOUTING UCCS
The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs has found only one win this season. It came at home against UT-Permian Basin by a final margin of 86-78. Since that time, UCCS has dropped eight consecutive games including an overtime loss at Simon Fraser in Canada. All four losses in RMAC play have come by double digits. Individually, Abby Feickert leads the offense with 11.5 points per game. Over half of Feickert baskets are from long range. Chelsea Person provides another threat on offense with 19 made three-pointers. Madi Gaibler averages 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 rebounds per game. All those numbers are tops on the team. Makenna Baker touts just over 1.0 steals per game to lead UCCS.
 
THE PUMA CONCOLOR
Above is the scientific name for the cat known as mountain lion, or cougar. Of course, Mountain Lion is the nickname for UCCS Athletics and also the animal with the most names in the entire world. But, did fans know all of this? Females weight 85-120 pounds while males check in at 120-180 pounds. If we're being honest, that's bigger than most players on the court since cougars also measure seven to eight feet from nose to tail while standing two to three feet at the shoulder. Cougars can horizontally jump 40 feet while running, leap 15 feet up into a tree, climb a 12-foot fence and sprint up to 50 MPH. All of this really has the author thinking about a basketball game between cougars, but we digress. Interestingly, cougars were classified as a game animal in Montana in 1971 and can be hunted from September to April. As tempting as that sounds, this author will probably just stick to watching sports.
 
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
The all-time series between Mines and UCCS features 40 meetings. This Saturday marks the 41st showdown. The Orediggers narrowly trail the Mountain Lions with an overall record of 19-21. The last time Mines and UCCS faced each other was March 1, 2019. It was the 2018-19 regular-season finale inside Lockridge Arena and the Orediggers won 57-38. Denali Pinto led all players with 13 points and Courtney Stanton scored 12. Pinto and Stanton also combined for four blocks. Mines' biggest margin of victory over the Mountain Lions was a 90-49 blowout on Feb. 6, 2010. The two programs have split the last 10 matchups, 5-5. Since first meeting on Dec. 4, 1990, the Orediggers average 61.3 points per game against the Mountain Lions.
 
THIS DECADE AND MORE
Mines last ended a decade of play on Dec. 13, 2009. It was a 68-43 home win over Peru State. Since that game, the Orediggers boast exactly 150 wins. Overall, from Jan. 1, 2010 until now, Mines is 150-136. The 2010's saw two coaches (Krueger, Simpson), eight team records, the program's first RMAC title and its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Additionally, 13 individual records were broken in this decade. Since their first season in 1976-77, the Orediggers have gone 1-3 in the last game of four decades. Those games featured contests at MSU Denver and Air Force with home showdowns against Peru State and Colorado Christian.
 
FREE-THROW FACTS
We'll start small. The free-throw line is 15 feet horizontally from the plane of the front of the backboard. It is 13 feet horizontally from the front edge of the hoop. The hypotenuse of that triangle, from free-throw line to front edge of the rim, is 16.4 feet. Now, many probably already knew those facts. But, did you know that Denali Pinto is #5 in all of NCAA Division II in free-throw percentage this season at 94.6 percent. She also ranks #10 in the nation in free throws made with 53. Another fact. Furthermore, no individual has more made free throws with less misses than Pinto. She's only missed three from the charity stripe all year. As a team, Mines ranks #7 in DII in free-throw percentage at 80.7 percent on the season. Courtney Stanton has bolstered that ranking as well. She sits #26 in the country in free-throw percentage, boasting a conversion rate of 89.3 percent. Craving more facts? We have you covered. The RMAC's all-time leader in career free-throw percentage is none other than Brittany Simpson (Rowley), the head coach of the Orediggers. Over four years at Colorado Mesa, she shot 89.1 percent at the free-throw line. And now you know.
 
OREDIGGER LEADERS
Through nine games, Denali Pinto leads Mines in scoring thanks to 16.6 points per game. Sammy Van Sickle sits #2 on the team at 11.8 points per game. Courtney Stanton averages double-digits as well, touting 10.7 points per game. On the glass, Van Sickle's 7.8 rebounds per game tops the squad. She also leads the Orediggers with 13 steals and nine blocks. Liz Holter boasts 23 assists on the season. In regards to efficiency, Stanton leads Mines with a shooting percentage of 49.3 from the field at 50 from three-point range.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
The Orediggers return to the court on Jan. 3 at #12-ranked Westminster. Tip-off in Salt Lake City is slated for 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video of the game will be available at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.