ALAMOSA, Colo. – Trailing by as many as 15 points in the third quarter on Saturday evening, the #5-ranked Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team rallied to claim a 57-52 win against Adams State inside Plachy Hall.
 
Courtney Stanton led all players in the game with 14 points which included the go-ahead basket in the final minutes. She also added two rebounds and two steals. Denali Pinto had her own historic night with 10 points which made her the all-time leading scorer in the history of Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball. Despite fouling out, Pinto added seven rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block in less than 25 minutes on the court. Ashley Steffeck proved big on defense with 10 rebounds and three steals while scoring six points as well. Liz Holter coordinated at point guard and tallied four assists, five rebounds and six points. Also notable was Megan Van de Graaf teasing a double-double thanks to nine points and nine rebounds.
 
The victory put Mines (17-2, 12-1 RMAC) back in the win column while avoiding back-to-back losses after a defeat at the hands of CSU Pueblo on Friday night. The Orediggers claimed the decision by shooting over 61 percent in the fourth quarter while owning a 44-26 advantage on the boards for the game. The loss snaps a three-game win streak for Adams State (9-10, 7-7 RMAC) despite the Grizzlies posting a higher shooting percentage, dishing out more assists and blocking more shots than Mines. The Orediggers also overcame 18 turnovers by forcing 22 ASU turnovers on 11 steals. With the win, Mines also remains alone at #1 in the RMAC standings, just one game ahead of Westminster while Adams State drops into a tie for #8.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
With the loss to the ThunderWolves weighing on their minds, the Orediggers traversed west across Colorado on highway 160 and up to 7,560 feet of elevation in Alamosa. Upon entering Plachy Hall, Mines nearly set fire to the nets with a red-hot first quarter that featured Pinto scoring eight of her 10 points while roaring to #1 on the all-time scoring list. The team also shot 43 percent overall and 50 percent from three-point range to claim an 18-14 lead after 10 minutes of play. Then, the Orediggers went frigid and Adams State heated up to the tune of a 22-5 second quarter which carried the game into halftime with ASU touting a 36-23 advantage.
 
Despite the break, Mines remained frigid from the floor through the third quarter and found themselves trailing by 15 at 41-26 with 5:13 to play in the third frame. Free throws alone fueled a 6-0 run for the visitors and they managed to close the quarter riding a 10-4 surge. That led to the final 10 minutes where the Orediggers successfully staged their comeback.
 
It started on defense where Mines limited the Grizzlies to 16-percent shooting including a 0-for-6 mark from behind the arc while forcing seven ASU turnovers on four steals. The extra possessions for the offense were not wasted as the Orediggers converted 8-of-13 shots from the floor and 5-of-6 attempts at the charity stripe. Mines' 16-4 run came to a head with 1:15 to play when Stanton dropped a long, baseline jumper and provided the Orediggers a 53-51 lead, their first since the 5:48 mark of the second quarter. Stanton's jumper would have been just enough, but Van de Graaf and Steffeck both drained a pair of free throws in the final 10 seconds to seal the deal.
 
NOTABLES
- The Orediggers improved to 27-34 in the all-time series against Adams State which includes 12 straight wins over the Grizzlies.
- Mines has not lost to ASU since Jan. 13, 2012 – more than a decade ago.
- Pinto now boasts 1,470 points over the course of 94 games in her career. She surpassed Ashley Gronewoller who scored 1,466 from 2002-06.
- Holter's four assists moved her to #6 on Mines' all-time assists list. She now touts 244 assists in an Oredigger uniform and surpassed Cathy Dingwall who dished out 243 from 1982-86.
- Steffeck and Van de Graaf both hit the 100 rebound threshold for the season in Saturday's win.
- Coach Simpson is 166-103 in her 10th season as head coach.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers travel to MSU Denver next Friday for a 5 p.m. showdown with the Roadrunners. Masks are required for all spectators regardless of vaccination status. 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.