DENVER, Colo. – Oredigger guard Josephine Howery had a career night on Friday as the guided the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team to a 72-53 win against #21 Central Washington at Regis Field House.
 
Howery had a career-high 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting including a 3-for-5 clip from behind the three-point arc. She added three rebounds and two assists as well. Sammy Van Sickle stuffed the box score by way of 15 points, nine rebounds, six assists, six steals, and one block. Ashley Steffeck and Megan Van de Graaf made it a quartet of Orediggers with double-digit scoring numbers by pouring in 11 points apiece. Additionally, Van de Graaf added nine rebounds and Steffeck dished out three assists with three steals.
 
The Orediggers (3-1) handed Central Washington (4-1) its first loss of the season thanks to Mines' signature defense. The Wildcats came to Denver averaging 88 points a game with a 19-point average margin of victory. The Oredigger defense held CWU under 40-percent shooting from the field and forced 24 turnovers on 17 steals. Mines parlayed those steals into 28 points off turnovers while shooting 37 percent from the field. The Orediggers also won the glass with a 50-35 rebound margin.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Orediggers used hot shooting and a stiff defensive front to set the tone from the first whistle. Through the first 3:32 of play, Mines charged ahead of Central Washington on a 9-0 run. Steffeck capped the surge with the first three-pointer of the game. The Wildcats managed to get on the scoreboard nearly halfway through the opening period, but the Oredigger run eventually grew to 20-4. After 10 minutes of action, Sammy Van Sickle had scored 12 points and Mines owned a 25-9 advantage.
 
In the second quarter, Central Washington picked up its production, but it was far from enough. The Orediggers outscored the Wildcats 21-12 and Howery stole the show with eight points in a span of 51 seconds. By halftime, Mines had extended its lead to 46-21.
 
Central Washington managed to narrow the margin in the third quarter. The Wildcats outscored the Orediggers 18-14 by holding Mines scoreless for the last three minutes of the period. They also hit a three at the buzzer to pull it to 60-39. However, the 21-point deficit proved too much for CWU to overcome. Howery and Suni Davis combined for eight of the Orediggers' 12 points in the final frame as Mines closed out the win.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 2-0 in the all-time series against Central Washington.
- The Orediggers have not trailed and the score has never been tied in all three of their wins this season.
- Sammy Van Sickle matched her career high with six steals. She also had six steals against South Dakota Mines during the 2020-21 season.
- Davis, Alison Kantor, and Jenna Siebert also notched career highs in the game against Central Washington.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is 177-108 in her 11th season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines faces Seattle Pacific on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. inside Regis Field House in Denver. 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.­­­