DENVER, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team earned a 65-54 win against Seattle Pacific on Saturday afternoon as the Orediggers closed out the Thanksgiving Classic at Regis Field House.
Ashley Steffeck's 22 points led all players and she did it on 6-of-10 shooting including a 4-for-7 mark from behind the arc. Steffeck rounded out her game resume with four rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
Sammy Van Sickle took care of the rest, scoring 15 points while leading the team with five rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block.
Josephine Howery added a double-digit scoring effort with 11 points as well.
Mines (4-1) earned the win from long range, going 10-for-20 behind the three-point line. Seattle Pacific (2-2) suffered the loss despite dominating the rebound battle by a 44-28 margin. The Orediggers offset the Falcons' performance on the glass by forcing 16 turnovers on eight steals. Mines only committed nine turnovers while SPU notched just five steals. Additionally, Seattle Pacific only hit three of its 23 three-pointers while the Orediggers shot over 40 percent from the field.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a wire-to-wire win on Friday over previously unbeaten Central Washington, Saturday's entire first half was a grind. Seattle Pacific scored the first four points of the game, and held that lead until the 4:08 mark of the first quarter. Then, a three-pointer from
Sammy Van Sickle gave Mines a 5-4 lead. By the end of the period, Van Sickle and
Josephine Howery had combined for nine points to stay tied with SPU, 9-9. Both teams remained relentless in a second quarter that featured three ties and four lead changes. It was Steffeck's three-pointer with 1:14 to play in the half that gave the Orediggers a 25-23 advantage. Mines closed the quarter on a 5-1 run, and headed to the locker room leading 30-26 thanks to
Shelby Nichols' three just eight seconds before the buzzer.
The second half was all Mines thanks to scoring margins of 20-16 and 15-12 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively. Steffeck and Howery fueled the effort in the third frame as they combined for 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Van de Graaf closed it out for the Orediggers with eight fourth-quarter points. Mines also found its biggest lead of the game in the final period at 54-42 less than two minutes into the quarter.
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 3-0 in the all-time series against Seattle Pacific.
- The Falcons have been held to 55 points or less in all three meetings.
- Saturday marked the first time this season the Orediggers came from behind to get the win.
- Mines has started each of the last three seasons with a 4-1 record through five games.
- Steffeck has scored in double-digits in all five games this season. She surpassed 700 points for her career on Saturday night.
- In her last two games,
Sammy Van Sickle has totaled 30 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists, nine steals, and two blocks.
-
Loralee Stock now boasts exactly 300 points in her collegiate career.
- Head Coach
Brittany Simpson is 178-108 in her 11th season leading the Orediggers.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines opens RMAC play next weekend at Colorado Mesa on Friday and Westminster on Saturday. 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.
