DENVER, Colo. – Sophomore guard Ashley Steffeck guided the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team to a season-opening victory on Saturday with a record-setting effort as the Orediggers downed the Roadrunners, 75-49 inside the Auraria Event Center.
 
Steffeck finished the game with a 15-point, 10-steal double-double. Her 15 points led all players and her 10 steals broke Mines' single-game record. The Fossil Ridge High School alum also added five rebounds and two assists to her resume. Courtney Stanton, Sammy Van Sickle and Denali Pinto made it a quartet of Orediggers scoring in double digits, boasting 13, 12 and 11, respectively. Pinto tallied her 11 points in just eight minutes of action while notching four rebounds and one steal. Shelby Nichols led her team on the glass by grabbing seven rebounds, and Van Sickle rounded out the effort with three assists.
 
As a team, Mines (1-0) used Steffeck's defensive spark to hold MSU Denver (1-1) to 22-percent shooting from the floor. The Orediggers overcame a 5-of-24, three-point mark by scoring 32 points in the paint and 31 points off turnovers. On the other side, the Roadrunners managed just 10 points in the paint and nine off turnovers. Mines' defense forced 33 total turnovers and committed just 11 of its own. The Orediggers also benefitted from 26 points off their bench. Saturday's win marks Mines' first win on opening day since the 2018-19 season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saturday afternoon saw the Colorado sun shining in clear, cerulean skies as temperatures reached into the 50s and Mines' women returned to action for the first time in 268 days. That time off was evident in the opening period with both teams shooting under 31 percent and the score tied at 11 after 10 minutes of action. However, the second quarter saw an uptick in offense with the Orediggers shooting 46 percent for 17 points. MSU Denver rose to the challenge by shooting 50 percent and scoring 22 points. The offensive explosion brought the game to halftime with Mines trailing, 33-28.
 
Whatever was said in the Orediggers' locker room during the break proved effective. Mines stormed out of halftime and limited MSU Denver to 16 second-half points. The Orediggers parlayed their defensive effort into success on offense with a 10-0 run in the third quarter and a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter. In fact, Mines closed the game on a 40-9 run. Pinto scored eight points in the third period and three in the fourth to bolster the effort. Other second-half stars included Stanton boasting 11 points and four rebounds with Steffeck dropping 10 of her points in the final 20 minutes as well. The only points MSU Denver scored in the fourth quarter were a three-point basket and a pair of free throws.
 
COACH'S COMMENT
"It was a lot of fun for our girls to compete and play against someone else today," said Head Coach Brittany Simpson. "I'm very proud of their effort and how hard they played together."
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 4-5 on opening day under the direction of Coach Simpson.
- The last time the Orediggers scored more than 70 points in their season opener was the 2012-13 season when they defeated #22-ranked Alaska Anchorage, 80-74.
- Mines' 26-point win is the Orediggers' largest margin of victory on opening day since the 2005-06 season when they defeated Johnson & Wales by a score of 98-24 – over 15 years ago.
- Saturday marked collegiate debuts for both Josephine Howery and Quincey Baum.
- Howery finished with three rebounds, two points, two steals, and two assists in 12 minutes while Baum saw five minutes of action.
- Raven Herrera also made her return after a full year off from basketball. She ended up scoring seven points with six rebounds, two assists and two steals.
- Ashley Steffeck's 10 steals broke the program's single-game record previously held by Laura Laffoon and Claudia Fonio. The last time any Oredigger recorded nine steals was the 1987-88 season – over 30 years ago.
- Steffeck's double-double on Saturday was the first of her career.
- Denali Pinto's brief appearance put her over 300 rebounds for her career and brought her to 973 points for her career.
- Courtney Stanton also moved over 300 rebounds for her career on Saturday afternoon.
- Head coach Brittany Simpson is 133-98 in nine years at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines' next scheduled game is Tuesday, Dec. 1, at Regis at 5 p.m. The Orediggers' RMAC opener will feature live stats and video available at www.minesathletics.com.