RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Orediggers' Sammy Van Sickle did not miss a single shot on Saturday night as #13 Colorado School of Mines took down South Dakota Mines by a score of 91-62 inside the King Center.
 
Van Sickle finished the game with 24 points after going 9-for-9 overall including a 6-for-6 mark from behind the three-point arc. She also added four rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Denali Pinto matched her teammate with 24 points while notching six rebounds, two blocks and two assists. Courtney Stanton and Liz Holter made it a quarter of Orediggers scoring in double digits thanks to 11 points apiece. Holter bolstered her resume by dishing out seven assists and nabbing three steals.
 
With the victory, Colorado School of Mines (13-1, 8-0 RMAC) extended its winning streak to 10 games. On the other side, South Dakota Mines fell to 1-14 overall and 1-8 in conference. Despite scoring over 90 points, the Orediggers' biggest advantages were a 5-1 margin in blocked shots and a 10-3 advantage in steals. The hosting Hardrockers won the glass, 32-30, but committed 19 turnovers compared to seven from the visitors.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Orediggers strode into Goodell Gymnasium inside the King Center and proved themselves no worse for the wear after a two-week hiatus from competition. Stanton, Steffeck and Van Sickle powered the Colorado squad out to an 11-0 lead on a run that included a trio of three-point baskets. While the visitors' strong start continued, the Hardrockers heated up at the same time. By the end of the opening quarter, seven Orediggers had found the bottom of the net and Colorado School of Mines owned a 26-20 lead. Both teams had converted over 50 percent of their shots from the floor including a 60-percent clip from long range with a combined eight three-point baskets. South Dakota's Hidalgo accounted for 12 of SDM's 20 points in the opening quarter.
 
In the second quarter, SDM cut Mines' lead in half despite the Orediggers still shooting 40 percent from the floor while holding the home team under 35-percent shooting. The teams headed to the locker room with the Orediggers leading, 40-37. That all changed in the second half as Mines surged out of the break on a 6-1 run which eventually led to a double-digit advantage for the visitors. Then, both teams went silent midway through the third quarter with neither team scoring any sort of points for more than two minutes of game action. Free throws broke the silence with Loralee Stock, Holter and Pinto converting seven of eight opportunities in the last four minutes of the third frame. The Orediggers ended the quarter 12-of-14 at the free throw line to hold a 65-50 lead with one period to play.
 
Van Sickle and Mines owned the fourth as the former dropped 10 points in less than nine minutes. Overall, the visitors put up a 26-12 margin while shooting 50 percent from the floor and holding the home team to just three field goals. The sound of the final buzzer marked another game in which the game was never tied and Colorado School of Mines had not trailed its opponent. Thanks to the Orediggers' defense, the South Dakota Squad finished the game at 35-percent shooting overall with a 30-percent mark from three-point range and a 69-percent clip at the charity stripe.
 
 
NOTABLES
- The Orediggers improved to 9-6 in the all-time series with South Dakota Mines thanks to four consecutive wins over the Hardrockers.
- Saturday marked Mines' 12th double-digit win of the season and its first game surpassing 90 points. It was also the largest margin of victory for the Orediggers in the 23-year rivalry.
- Colorado School of Mines also defeated South Dakota Mines earlier this season by a score of 80-51 which is the second-largest margin of victory in the all-time series.
- Van Sickle is the first player in Mines history to go 6-for-6, or better, from three-point range.
- Van Sickle's 6-for-6 mark from three-point range was the ninth time in the history of the RMAC that player has been perfect from behind the arc with at least six attempts. The conference record is 7-for-7.
- Van Sickle's previous career best was four made three-point baskets on four different occasions.
- Holter's seven assists tied her for #7 on the Orediggers' all-time list with 225 during her time at Mines.
- Loralee Stock, who is a native of Sturgis, S.D., less than 40 miles from the campus of SDM surpassed 200 points for her career on Saturday night.
- Ashley Steffeck moved over 300 rebounds for her career thanks to four against the Hardrockers.
- Mines has only lost the rebound battle thrice in the 2021-22 campaign including the 30-32 margin at South Dakota Mines.
- The Orediggers have not lost to SDM since Feb. 22, 2020. Additionally the Colorado engineering school has not fallen in Rapid City, S.D., since Feb. 23, 2019.
- Over the last 10 matchups between Colorado School of Mines and SDM, the Orediggers are 7-3.
- The victory extended Mines' best start to a season in program history. The previous top start was 6-1 in the 2001-02 season.
- Coach Simpson is 162-102 in her 10th season as head coach.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines' next scheduled action is a home game against #22 Colorado Mesa on Friday, Jan. 21, at 5:30 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena. 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.