SAN JUAN, P.R. – The #22-ranked Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team opened the 2021 Puerto Rico Classic on Thanksgiving morning with an 80-33 win against the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez.
 
Ashley Steffeck and Denali Pinto led the offense by scoring 18 points and 17 points, respectively. Steffeck was everywhere else as well, touting six steals, five rebounds, three assists and one block. Sammy Van Sickle and Courtney Stanton gave Mines a quartet of Orediggers scoring in double figures by providing 10 points apiece. Van Sickle augmented her game resume with nine rebounds, six assists, five steals and two blocks while committing just one turnover. Stanton added nine rebounds while dishing out three assists. Also notable were nine rebounds from Shelby Nichols and five assists from Loralee Stock.
 
The dominant victory put Mines (4-1) back in the win column after a double-digit loss to Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday. The Orediggers own every statistical category except for one. In their 2021-22 opener, Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (0-1) converted over 73 percent of its free-throw opportunities as the Janes' lone bright spot in the contest. Mines' two biggest keys in the win were rebounding and assists with a 53-33 advantage on the glass while leading 25-6 in assists. The Orediggers also forced the Janes to commit 29 turnovers which led to 30 points, but Mines still coughed up 18 turnovers of its own.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Island life proved only beneficial for the Orediggers on the morning of Thanksgiving as they scored the first six points of the game and never looked back. Mines' 20-4 advantage in the opening 10 minutes was fueled by six points from Stanton and five more from Steffeck. That led to the second quarter where UPR-Mayaguez put together its best frame of the game. The Janes scored 10 points and limited the Orediggers to 12 points on 27-percent shooting. However, five points off the hand of Pinto and four from Megan Van de Graaf helped Mines maintain its lead.
 
After the break, Mines put together a pair 24-point quarters and limited the local team to just 19 points in 20 minutes of action. Steffeck dropped eight more points on 3-of-4 shooting to highlight the third quarter. Van Sickle took over in the fourth period with six points on two three-point baskets. The only time the score was even was at 0-0 as the Orediggers led for 39:12 out of 40 possible minutes of action. They also scored 30 points in the paint and 27 more off second chances while shooting 43 percent from the field. Mines' defense limited the Janes to 19 percent shooting while allowing just two baskets from long range.
 
NOTABLES
- Thursday marked the series premier in the rivalry between Mines and Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. The Orediggers now lead the series 1-0.
- Mines hadn't played on Thanksgiving day since at least 2012.
- Liz Holter now boasts exactly 600 points in her collegiate career with 429 at Mines and 171 while playing at NCAA Division I Incarnate Word.
- Stanton's Thanksgiving performance put her over 400 rebounds and 100 assists for her career.
- Van Sickle recorded the 100th steal of her career in Thursday's win.
- Multiple Orediggers had superlative games in multiple categories including, but not limited to, Nichols' nine rebounds, Stocks' five assists and Pinto's five steals.
- Every active player for Mines recorded at least one assist against UPR-Mayaguez.
- Coach Simpson is 153-102 in her 10th season as head coach.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers close their trip to Puerto Rico on Friday by playing UPR-Bayamon at 12 p.m. (AT)/9 a.m. (MT). There will be no live stats, but free live video will be offered on Facebook by searching "Puerto Rico College Sports Tours.
 
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.