SALT LAKE CITY – The Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball trailed just once Friday night for just 21 seconds as the Orediggers took down #12-ranked Westminster by a score of 80-70 on the Griffin's home court inside Behnken Field House.
 
Denali Pinto led Mines' charge with 30 points on 10-13 shooting from the floor including 3-4 from long range and a 7-9 mark at the free-throw line. Sammy Van Sickle, Courtney Stanton and Ashley Steffeck all scored in double digits as well, combining for 31 points thanks to four three-point baskets. Stanton was also perfect at the free-throw line, going 4-4 in 33 minutes of action. On the glass, McKale Grant, Stanton and Van Sickle pulled down six rebounds apiece. Grant came up big on defense as well, leading all players with four steals. Van Sickle put a bow on her night by adding a team-high three assists.
 
As a team, Mines (7-4, 4-2 RMAC) exploited #12 Westminster (10-2, 5-1 RMAC) with defensive pressure and a presence on the glass. The Orediggers out-rebounded the Griffins 34-23 and forced 17 turnovers complimented by eight steals. While Westminster shot nearly 48 percent from the field and 53 percent from three-point range, it only managed three steals to produce nine points on turnovers along with two points off the bench. On the other side, Mines produced 34 points in the paint, 23 off turnovers, and 16 off the bench. The victory extends the Orediggers' winning streak to four straight games and marks Westminster's first loss in RMAC play this season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines and Westminster rolled into Friday's contest running hot, boasting win streaks of three games and five games, respectively. However, the recent holiday break threatened a potential sluggish start. But the Orediggers showed early there would be no slump. Just 12 seconds into the first quarter, Van Sickle drained a three-pointer and gave the visitors a 3-0 lead. Westminster responded in kind to tie the game at 3-3 and again at 5-5. Those would be the only tie scores of the night. Pinto pumped out seven first-quarter points and Stanton added four. Defensively, Mines held WC to only one point in final 4:58 of the frame. That led to a 18-10, Orediggers' advantage after 10 minutes of action.
 
In the second quarter, Pinto did not play one second due to foul trouble. Grant stepped in and picked up the slack with five points, two rebounds and one assist. Megan Van de Graaf, Heidi Hammond and Ashley Steffeck combined for 10 points in the second period to bolster the effort as Hammond and Steffeck played all 10 minutes. The Griffins closed the half on a 12-4 run, but Grant sank two late free throws to offset a WC three-pointer in the final seconds. After 20 minutes of play, Mines had yet to trail the nationally-ranked home team.
 
After sitting out nearly 14 minutes of the first half, Pinto came out of the break on fire. The sophomore poured in 14 points on 5-5 shooting from the field in the third quarter alone. In fact, Pinto dropped five points in less than two minutes to start the third quarter. She was up to five points less than one minute later and made it to nine points by the five minute mark. Stanton and Grant jumped in on the scoring to help spark a 14-2 run that spanned nearly five minutes of the frame. However, Westminster used back-to-back three-pointers and a 7-0 run to slow Mines' surge. The Griffins cut their deficit to three points with 31 seconds remaining. However, Van Sickle drained a shot at the buzzer to make it 59-54 in favor of the Orediggers.
 
The home team attempted to make its move in the final period. After Steffeck opened up with a basket from long range, WC put together a 5-0 run to pull within three points once again. However, that was the closest the Griffins would get. Pinto and Van Sickle used back-to-back three-pointers at 6:52 and 6:13, respectively, to turn the tide for good. Pinto added nine more points in the fourth quarter, and Mines' defense provided the exclamation point. The Orediggers held Westminster scoreless from the 4:03 mark to the 1:07 mark, helping the visitors find their biggest lead of the night at 77-63. Free throws filled most of the final minute, but time expired with Pinto dribbling the ball near halfcourt.
 
COACH'S COMMENT
"I thought we weren't quite ourselves in the first half," said Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson. "And we were in foul trouble. So, to see us play the second half was fun to watch. This was a good team win."
 
NOTABLES
- Mines evened the all-time series against Westminster at 4-4.
- Friday marks the Orediggers' first win over a nationally ranked opponent since Feb. 3, 2017 when they beat #22-ranked Regis, 82-79, in Denver.
- Mines also defeated #4-ranked Florida Southern in the 2016-17 season by a score of 81-66 on Nov. 25 in Golden.
- Pinto's performance at Westminster marks the second 30-point game of her career. She is the third Oredigger to score at least 30 points in a game on multiple occasions.
- Only 12 individuals have ever produced 30 points in a single game for Mines.
- Grant's nine points, six rebounds, and four steals all mark career highs for the redshirt sophomore from Texas.
- Under Head Coach Brittany Simpson, Mines is 5-3 in new-year openers.
- The Orediggers' 80 points against the Griffins is their highest offensive output of the season so far.
- Steffeck now has two double-digit scoring games in her career as a true freshman.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is 120-92 in eight years at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines faces Dixie State on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. in St. George, Utah. 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.