GOLDEN, Colo. – The #13-ranked Colorado School of Mines put together a comprehensive, 87-41 win against Chadron State on Friday afternoon as the Orediggers closed the curtain on 2021 inside Lockridge Arena.
 
Another double-double for Sammy Van Sickle stole the show as she put up 18 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Van Sickle also dished out three assists and nabbed one steal. Other double-digit scorers for Mines included Ashley Steffeck with 13 points, while Josephine Howery and Megan Van de Graaf chipped in 11 points apiece. Also notable were Liz Holter's nine assists as well as an eight-point, nine-rebound outing from Courtney Stanton. Steffeck capped it off with four steals.
 
With the win, Mines (11-1, 6-0 RMAC) extended its winning streak to eight games while remaining the only RMAC team with an unbeaten record in conference play. Chadron State (5-7, 4-3 RMAC) remains winless away from home, but stays above .500 in RMAC action. The Orediggers earned the victory by dominating all but two statistical categories. Their biggest advantages came by way of a 60-30 rebounding margin which led to 31-2 lead on second-chance points. Mines also forced 20 turnovers by CSC while committing just 10 of its own. The Eagles' wins came in fewer personal fouls and a 4-2 lead in blocked shots.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
As snow gently began to fall outside in Golden, the piercing shrill of the referee's whistle cut through a relatively quiet Lockridge Arena to start the final Oredigger women's basketball game of 2021. From that first whistle until the final buzzer, Mines controlled nearly every aspect of the game as the Orediggers trailed only once and held the lead for 38:41 out 40 possible minutes.
 
Chadron State's lone lead of the game came with 43 seconds remaining in the first quarter at 11-10. It was a short-lived advantage as Denali Pinto dropped a layup 33 seconds later which provided Mines the lead for good. Pinto's basket sparked a surge that lasted for the entirety of the second quarter as the Orediggers went on a 17-0 run and held CSC scoreless for the first 5:30 of the frame. That outburst eventually transformed into a 34-7 run as the game hit halftime, but it didn't stop there. It took Chadron State more than three minutes to find its first points of the second half. By that time, Mines had totaled a 43-8 run over the course of 15:35 of game action.
 
To put it kindly, the rest of the contest proved academic. The home team eventually won the third quarter by a 22-13 margin and closed out the game with a 21-10 second quarter. At the final horn, Mines had shot nearly 43 percent from the floor and held the Eagles to 27 percent including 14 field goals on 51 attempts. Only two of those CSC baskets came from behind the three-point arc.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 32-34 in the all-time series against Chadron State which includes five straight wins.
- The Orediggers haven't lost to the Eagles since Jan. 26, 2019 and boast an eight-game win streak at home against CSC.
- Chadron State's last win in Golden was Jan. 27, 2012.
- Friday also marked Mines' largest margin of victory over the Eagles since the rivalry began in 1987.
- Van Sickle's double-double was her second of the season and seventh of her career. It also put her over 600 points for her career.
- Howery's 11 points against Chadron State matched her career best.
- McKale Grant returned to the court for the first time since March 6, 2020 – 665 days ago. Her four points marked her first field goals since Feb. 14, 2020.
- Qincey Baum dished out four assists and scored nine points in 11 minutes of action on Friday.
- Pinto now touts exactly 100 steals in her career thanks to three against the Eagles.
- Ten of the 11 active Orediggers notched at least one field goal against CSC.
- Mines' 60 rebounds were the most in a game so far this season and 87 points matched its season high. In fact, the Orediggers have scored exactly 87 points in two straight games.
- The victory also added to its best start to a season in program history which was previously 6-1 in the 2001-02 season.
- Coach Simpson is 160-102 in her 10th season as head coach.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers host Black Hills State on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online at www.minesthletics.com/tickets or at the door. Live stats and video on the RMAC Network 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.