GOLDEN, Colo. – The Oredigger trio of Denali Pinto, Ashley Steffeck and Courtney Stanton guided the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team to a 61-50 victory on Friday night over CSU Pueblo inside Lockridge Arena.
 
Pinto led all players with a season-high 23 points. She also added six rebounds and two steals. Steffeck absolutely stuffed the stat sheet with an 11-point, 13-rebounded double-double while racking up seven steals and five assists. Stanton's 16 points proved pivotal in the final margin, and she notched three steals, three rebounds, two assists and one block as well. Liz Holter wrapped up Mines' top performances by matching Steffeck with five assists.
 
The Orediggers (10-2, 9-2 RMAC) rode their defense to a fifth straight win thanks to 17 steals that resulted in 26 turnovers by CSU Pueblo (1-7, 1-7 RMAC). The ThunderWolves did outshoot Mines as they converted over 38 percent of their opportunities. However, the Orediggers made up the margin with points off turnovers (26-15) and second-chance points (21-5). Mines only held a 32-30 advantage on the boards, but 17 offensive boards were too much for The Pack to overcome. It's also notable that the Orediggers made eight three-point shots and went 17-for-17 at the free-throw line.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Friday brought balmy weather to Golden, Colo., as temperatures soared into the 60s. Blue skies and bright sunshine set the tone for Mines' standard starting five in Holter, Pinto, Steffeck, Stanton and Sammy Van Sickle. However, it took some time for the warmth outdoors to work its way into Lockridge Arena. Mines shot just 26 percent in the first quarter and CSU Pueblo made use of a 7-0 run for a 13-10 lead after 10 minutes of action. Four points from Stanton and a late three-point play from Pinto were all that kept the Orediggers in the game early.
 
The theme of runs continued into the second quarter, but this time it was the home team's turn. Pinto opened the period with a three-point basket and sparked a 19-2 run for Mines. Pinto accounted for 11 of those 19 points, and the Orediggers leapt out to a 26-15 lead as the defending RMAC Player of the Year drained another long-range bucket with 6:21 left before halftime and forced a ThunderWolves' timeout. The pause proved effective for the visitors. CSU Pueblo burst out of the huddle and produced an 11-0 run while holding Mines scoreless for the rest of the frame. At halftime, the score was tied 26-26.
 
Mines emerged from halftime and broke its scoring silence on Stanton layup off of a steal by Steffeck. Two free throws from Pinto made it a small, 4-0 run for the home team and a 30-26 lead. In fact, the Orediggers did not allow a CSU Pueblo field goal for the first 3:20 of the second half. Unfortunately for Mines, The Packs' first bucket from the floor resulted in a 10-0 run which gave the visitors a 37-32 advantage. Megan Van de Graaf stemmed the tied by sinking a jumper and making a layup as part of a 6-0, Oredigger run. Then, the game shifted into a back-and-forth battle. After three quarters, Mines clung to a 40-39 lead thanks to Stanton's six points in the period.
 
The final quarter was all Orediggers. Mines outscored CSU Pueblo 21-11 – the visitors' lowest-scoring period of the night. Steffeck scored nine points on a trio of long-range baskets, and the home team surged to its largest lead of the game. Stanton's three-pointer with 1:35 remaining in the game gave Mines a 61-48 lead. If not for two late ThunderWolves' free throws, the Orediggers would have held CSU Pueblo under 50 points for the second time in three games. However, the margin proved academic as Mines shot 40 percent from long range and went 7-for-7 at the charity stripe to clinch the victory in the last 10 minutes of action.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines has won six straight games against CSU Pueblo including last year's 100-65 victory in Pueblo.
- The last time the Orediggers started their season 10-2 was the 2015-16 season when they eventually advanced to 13-2.
- Mines' five-game win streak is the longest active run in all the RMAC.
- The Orediggers sit second in the RMAC Standings behind just Western Colorado which is 8-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference.
- Friday's contest featured eight ties and 13 lead changes.
- Steffeck's seven steals against CSU Pueblo give her 40 on the season. The next closest player is The Pack's JaNaiya Davis who has 22.
- Additionally, Steffeck now has two double-doubles in her career after a 15-point, 10-steal performance in Mines' season opener.
- Furthermore, Steffeck played all 40 minutes of the game for the third time in her career.
- Pinto was 10-for-10 at the free-throw line on Friday which moves her to #3 on Mines' all-time free throws list.
- Also, Pinto surged over 1,100 points for her career. She currently ranks #9 on the program's all-time scoring chart.
- Mines is 8-0 when holding opposing teams to less than 55 points so far this season.
- The Orediggers boast seven double-digit wins and have held five opponents to 50 points or less.
- Coach Simpson is 142-100 in her ninth season as head coach.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines continues its home stand on Friday, Feb. 5 with a showdown against MSU Denver inside Lockridge Arena. No spectators are allowed, but 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.