Mines (18-6, 15-4 RMAC) vs. Black Hills State (15-9, 12-7 RMAC) – Friday, 6 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (18-6, 15-4 RMAC) vs. South Dakota Mines (14-9, 12-7 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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GAME DAY INFO
New in 2019-20, fans can purchase digital tickets online in advance via Mines' new ticketing portal, or buy them at the gate on game day. Ticket pricing remains the same as 2018-19 at $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, military, and children. Mines students, faculty, and staff are free with their Blaster Card. No pets (except service animals) are permitted inside Lockridge Arena.
 
ON THE RMAC NETWORK
Every Mines home game and all RMAC contests can be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at minesathletics.com/tv. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC".
 
BACK AT HOME
The Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team returns home this weekend after two weeks and four games on the road. As a welcome back gift, the Orediggers host Black Hills State on Friday and South Dakota Mines on Saturday. Not only does Mines boast a 10-game winning streak, but the Orediggers also sit in a battle for second place in the RMAC standings and have plenty they need to prove to the NCAA South Central Regional Advisory Committee. To say both games carry importance could be misconstrued as an understatement. Augmenting all the excitement on the court will be recognition of family, friends, other Oredigger champions and the 2019-20 senior class.
 
LOOKING BACK
Mines closed its road trip last weekend with a pair of dominant victories over New Mexico Highlands and CSU-Pueblo. The Orediggers toppled NMHU by a score of 86-43. Five individuals scored in double digits for the visitors. Megan Van de Graaf led the way on 16 points and 7-of-13 shooting from the floor. She also added eight rebounds while Denali Pinto, Courtney Stanton, Sammy Van Sickle and Ashley Steffeck joined the double-digit party too. The next night, Mines trounced the ThunderWolves in record-setting fashion inside Massari Arena to the tune of 100-65. It marked the first time any Oredigger women's basketball team had ever scored in triple digits. Additionally, Pinto broke the program's single-season scoring mark thanks to 24 points, putting her at 486 on the year. Steffeck put together a career-best performance, tallying 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block. Stanton, Liz Holter and Van Sickle added 18, 13 and 11, respectively.
 
SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
At 15-9 overall and 12-7 in conference play, Black Hills State is tied for #5 in the RMAC standings. The Yellow Jackets are 3-1 over their last four and 7-3 over their last 10. In fact, BHSU hasn't lost back-to-back games since Dec. 6-7 at Westminster and Dixie State. Two marquee wins for Black Hills State came at home in a 74-66 win over Fort Lewis and a 49-47 victory over Western Colorado. On the other hand, BHSU is 0-2 against MSU Denver this season and also dropped a game to CSU-Pueblo in Pueblo. Individually, Racquel Wientjes and Morgan Ham pilot the offense behind 16.6 and 14.1 points per game, respectively. Wientjes also leads on the boards with 5.2 rebounds per game. Ashlee Beacom runs the point and tops the defense thanks to 47 assists and 36 steals over 24 games and 23 starts. As a team, the Yellow Jackets average 67.4 points per game and give up 59.1 to the opposition. That's good enough to rank the BHSU defense #48 in the nation.
 
THEY'RE EVERYWHERE – EXCEPT ANTARCTICA
Earlier this season, fans learned that Yellow Jackets are, in fact, classified as wasps. They also learned entomologists believe in the one-word spelling – yellowjackets. What many may not know is that wasps are everywhere – literally. Wasps live on every continent but Antarctica. The insect makes nests from paper by chewing up strips of bark and spitting it out. While some colonies can grow up to 4,000-5,000 workers, there are some wasps that live alone. Also, wasps don't make honey. Only honeybees make honey. Not our best work, but now you know.
 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
The Hardrockers of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology roll into the weekend as the second-hottest team in the RMAC. At nine straight wins, SDSMT's streak is second only to Colorado School of Mines. In fact, the Orediggers were responsible for the Hardrockers' last loss – an overtime affair in Rapid City. To along with the winning streak, South Dakota Mines also boasts an overtime victory over Dixie State in St. George, Utah. The Hardrockers are led by Ryan Weiss who averages 17.0 points per game. Her three-point percentage of 48.0 ranks #4 in the nation along with #3 at three-point field goals per game and #7 in total three-pointers. Ann Haugen chips in 10.8 points per contest and also grabs 9.8 rebounds per game. Floor captain Anna Combalia dishes out 3.0 assists per game and racks up 1.6 steals on average as well. In addition to three-point shooting, SDSMT also touts discipline to the tune of just 13.7 personal fouls per game. The Hardrockers are #7 in the nation in fewest fouls overall. As a team, South Dakota Mines racks up 68.0 points per game while holding teams to 58.0.
 
MOHS SCALE OF MINERAL HARDNESS
When the Orediggers and South Dakota Mines met on Jan. 17, fans learned that the opponent's Hardrocker nickname refers to a miner who specializes in the extraction of harder minerals as opposed to coal or softer sediment. But, what exactly is considered a "harder mineral". For that answer we look to Mohs scale of mineral hardness which was developed by German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. This scale provides one of many definitions of hardness by seeing which minerals can visibly scratch others. According to Mohs scale, talc is the softest mineral and would NOT be mined by a Hardrocker. In the middle of the scale is fluorite, apatite (the hungriest mineral) and orthoclase feldspar – possibly mined by a Hardrocker. Atop the mineral food chain are diamonds which most certainly fall under the definition of "hard rocks". And that's all there is to say about that.

LOCKRIDGE ARENA
Fondly referred to as "The Lock", Mines' home court for volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball features seating for 3,000 at Oredigger home athletics events. The venue has also twice hosted the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball South Central Regional Tournament. Additionally, Lockridge Arena hosts numerous major campus events and has been graced by the presence of Barack Obama, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye and many others.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Orediggers are even the all-time series against both BHSU and SDSMT at 6-6 and 5-5, respectively. Mines' .500 record is thanks to a pair of wins just over one month ago in South Dakota. The visitors took down the Hardrockers by a score of 77-75 in overtime. Denali Pinto led the charge with 28 points. Sammy Van Sickle pulled down 12 rebounds and Ashley Steffeck dished out four assists with three steals. Not to be overlooked are 14 points from Megan Van de Graaf and 12 courtesy of Liz Holter. Mines toppled Black Hills State the next night by a margin of 64-53. Pinto and Holter teamed up for 19 points apiece. Courtney Stanton added 13 points and Steffeck notched 10. Van Sickle dominated the boards with 14 rebounds. Holter also added six assists.
 
2019-20 SENIOR CLASS
Saturday marks the final home game of the 2019-20 regular season and that means it's Senior Night. The Orediggers' 2019-20 Senior Class is a class of one featuring a 5-11 guard from Highlands Ranch, Colo. – Heidi Hammond. Over four years, Hammond has become one of Mines' best three-point shooters. Her career percentage of 37.8 currently ranks #1 in program history as does her season mark of 46.3. Hammond boasts nearly 400 points in almost 100 games for the Orediggers and has missed only one free throw in her entire career. She is a three-time RMAC Academic Honor Roll member and has helped Mines to three straight 18-win seasons. Hammond will graduate from Ines with a degree in mechanical engineering.
 
COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Denali Pinto earned Academic All-District honors on Thursday courtesy of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The announcement marks the first Academic All-District award of Pinto's career and makes her the youngest honoree on the five-person squad. To be considered for the CoSIDA Academic All-District teams, a student-athlete must carry a minimum grade-point average of 3.3 as a sophomore or above and be a starter or significant contributor to their team. Pinto boasts an unblemished GPA as a biochemical engineering major which also led to RMAC Academic Player of the Year and RMAC First-Team All-Academic distinction. On the court, the Boulder, Colo., native leads the Orediggers, RMAC and South Central Region in scoring thanks to 20.3 points per game. She also broke Mines' single-season record with 486 points this season and four games left on the schedule Additionally, Pinto boasts 61 three-point baskets, 129 rebounds, 49 assists and 21 steals.
 
SISTER SHOWDOWN – PART II
When Colorado School of Mines and South Dakota Mines faced off in Rapid City on Jan. 17, it marked the first time ever that sisters Ashley and Sami Steffeck had ever met in a sanctioned competition (driveway showdowns and pickup masterpieces excluded). As a true freshman for the Orediggers, Ashley has picked up steam as of late and boasts 126 points, 87 rebounds, 48 assists, 39 steals and 11 blocks over 21 games. On the other side, Sami is a senior at SDSMT and has since joined the 1,000-point club and holds the program record for career three-pointers with 237. In that inaugural meeting, Ashley was modest with seven points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Sami countered with 12 points, three rebounds, one assist, and no steals. While the collegiate rivalry only just began, it could end just as quickly. Unless the two teams meet in the RMAC Tournament, Saturday could mark the end of the sibling rivalry at the collegiate level.
 
RMAC RUNDOWN
Three games remain in the regular season and Mines currently sits in a tie for #2 in the RMAC standings. Due to the head-to-head record, the Orediggers would take the #3 seed if the season ended today while Western Colorado would claim #2. Unless Colorado Mesa goes 0-3 down the stretch, CMU will enter the postseason as the #1 seed. One game behind Western Colorado and Mines is Westminster at 14-5 in league play. While the top four spots remain fluid, the Orediggers need just one win to cement its spot in that range and clinch a home game in the RMAC Tournament Quarterfinal round. The bottom four of the projected tournament field feature Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines tied for #5 while Dixie State and Fort Lewis are tied for #7. We will wait to dip into tiebreaker scenarios. However, outside the top eight but still holding out hope are MSU Denver, Regis and Colorado Christian. UCCS, CSU-Pueblo, Chadron State, Adams State and New Mexico Highlands have been mathematically eliminated from postseason play.
 
RECORDS SHALL FALL
The 2019-20 Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team has already toppled multiple program records with many more on the horizon. If you're superstitious or even a little "stitious", we recommend you skip this section. As previously referenced, last weekend featured a new single-game scoring record thanks to Mines' 100 points scored on CSU-Pueblo. Also referenced was Denali Pinto's single-season scoring record. Potential records that could fall include the Orediggers' scoring average which currently ranks #1 in the RMAC over 70 points per game. Additionally, Pinto boasts 61 three-pointers which ranks #7 in a single season. The top mark for made three-pointers is 79. Furthermore, Pinto also touts 143 free throws on the year. That ranks #2 in program history with the #1 mark at 156 free throws in a single season. The end.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines closes the 2019-20 regular season at UCCS on Feb. 28 at 5:30 p.m. 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.