SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team erased a 17-point, second-half deficit on Monday evening before falling in overtime to Black Hills State by a score of 73-71 inside the Donald E. Young Center.
 
Mines suffered the loss despite 21 points from Ashley Steffeck which led all players in the game. She went 7-of-11 from the floor including 3-of-6 from three-point range. Steffeck also grabbed three rebounds, notched three steals, dished out two assists and blocked one shot. Denali Pinto was right behind her teammate with 20 points. She converted 6-of-14 shots from the floor and 4-of-7 from behind the arc while grabbing five rebounds and handing out one assist. Sammy Van Sickle was tops on the glass again with eight rebounds. No player in the game had more. Liz Holter tied the game high on four assists.
 
The Orediggers (5-2, 4-2 RMAC) were productive from long range, shooting 50 percent from behind the arc. Mines also put up 28 points in the paint. Black Hills State (6-1, 6-1 RMAC) offset that production by converting 28 points off of 22 Oredigger turnovers. The Yellow Jackets racked up 16 points on the fast break as well. Another bright spot for Mines was a 35-26 advantage on the glass. Both teams were virtually even in assists, steals and blocks. The loss does not affect the Orediggers' fourth-place standing in the RMAC.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a convincing win in Nebraska on Sunday evening, Mines trekked north and west into the Black Hills of South Dakota and arrived in Spearfish just after 10 p.m. The Orediggers awoke to clear skies and cool temperatures. They arrived at the Donald E. Young Center with the sun sinking towards the horizon.
 
The starting five of Holter, Pinto, Courtney Stanton, Steffeck and Van Sickle provided a strong start for the visitors. Mines burst out of the gates on an 8-2 run thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Pinto. However, the luster of an early advantage quickly faded. Neither team scored from 3:57 to 1:45. The Yellow Jackets then produced an 8-0 run of their own. Pinto slowed it down with a pair of free throws at the end of the period for eight first-quarter points, but it did not stop the bleeding.
 
Black Hills State carried its momentum into the second quarter and outscored the Orediggers 12-0 to start the frame. The overall result was a 30-9 run for the home team which spanned 13:57 of the first half. Mines found its first field goal of the second quarter at the 4:41 mark thanks to a layup off the hand of Steffeck. She scored another bucket 61 seconds later, but the Yellow Jackets would win the period by a 23-7 margin and carry a 39-24 advantage into halftime after 10 first-half turnovers by Mines.
 
The Orediggers opened the second half with their familiar five. It proved fortuitous for the visitors. Steffeck opened Mines' scoring with a three-point basket from the left wing just 40 seconds into the quarter. Van Sickle converted an and-one opportunity seconds later, and Pinto hit from long range for a 9-0 run less than two minutes into the half. On defense, Mines held the home team scoreless for the first 3:28 of the frame and forced eight Yellow Jacket turnovers in the quarter. That resulted in a 14-2 run for the Orediggers through the first 6:47 of the period. What followed was a knock-down, drag-out battle over the last three minutes featuring three-pointers from Steffeck and Van Sickle and an eight-point margin going into the fourth quarter.
 
Pinto kept Mines hot out of the break by hitting another basket from downtown. With 6:30 remaining in regulation, Steffeck tickled the twine on another three-pointer and tied the game at 54-54. It also made a 9-9 run spanning 4:09 of game action. Pinto completed the comeback with 4:36 to play by sliding in a layup and giving the Orediggers a 56-54 lead. The final four minutes of regulation featured a furious exchange of baskets. An intentional foul called in the final seconds allowed BHSU to tie the game at 62-62 before missing their last-second attempt at a win. In overtime, free throws were the name of the game and the home came out on top by going 6-for-6 at the charity stripe to close out the win.
 
COACH'S COMMENT
"It's a tough loss on the road, but I feel like we got better tonight" said Head Coach Brittany Simpson. "Hopefully we get to see them again."
 
NOTABLES
- Steffeck's 21-point performance mark a career high for the sophomore. Her previous best was 19 points at CSU Pueblo on Feb. 15, 2020.
- Mines' loss to Black Hills State moves the all-time series to 8-7 in favor of BHSU.
- The Orediggers' 17-point rally would have been the largest comeback by a Brittany Simpson coached team.
- Pinto now has two 20-point outings in her last three games. She's up to 1,054 points for her career, needing 17 to tie Emily Bailey in ninth place.
- Van Sickle recorded the 50th block of her career in Monday's contest at Black Hills State.
- Mines' 9-for-18 production from three-point range is their best of the season so far.
- Coach Simpson is 137-99 in her ninth season as head coach.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 12 as they host Regis at 5:30 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena. 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.