#11 Mines (13-1, 8-0 RMAC) vs. #23 Colorado Mesa (11-2, 6-2 RMAC) – Friday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#11 Mines (13-1, 8-0 RMAC) vs. Westminster (7-4, 6-1 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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BIG GAMES AT HOME
The #11 Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team is back in Lockridge Arena this weekend for a pair of critical showdowns against #23-ranked Colorado Mesa and Westminster on Friday and Saturday. With a 10-game win streak on the line, it will be the first time this season that the Orediggers have played back-to-back games against teams with a winning record. The little numbers next to CMU's name only add to the test as Mines looks to remain undefeated in RMAC play and alone atop the conference standings. All that to say, it's easily the Orediggers' biggest test of the season so far.
 
MASKS REQUIRED FOR FANS AT LOCKRIDGE ARENA
In accordance with regulations established by Jefferson County Public Health, all spectators for Mines indoor sporting events, including basketball at Lockridge Arena, must wear masks regardless of vaccination status.
 
SCHEDULE UPDATES
Mines' two postponements so far have been rescheduled. The Orediggers now host New Mexico Highlands at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 26, as part of a doubleheader with the men. Mines' women also play a single game at Regis on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at 5 p.m.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
All of Mines' RMAC contests will stream live and for free on the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Network. The new watch portal is available online at www.minesathletics.com/tv or www.rmacnetwork.com. Fans can also download the RMAC Network app on their smart TV or device by searching "RMAC" in their respective app stores.
 
LAST SATURDAY
The Orediggers broke a two-week, competition hiatus last Saturday with a 91-62 victory at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City. Highlighting the win was Sammy Van Sickle who achieved perfection by shooting 9-for-9 from the floor including 6-for-6 from three-point range. She finished the game boasting 24 points, four rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Teammate Denali Pinto matched her with 24 points while grabbing six rebounds and blocking two shots. Both Liz Holter and Courtney Stanton notched 11 points apiece as Holter also dished out seven assists. It matched the Orediggers' largest margin of victory ever over the Hardrockers and extended Colorado School of Mines' winning streak against SDM to four.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO MESA
The Mavericks from the Western Slope of the Rocky Mountains roll into Golden, Colo., touting an overall record of 11-2 while sitting 6-2 in conference play. Colorado Mesa's only two losses this season have come at the hands of MSU Denver. The first was a 56-50 decision in Denver on Dec. 5 followed by a 76-62 blowout last Friday in Grand Junction. Outside of the two losses, CMU has registered nine double-digit victories while edging out a three-point win at West Texas A&M and an overtime victory at home against Black Hills State. As a team, the Mavericks' offense ranks second in the league (70.2 ppg) and their defense is third in the league (54.3 ppg). Also notable on the team side is Mesa's 13.2 rebounding margin which ranks #1 in the nation while an 81.8 free-throw percentage is #3 in the nation. Individually, the CMU roster is packed with familiar faces and players to watch. At the top of the list are Daniella Turner and Mariah Martin. Turner leads the Mavericks in scoring with 18.0 points per game while pulling down 7.0 rebounds per game. Martin, who made the move from Westminster in the offseason, scores 17.8 points per game and dishes out 5.5 assists per contest. Her free-throw percentage of 92.3 ranks #6 in the nation. Not to be overlooked is Kelsey Siemons and her 27 blocks to go along with 10.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
In the preseason, Westminster made a run at more than half of Utah's NCAA Division I programs with exhibitions at Utah, BYU and Utah State. The Griffins lost all three which rolled into a 1-3 start to the regular season with three double-digit losses to teams in the Pacific Northwest. However, WC's 7-4 overall record is deceiving when held next to its 6-1 mark in RMAC play. Westminster's only loss since Nov. 28 came on Dec. 16 at home against then #23-ranked CSU Pueblo. Notable among the Griffins' victories is a narrow, 69-64 win at New Mexico Highlands on New Year's Eve. Even though WC lost the scoring power of Mariah Martin, they still boast the quartet of Ashley Greenwood, Sarah McGinley, Abby Mangum and Hunter Krebs. The first three on the list average 18.1, 16.0 and 11.8 points per game, respectively. Krebs provides 9.5 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per contest. Krebs is also notable for 1.7 blocks per game. Greenwood and Mangum combine to push out nearly 8.0 assists per game. As a team, Westminster is #16 in the nation in fewest fouls per game, #17 in field-goal percentage and #18 in fewest turnovers.
 
MINES AGAINST COLORADO MESA
Even though the Orediggers trail the all-time series against Colorado Mesa by a margin of 17-59, they do boast three straight wins against the Mavericks after a successful 2020-21 campaign. Not only is it Mines' longest winning streak against CMU, each win in the run was historic. The Orediggers' 58-50 on Jan. 22, 2021, snapped a seven-game skid against the Mavericks and provided Mines its first win in Grand Junction since Dec. 12, 2008 – more than 12 years prior. The second win was a 70-51 blowout in Golden which marked the Orediggers' second-largest margin of victory against Colorado Mesa – ever. It was also Mines' first back-to-back wins against CMU since the 2008-09 season. On March 5, 2021, the Orediggers knocked Colorado Mesa out of the RMAC Tournament thanks to a 50-47 nail-biter inside Lockridge Arena. The victory provided Mines a 3-0 record against Colorado Mesa during the 2020-21 season – the Orediggers' best-ever, single-season record against CMU. It was also Mines' first-ever postseason win over the Mavericks. That latest defensive grinder saw Liz Holter lead the Orediggers with 10 points and two steals while Sammy Van Sickle pulled down 14 rebounds and scored nine points.
 
MINES AGAINST WESTMINSTER
The all-time series between Mines and Westminster is knotted at five wins apiece. Even though the rivalry began in 1979, the Orediggers and Griffins did not play again until WC joined the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2015-16. Notable in this relatively fresh rivalry is the discrepancy in home and away records. The Orediggers are 3-1 against Westminster in Salt Lake City while sitting 2-4 when playing the Griffins at home. In fact, Mines hasn't defeated WC inside Lockridge Arean since Jan. 6, 2018. The latest meeting between the two programs was a 67-62 Oredigger loss on Feb. 19, 2021 in Golden, Colo. It snapped Mines' two-game win streak against the Griffins and the Orediggers' active eight-game win streak in the season. In that game, Courtney Stanton exploded for 19 points while Sammy Van Sickle produced seven points, nine rebounds, and four assists before fouling out. Also notable is the fact that Mines has never lost back-to-back games to Westminster through the entire 10-game history of the rivalry.
 
RMAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK – X6
Sammy Van Sickle continues to roll in the hardware for the Orediggers after winning RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday afternoon. It marked Van Sickle's second offensive award of the season and of her career while giving her a total of six conference weekly awards for the season. The Arvada, Colo., native earned the accolade thanks to a night of perfection in Rapid City, S.D. It featured 24 points on 9-for-9 shooting including a 6-for-6 mark from behind the three-point arc. She also added four steals, four rebounds and three blocks. Van Sickle's three-point production made her just the ninth player in the history of RMAC women's basketball to be perfect from long range on at least six attempts. The conference record for three-point shooting in a single game is 7-for-7 set by Heather Steffen of Nebraska-Kearney in 2008 and matched by Nicole Quast of Fort Lewis in 2004. She is also one of six players in NCAA Division II to go 6-for-6 in a single game this season.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
The latest set of national rankings for NCAA Division II saw Mines hold firm at #13 in the coaches' poll (WBCA) while rising to #11 in the media poll sponsored by D2SIDA. Once again, the Orediggers were the only RMAC program appearing on the WBCA list while Colorado Mesa dropped just one spot to #23 on the media list despite its loss at home to MSU Denver. Drury out of Missouri maintained its spot at #1 in both rankings as they improved to 18-1 overall.
 
TOP-10 AND CLIMBING
With back-to-back years of unprecedented success it's only to be expected that the Orediggers' record book gets overhauled as multiple individuals continue to climb Mines' all-time lists. Leading the way is Denali Pinto who ranks #4 in program history in scoring with 1,402 career points. She's just one point away from tying Emily Dalton (2006-10) at #3. Pinto also ranks #2 on the Orediggers' all-time free-throw's list with 366 while sitting #3 on the all-time three-pointers made list thanks to 172 baskets from long range. Also rising in the ranks is Liz Holter after tying Marissa Eichhorn (1998-02) for #7 on the all-time assists list at 225 in her career at Mines. Notable for Holter are 61 assists she racked up while playing at NCAA Division I Incarnate Word. Right behind Holter is Sammy Van Sickle who touts 200 assists in her career. Van Sickle is also just 19 blocks outside the top-five on Mines' all-time blocks list. Rounding out the impressive list is Ashley Steffeck who 158 career steals and needs only 33 more to tie Gabi Sandoval (1994-96) for #5 in Mines' career rankings.
 
FUN FACT OF THE WEEK
Since arriving at Colorado School of Mines for the 2018-19 season, Sammy Van Sickle has found relatively unprecedented, consistent individual success against a Colorado Mesa squad that won back-to-back RMAC titles on the laurels of a suffocating defense while losing just five games in two years. In seven meetings, Van Sickle has shot 45 percent from the floor including 43 percent from behind the three-point arc while converting 90 percent of her free-throw opportunities. She has racked up 42 rebounds, 11 assists, 12 blocked shots, 10 steals and 61 points and only turned the ball over eight times. However, if you take her freshman year out of the equation to allow for adjustment to the college game, her resume features 11.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 2.0 steals and 2.0 assists per game compared to just seven turnovers. While others have had more impressive single-game performances, it's safe to say that Van Sickle has beef for dinner when Colorado Mesa comes to town. Please note that the author is completely unaware of Sammy's dietary preferences and acknowledges that she may be vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian which we completely respect. Furthermore, if that is the case, then she would clearly not eat beef for dinner. In fact, she may not be any of those and still not like beef. It is simply an analogy not intended to insult anyone but instead further illustrate the frustration that Van Sickle has caused Colorado Mesa on the basketball court over the years.
 
UP NEXT
Mines' next action after the weekend is a three-game week starting with New Mexico Highlands next Wednesday at 5 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.