SAN ANTONIO – The #15-ranked Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team took care of business on Saturday with a dominant, 86-45 win against St. Mary's inside Greehey Arena.
Balanced scoring and solid defense fueled the win. The Orediggers boasted the top six scorers in the game led by
Ashley Steffeck's 15 points on 6-7 shooting.
Loralee Stock (14),
Sammy Van Sickle (13),
Jessica Rios (12),
Josephine Howery (10), and
Shelby Nichols (10) made up the rest of the group. Steffeck also topped the defensive effort with five steals. Rios had three steals while
Sammy Van Sickle and
Jenna Siebert swiped three apiece. Van Sickle also topped the assists list thanks to five assists.
As a team, Mines (2-0) forced 26 turnovers and racked up 19 steals. That resulted in 25 points off turnovers and 20 points on the fast break. St. Mary's (1-1) matched the Orediggers' 38 rebounds, but were limited to 33 percent by the visiting defense. Mines offense was efficient on 47-percent shooting. The Orediggers committed more personal fouls but won every other statistical category.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Nichols dropped six points in the first quarter. Steffeck poured in 10 points during the second quarter.
Sammy Van Sickle took the reins in the third quarter thanks to nine points. Rios capped it with nine fourth-quarter points. Mines won all four periods and three of them by a double-digit margin. The score was never tied and the lead never changed hands. St. Mary's scoring was led by nine points from Tonya Bilic. The Rattlers also only had five points off turnovers of which Mines only committed 10. The Orediggers' biggest lead of the game was 45 late in the fourth quarter.
NOTABLES
- Mines evened the all-time series with St. Mary's at 2-2.
- Friday marked the largest margin of victory over the Rattlers during the duration of the rivalry.
- Baum's three steals marked a career high.
- Rios surpassed 200 points for her collegiate career.
-
Megan Van de Graaf moved over 600 points for her career on Friday night.
- Head Coach
Brittany Simpson is 176-107 in her 11th season leading the Orediggers.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines opens at home on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 6 p.m. against Nebraska-Kearney. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. Live coverage 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.
