Mines (3-0, 2-0 RMAC) vs. Western Colorado (3-0, 3-0 RMAC) – Friday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (3-0, 2-0 RMAC) vs. Fort Lewis (1-2, 1-2 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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LEAGUE LEADERS CLASH
This weekend, the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball will host a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contests against Western Colorado on Friday and Fort Lewis on Saturday. Both contests promise to be showdowns of epic proportions. Mines leads the league in scoring defense while WCU and FLC sit #1 and #2, respectively, in scoring offense. Furthermore, Western Colorado and the Orediggers are undefeated in RMAC play and sit atop the conference standings. An 0-0 record for UCCS notwithstanding,  only one unbeaten will remain following Friday's showdown.
 
NO SPECTATORS THROUGH THE END OF 2020
Spectators will be not allowed to attend any Mines game – home or away – at least through the end of December due to local and state guidelines in Jefferson and Denver counties. Mines Athletics will continue to re-evaluate this policy for home games in the future as conditions allow. In the meantime, all games home and away are streamed live and for free on the RMAC Network, which is also available on the AppleTV, Roku, and AmazonFire app stores.
 
ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES
The mantra for this season is "be prepared for anything." That certainly has been the case. To date, the Oredigger women have moved their original season openers against Chadron State and Black Hills State to Jan. 3-4. Last week's Regis game was moved once. Mines' actual RMAC opener against South Dakota Mines was moved from Rapid City to Golden. The most recent change for the women is rescheduling their game with UCCS for Monday, Jan. 18 at 12 p.m. Additionally, New Mexico Highlands has opted out of the season which removes the Jan. 9 game from the calendar. More changes are likely to come and will be announced at www.minesathletics.com and on Twitter at @MinesWBB and @MinesAthletics.
 
GROUND RULES
In late November, the RMAC released information about the season structure and return-to-play guidelines for basketball. All teams will have a 22-game conference schedule (non-conference play being optional), and any game that is not played due to COVID-19 issues will be declared a "no contest." All student-athletes and team support staff must test negative within 72 hours of the game, and in the state of Colorado, in everyone the arena will wear a mask except for the 10 active players on the court. An RMAC champion will be declared if at least five teams complete 50 percent of their originally approved schedule (11 games). The champion and RMAC Tournament qualifiers will be determined by use of the NCAA Division II RPI system.
 
RALLY AT REGIS
Despite a fast start for the Orediggers last Thursday night, Mines had to come from behind to earn a 50-48 win over the Rangers inside Regis Fieldhouse. Ashley Steffeck played a key role in the victory by making a driving layup with two seconds remaining to give the Orediggers a two-point advantage. Regis proceeded to call timeout before its shot at the buzzer missed the mark and clinched the win. Steffeck's last-second shot tied her for the team lead in scoring with 12 points. Raven Herrera and Loralee Stock scored 12 apiece as well while Courtney Stanton added 11. Steffeck also tied for the team lead on the glass by way of eight rebounds. Her effort matched that of Herrera who grabbed eight as well. The icing on the cake was a team-high three assists from none other than Steffeck and three steals from Stanton. With the win, Mines improved to 3-0 for the first time since 2001 while moving to 2-0 in RMAC play.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN COLORADO
Over the last few years, Western Colorado has made a name for itself as a stalwart defensive force. However, this season has seen WCU break out as the #1 scoring offense in the RMAC at 77.3 points per game. That production led to a 77-70 victory over NCAA Division I Air Force in an exhibition on Wednesday evening. The Mountaineers also own wins over Black Hills State, Fort Lewis and MSU Denver with the last two coming by double digits. Individually, Hannah Cooper leads WCU's high powered offense with 21.0 points per game. She also boasts 5.7 assists per contest. Additionally, Emmery Wagstaff and Samantha Coleman both average just over 14 points apiece. Katie Dalton owns the glass with 6.5 rebounds per game while swatting 1.5 shots per contest as well. As a team, Western Colorado shoots over 42 percent from the floor including 37 percent from behind the three-point line. However, WCU does commit over 17 turnovers per game.
 
WHAT'S A MOUNTAINEER
Western Colorado University, previously known as Colorado State Normal School and Western State Colorado University, uses the nickname Mountaineers for its athletics programs. Merriam-Webster defines a Mountaineer as a native or inhabitant of a mountainous region, or a person who climbs mountains for sport. The institution lives up to its nickname as the first school (1901) on the Western Slope of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Western Colorado further embraces its geological location and history with its Mountain Sports program which includes freeride skiing and snowboarding, alpine ski racing, Nordic ski racing and many more. With three freeride skiing athletes qualifying for the Freeride World Tour, it's clear Western Colorado is truly, the Mountaineers.
 
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS
Fort Lewis rolls into the weekend as the #2 scoring offense in the RMAC, averaging 70.3 points per game. However, FLC's production has not had the same result as its cohort from Gunnison. The Skyhawks are 1-2 after losses to Black Hills State and Western Colorado. Fort Lewis' lone victory came last Saturday by six points over Colorado Christian, 73-67. Four individuals average double-digit scoring numbers with Jordan Vasquez leading the way at 21.3 points per game. Alyssa Adams and Alison Chanhthala provide 11.3 apiece while Bailer Osmer sits right at 10.0 points per game. Vasquez is also tops in rebounding at 7.0 boards per game. Defensively, FLC has just 24 steals and two blocks through three games. The Skyhawks are -1.3 in turnover comparison with their opponents and they only shoot 63 percent at the free throw line.
 
SERIES HISTORY
This weekend marks the 63rd meeting between Mines and Western Colorado with the Orediggers and Skyhawks facing off for the 57th time. Despite a two-game losing streak to WCU, Mines is 5-2 over the teams' last seven meetings. Last season's single-game series with the Mountaineers saw Western Colorado stifle the Orediggers to the tune of 48 points even though Sammy Van Sickle and Courtney Stanton both scored 13 points. Mines' recent history against the Skyhawks is split at 4-6 over the last 10. The Orediggers dropped the 2019-20 meeting inside Lockridge Arena by a score of 64-55. However, FLC did have to use 12 players to get the win and Denali Pinto provided a bright spot with 18 points. Safe to say that current context and recent history make this weekend a huge turning point early in the Orediggers' season.
 
DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS
If that saying holds true, the Orediggers are sitting pretty for the 2020-21 campaign as Mines boasts one of the best defenses in all of NCAA Division II. As of Thursday afternoon, the Orediggers ranked #3 in the nation in scoring defense (50.0 ppg), #2 in steals per game (17.3) and #1 in turnover margin (+16.00) and turnovers per game (10.0). Individually, Ashley Steffeck continues to lead the nation with 5.3 steals per game. Additionally, Sammy Van Sickle is tied for #1 in the RMAC in assist to turnover ratio at 7.0. If she met the percentage of games played requirement, Van Sickle would also rank #1 in the nation.
 
COUNTDOWN TO 1,000
The countdown continues for Denali Pinto as she seeks 1,000 points for her career. With 15 points in her last outing against South Dakota Mines, Pinto moved up to 988 points in just 58 games. For those struggling with the math, she needs 12 points to hit the four-digit milestone. Pinto's career average is 17.0 points per game. She also boasts four games of at least 30 points. No other Oredigger in the history of the program has more than two 30-point games. She's also done it at the free-throw line with 252 freebies in less than three seasons. In fact – here comes a nugget for you thorough readers – Denali Pinto is the active career leader in NCAA Division II in free-throw percentage at 84.0. That would rank #3 in NCAA Division I while NCAA Division III has no active career leaders listed.
 
UP NEXT
This weekend marks the last games of 2020 for the Orediggers. Their next scheduled contests are Jan. 3-4 at Chadron State and Black Hills State. Be sure to check www.minesathletics.com for status on fans at the game. Either way, live stats and video will be offered for free at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women's basketball on Twitter and Instagram at @MinesWBB. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.