SPEARFISH, S.D. – Junior transfer Liz Holter put together a career performance on Saturday afternoon as the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team rolled to a 64-53 victory over Black Hills State inside the Donald E. Young Center.
 
Holter poured in 19 points and dished out six assists with one rebound in the win. She also shot 100 percent at the free-throw line and 50 percent from three-point range. Denali Pinto matched her teammate with 19 points while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out two assists. Courtney Stanton and Ashley Steffeck also joined the double-digit scoring club, combining for 23 points while pulling down 10 rebounds. Steffeck added three steals as well. Sammy Van Sickle led all players with 14 rebounds. She added three assists, one steal and one block to her resume too. McKale Grant matched Steffeck on three steals. Stanton contributed six rebounds to the victorious effort.
 
As a team, Mines (10-6, 7-4 RMAC) shot nearly 40 percent from the floor while converting 17 points off turnovers and capitalizing on 10 second-chance points. Black Hills State (10-6, 7-4 RMAC) also neared the 40-percent mark in shooting and benefited from 28 points off the bench. The Yellow Jackets also scored 26 points in the paint but committed 16 turnovers and shot just 26 percent from three-point range. The Orediggers' victory puts them in a tie for sixth place in the RMAC standings with none other than Black Hills State. Mines is just four games out of first place with 11 contests remaining in the regular season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Going into Saturday afternoon's contest, Black Hills State boasted a better record than Mines and touted a three-game winning streak. Added to all of that was a home-court advantage for the Yellow Jackets. However, the game was never tied and the Orediggers never trailed as the visitors led from beginning to end. Pinto opened the scoring for everyone with a bucket from long range. That led to five points in the first quarter for the sophomore, but Holter bested her teammate with six points in the opening period. The 11-point production by the duo of Pinto and Holter gave Mines a 17-9 advantage after 10 minutes of action.
 
Holter exploded for seven points in the second quarter as the Orediggers worked out to a 38-28 advantage by halftime. That margin expanded to 18 points midway through the third quarter, marking Mines' biggest lead of the game. Pinto scored six points in the third frame alone and the Orediggers converted on 60 percent of their shots from long range. That led to the final period where Black Hills State outscored its opponent, 16-10. However, five rebounds and one block from Van Sickle helped clinch the victory for Mines. The Orediggers also converted 75 percent of their shots at the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.  
 
COACH'S COMMENT
"Our defense was a lot better. That is what separated us today," said Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson. "I am really proud of how we handled what they threw at us."
 
NOTABLES
- Mines' win over Black Hills State evened the all-time series at 6-6.
- Saturday marks the Orediggers' first win in Spearfish since Feb. 15, 2013 – nearly seven years ago.
- Holter's 19 points and six assists are both career highs for the Arizona native. She has upped her single-game scoring best on back-to-back nights after dropping 12 at South Dakota Mines.
- The only players to score for the Orediggers at Black Hills State were the starting five.
- Van Sickle boasts double-digit rebounds over her last four games, averaging 12.75 boards per contest in that span.
- Pinto boasts at least 18 points in eight consecutive games. She's also scored in double digits in nine straight games and surpassed 300 points for the season on Saturday afternoon.
- Thanks to the aforementioned run, Pinto continues to rank #1 in the RMAC in total points and points per game this season.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is 123-94 in eight years at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines hosts MSU Denver on Jan. 24 inside Lockridge Arena and Chadron State on Jan. 25 in the same location. 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. Fans can also follow Mines Volleyball on Twitter using the handle @MinesVolleyball.