GOLDEN, Colo. – Head Coach Brittany Simpson became the winningest coach in Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball history on Friday night thanks to a 68-53 victory over South Dakota School of Mines inside Lockridge Arena.
 
The win moves Simpson ahead of her predecessor Paula Kruger to 134-98 in less than nine seasons. She now leads every coach in program history in winning percentage and total wins. Simpson earned the victory by way of a balanced attack and strong defense. Three different Orediggers scored 15 points apiece including Ashley Steffeck, Denali Pinto and Courtney Stanton. Sammy Van Sickle provided a standout performance as well with nine points, eight rebounds, six steals, four blocks and four assists. Steffeck also added five steals to go along with 10 from her last outing while Liz Holter tied Van Sickle with four assists.
 
For a second straight game, Mines (2-0, 1-0 RMAC) produced 22 steals and forced 29 turnovers by South Dakota Mines (0-1, 0-1 RMAC). Offensively, the Orediggers shot over 40 percent from the field and nearly doubled up the Hardrockers in assists by a margin of 14-8. Mines' defense helped it overcome a rebounding deficit of 31-39 and a team free-throw percentage of 61.1 percent. The Orediggers second-biggest benefit was 36 points in the paint compared to 20 from the Hardrockers. With the win, Mines moves to 2-0 for only the third time since the year 2000.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a week of sub-freezing temperatures in the Golden area, warm weather once again graced the day for a second straight week as the Orediggers arrived at Lockridge Arena for their home opener and the first game of RMAC play. However, the excitement of playing at home proved too much in the early going as Mines found itself trailing 15-12 after one quarter of play and 34-29 at halftime. That lead for the visitors came mostly due to a three-point percentage of 53.8 percent on 7-of-13 shooting from long range.
 
Just like in last week's season opener, the halftime break proved fortuitous for the Orediggers. Colorado School of Mines stormed out of the locker room and proceed to outscore South Dakota Mines by a margin of 25-7 in the third quarter alone. That outburst included a 25-5 run, nine points from Steffeck and five more from Stanton. Over the course of 10 minutes, Mines converted 47 percent of its shots from the field including 55 percent from long range.
 
The offensive production in the third period afforded the home team a 54-41 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Mines pushed that lead all the way to 16 points with 4:35 left to play, and the opposition never got close. The Orediggers closed out the victory on a 4-1 run thanks to free throws from Raven Herrera and Denali Pinto.
 
COACH'S COMMENT
"I felt like we executed better defensively in the second half," said Head Coach Brittany Simpson. "We also played to our principles much better than the first half. We were able to focus more on the defensive and on what we wanted to accomplish. Offensively, we just flat out have to be better. Specifically, our ball movement needs to improve. However, overall, I'm glad we were able to play."
 
NOTABLES
- The last time the Orediggers started the season 2-0 was the 2012-13 season – Simpson's first season as head coach.
- Mines' only other 2-0 start this century came in the 2001-02 campaign – nearly 20 years ago.
- Friday's victory evened the series between Colorado School of Mines and South Dakota Mines at six wins apiece.
- The Hardrockers' 53 points are the second-fewest allowed by the Orediggers.
- After two contests, Mines averaging 22 steals per game which leads all of NCAA Division II.
- Van Sickle's four blocks mark a career high for the junior. As do her six steals.
- Steffeck now has 15 steals through two games as the defending RMAC Defensive Play of the Week.
- Pinto's 15 points move the junior to 988 for her career – just 12 points away from the 1,000-point milestone.
- In 2000, Mines defeated Seattle 83-60 and Queens 69-64 to start the season. The Orediggers also knocked off #22-ranked Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks to start the 2012-13 season.
- Head coach Brittany Simpson is 134-98 in nine years at the helm – as mentioned above.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines' next scheduled game is Thursday, Dec. 10, at Regis at 4 p.m. Live stats and video will be offered for free at www.minesathletics.com.