DURANGO, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team rolled to a 81-64 win over Fort Lewis on Friday night as the Orediggers exited Whalen Gymnasium with their seventh straight victory.
Denali Pinto led the team with 18 points while grabbing six rebounds, one steal and dishing out two assists. However,
Megan Van de Graaf stole the show with her career-high 17 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the floor. She also added three steals, three rebounds, two blocks and one assist.
Sammy Van Sickle and
Ashley Steffeck made it a quartet of double-digit scorers for the Orediggers thanks to 12 points apiece. Steffeck finished the game boasting eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals and two blocks as well.
Mines (12-2, 11-2 RMAC) earned the win by shooting over 50 percent from the floor including 40 percent from three-point range. Fort Lewis (4-8, 4-8 RMAC) benefitted from Syndey Candelaria's 21 points and a 18-point, 14-rebound double-double courtesy of Jordan Vasquez. In fact, the Skyhawks shot over 37 percent from the floor as well while making 28 trips to the free-throw line. However, the Oredigger made up the difference with a 41-32 rebound advantage to go along with 40 points in the paint. Mines also dished out 23 assists while FLC had just 12. With the win, the Orediggers maintain their spot at #2 in the RMAC standings while #7-ranked Western Colorado stays in first after beating Regis.
HOW IT HAPPENED
As frigid temperatures plagued much of the United States, the weather did little to cool a red-hot Oredigger squad. Even six hours of travel couldn't slow down Mines as the visitors never trailed Fort Lewis on Friday night in Durango. Van Sickle worked herself a layup for the first points of the game and the Orediggers never looked back.
Van de Graaf closed out the first quarter with eight points to help Mines claim a 17-14 lead thanks to an 11-2 run at the start of the game. Van Sickle stole the show in the second frame with eight points of her own on two long-range baskets and 3-for-3 shooting. On defense, the Orediggers held the home team to eight points in the second quarter. By halftime, the visitors boasted a 35-22 advantage.
That lead would only grow. After managing just two points in the first 20 minutes, Pinto exploded for 10 points in the third period alone. Thanks to Pinto's outburst, Mines rolled into the fourth quarter touting a 62-41 lead. The final 10 minutes featured six more points from Pinto, four from Van de Graaf, and 3-for-5 shooting as a team from behind the three-point line. As the final buzzer sounded, Mines walked off the court with its ninth double-digit win of the season.
COACH'S COMMENT
"Tonight I was pleased with our effort on the offensive end and how we played together," said Mines Head Coach
Brittany Simpson. "We need to dial back in on the defensive end and get back to playing how we play."
NOTABLES
- Mines is 21-37 in the all-time series against Fort Lewis but owns back-to-back wins against the Skyhawks.
- Friday marked the Orediggers' largest margin of victory over FLC since Jan. 11, 2001 when Mines won 80-63.
- Mines' seven-game win streak is the longest active run in the RMAC.
- Steffeck surpassed 200 career rebounds and 100 career assists in Friday night's victory.
- Pinto's trio of three-point baskets against the Skyhawks moved into fourth place all-time at Mines for made three-point baskets.
- Pinto surpassed Courtney Gallo who played at Mines from 2010-14.
- Friday marked the sixth time Steffeck has blocked multiple shots in one game.
- Coach Simpson is 144-100 in her ninth season as head coach.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines takes on #7-ranked Western Colorado on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Gunnison, Colo. No spectators are expected, 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.
