Mines (10-2, 9-2 RMAC) vs. MSU Denver (8-5, 7-4 RMAC) – Friday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (10-2, 9-2 RMAC) vs. Colorado Christian (2-9, 2-9 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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COMIN' IN HOT
The Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team enters the weekend as the hottest team in the conference thanks to its five-game win streak. It's the longest active run in the RMAC as the Orediggers sit less than one game out of first place in the standings. Second-place Mines puts its streak on the line this weekend at home against MSU Denver on Friday and Colorado Christian on Saturday. It'll be the second meeting between the Orediggers and Roadrunners, but the first in conference play. Saturday marks the first meeting this season between Mines and CCU. All that to say, records always seem to go out the window when teams from the Denver metro area face off.
 
NO SPECTATORS STILL STANDS
The Orediggers announced last month the extension of the policy of spectators not being allowed at home games until further notice. Mines Athletics will continue to re-evaluate this policy for home games in the future as conditions allow. In the meantime, all games home and away are streamed live and for free on the RMAC Network, which is also available on the AppleTV, Roku, and AmazonFire app stores.
 
REMAIN PREPARED
The mantra for the season has been "be prepared for anything." It's proven appropriate with eight changes to date for the women's team alone. At this point, previously postponed contests against Regis and Adams State are still outstanding. All programs involved are still working towards a makeup date. If a makeup date is not found, game will be declared a no contest. The men's side features a slew of their own changes after they returned to action following nearly a month hiatus. Changes will continue and will be announced at www.minesathletics.com and on Twitter at @MinesWBB and @MinesAthletics.
 
LAST WEEKEND
Mines played just one game last weekend after its contest scheduled for Saturday against Adams State was postponed. The result was a 61-50 victory for the Orediggers at Lockridge Arena. Denali Pinto led all players with 23 points while Courtney Stanton scored 16 and Ashley Steffeck added 11. Steffeck also wrapped up her second double-double of the season and flirted with a triple double after grabbing 13 rebounds, racking up seven steals and dishing out five assists. Furthermore, Steffeck committed no turnovers in the win. The result extended Mines' active winning streak to five games and also gave the Orediggers six straight wins over the ThunderWolves. So far this season, Mines has held five opponents to 50 points or less. The Orediggers are 8-0 when holding the opposition under 55 points.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
MSU Denver started the 2020-21 season with a record of 1-3 before running off four straight wins. In fact, the Roadrunners are 7-2 over their last nine games which has them 8-5 overall and 7-4 in RMAC play. That mark is good enough for sixth place in the conference standings. Individually, Allie Navarette is the player to watch as she leads the entire RMAC in scoring with 21.8 points per game which ranks 14th in the nation. She also ranks second on the team in rebounding with 8.3 rebounds per game. Nearly one third of her scoring production comes at the free-throw line where she's converted 91 attempts to rank #1 in the country. The Roadrunners also added three players to the active roster midseason with the return of Morgan Lewis and the transfer of Peyton Taylor and Brianna Bailey. Since coming back to the team, Lewis has led the squad in rebounding with 8.6 boards per game in seven appearances. Overall, MSU Denver averages 66.2 points per game while giving up more than 68 to the opposition. The Roadrunners do rank ninth in DII in free-throw percentage, 10th in free throws made and 18th in total rebounds. It is notable that MSU Denver only has two victories against teams with winning records. One of those teams is Colorado Mesa. The other is South Dakota Mines.
 
MORE ON ROADRUNNERS
Earlier this season, fans learned that roadrunners are slender, fast-running birds of the cuckoo family. For the second go-around, we present potentially fun and interesting facts about roadrunners. Despite Looney Toons depicting a roadrunner outracing a coyote, the bird's top speed is only 20 miles per hour while coyotes max out over 40 miles per hour. Roadrunners are also known as chaparral cocks and snake killers. The later name comes from the bird's preference for rattlesnake meat as a snack. Typically, roadrunners team up to best the feared viper by distracting then pinning its head on a rock and stabbing it with its bill. Apologies for the graphic nature of these fun facts. In closing, fans might be interested to know that roadrunners never need to drink water. The desert bird is so adapted to its arid environment that it has no need to sip water. Roadrunners get all the moisture they need from their diet. And now you know.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Colorado Christian has two wins so far this season, which is just one less through 11 games than a year ago. Both the Cougar victories came at home. The first was a seven-point decision against South Dakota Mines, and CCU's second win was a 21-point drubbing of Adams State. Lourdes Gonzalez and Brookelyn Hurlbut are Colorado Christian's top performers boasting 13.5 and 13.0 points per game, respectively. The duo also leads CCU in rebounding with Gonzalez touting 7.0 rebounds per game and Hurlbut grabbing 6.7 boards per contest. Nationally, the Cougars rank inside the top-50 in fewest turnovers per game. Overall, Colorado Christian's average scoring margin is -10.6 as the Cougars score 57.0 points per game while surrendering 67.6 per outing on defense.
 
COOL COUGAR FACTS
Colorado Christian uses the nickname Cougars for its athletic teams. If this section sounds similar to the preview for the UCCS game, it's because cougars and mountain lions are the exact same thing. That means cougars also like leftovers, can leap a long distance and have a large home range. Cougars, like mountain lions, hold the Guiness record for the animal with the highest number of names with over 40 names in English alone. Some new stuff for all you readers. Cougars that live close to the equator are smaller than those living towards the north and south poles. Only females are involved in parenting while no species, besides humans, preys upon mature cougars in the wild. That means top of the food chain. Last but not least, Cougars can run as fast as 35-45 miles per hour. And now you know. But, if you're at this point, you probably already knew.
 
SERIES HISTORY – MSU DENVER
The all-time series between the Orediggers and MSU Denver is the longest running rivalry in the history of Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball. Friday marks the 83rd meeting between the two teams, and while MSU Denver holds a hefty advantage in the overall record, Mines boasts four straight wins over the Roadrunners. The Orediggers' latest win over their crosstown rival came earlier this season in Mines' 2020-21 opener where it dominated the home team by a score of 75-49. Four Orediggers scored in double digits led by Ashley Steffeck's 15-point, 10-steal double-double. Steffeck's 10 steals were also a single-game program record. Mines hasn't lost to MSU Denver in more than two years. The last defeat at the hands of the Roadrunners came on Jan. 25, 2019. That loss was in Denver. Mines' last home loss to Friday's opponent was Dec. 19, 2017.
 
SERIES HISTORY – COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Christian have faced off 58 times since the Oredigger program started in 1976. Mines boasts a 35-23 lead in the all-time series and has also won four straight games against the Cougars. The last meeting between the two teams was Dec. 13, 2019 at the CCU Event Center in Lakewood, Colo. Mines claimed a 68-52 win behind Sammy Van Sickle's 26-point, 11-rebound double-double. Denali Pinto added 17 points as well. The Orediggers' last loss to CCU was Feb. 11, 2017 at Lockridge Arena. Colorado Christian claimed a 66-52 decision in that contest. Going further back finds the Orediggers are 7-3 against the Cougars over the last 10 meetings.  
 
NATIONAL GIRLS & WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY
Wednesday, February 3, was the annual celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day, or NGWSD. Brought to popularity by the Women's Sports Foundation, NGWSD is an annual day of observance held during the first week of February to acknowledge the accomplishments of female athletes, recognize the influence of sports participation for women and girls, and honor the progress and continuing struggle for equality for women in sports. On that day, Mines women's basketball recognized its very first team in program history. In 1976, Colorado School of Mines started sponsoring varsity women's sports with volleyball being the first to take the floor in the fall. Women's basketball followed later that year in January with Leisa Burbach, Jan Goodrich, Laurie Myers, Debbie Williams, Shelly Skopinksi, Gina Carollo, Kim Marquardt, Ramona Stuehm, Lisa Woolford and Suzie Molz making up the very first Oredigger squad. That group, led by Head Coach Willa Meylink, won its first game against New Mexico Highlands as Molz became the first Oredigger to ever score 30 points in a single game. And now you know.
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK – AGAIN
On Monday, Oredigger sophomore Ashley Steffeck was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week for a second straight time. It was also Steffeck's third such award of the season. Her latest honor followed the guard's 11-point, 13-rebound, seven-steal, five assist performance against CSU Pueblo. Steffeck's boards, steals and assists were all game highs. She also led all players on the court with six defensive rebounds. In fact, no other player in the game had more the six rebounds total. Steffeck now ranks #1 in the RMAC and #5 in the nation in total steals with 40 this season. Over 12 games that puts her #1 in the RMAC and #7 in the country in steals per game. Teammate Sammy Van Sickle also has two RMAC Defensive Player of the Week awards in 2020-21, giving Mines five as a team this season.
 
RMAC TO THE CORE
Two weeks ago, Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson faced off against her alma mater as the Orediggers won, 58-50 at Colorado Mesa. Last week, Mines Assistant Coach Leslie Seymour and CSU Pueblo Hall of Famer went up against her alma mater and helped the Orediggers get a 61-50 win. This week, it's Mines Assistant Coach Taylor Flanagan facing off against her former school. Flanagan (formerly Torres) played at Colorado Christian from 2012-16. She earned Division II Bulletin All-America All-Freshman Team distinction and was named RMAC Freshman of the Year in 2013. She also added Second-Team All-RMAC and NCCAA All-Region in that same season. The 5-4 guard also garnered Honorable Mention All-RMAC honors in 2014-15. In her senior season, Flanagan averaged 9.5 points and 3.9 assists per game along with 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest. In her collegiate career, Flanagan helped the Cougars go 4-4 against the Orediggers.
 
OREDIGGER GEMS
As a reminder for those just tuning in, Oredigger Gems is a new segment for 2020-21 that features outstanding individual performances for Mines against the team's upcoming opponents. This week's edition is a three-for-1. The Oredigger program record book features 11 categories. Colorado Christian and MSU Denver are listed just five times combined in the entire record book. The most recent listing is Ashley Steffeck's 10 steals against the Roadrunners earlier this season. It gave her the first double-double of her career, and broke the previous single-game record of nine held by Laura Laffoon and Claudia Fonio (x2) dating back to the 1987-88 season. In the same category, Gabi Sandoval racked up eight steals against Colorado Christian in the 1995-96 season and Amy Bollinger had eight against then Metro State in the 1996-97 season. MSU Denver also suffered the effects of Emily Bailey in the 2016-17 season as Bailey exploded for 32 points against the Roadrunners. The final listing is Sandy Stash's 23 rebounds in one game against MSU Denver in the 1977-78 season. Thanks for joining us for another edition of Oredigger Gems.
 
GROUND RULES
In late November, the RMAC released information about the season structure and return-to-play guidelines for basketball. All teams will have a 22-game conference schedule (non-conference play being optional), and any game that is not played due to COVID-19 issues will be declared a "no contest." All student-athletes and team support staff must test negative within 72 hours of the game, and in the state of Colorado, in everyone the arena will wear a mask except for the 10 active players on the court. An RMAC champion will be declared if at least five teams complete 50 percent of their originally approved schedule (11 games). The champion and RMAC Tournament qualifiers will be determined by use of the NCAA Division II RPI system.
 
UP NEXT
Mines hits the road next weekend with games at Fort Lewis and #8 Western Colorado. It is expected that spectators will not be allowed. However, live stats and video will be available 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.