#11 Mines (8-1, 4-0 RMAC) vs. MSU Denver (4-6, 2-2 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#11 Mines (8-1, 4-0 RMAC) vs. Western Colorado (3-6, 2-2 RMAC) – Sunday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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CLOSING THE CALENDAR
The #11-ranked Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team is set to play its final home games of 2022 this weekend. The Orediggers host MSU Denver at Lockridge Arena on Saturday at 5 p.m. Mines then welcomes Western Colorado to Golden on Sunday, also at 5 p.m. A red-hot Orediggers squad will look to extend their six-game win streak and strengthen their grasp on #1 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings.
 
DIFFERENT DAYS
Due to Colorado School of Mines Winter Commencement ceremonies, this weekend's games will be played on Saturday and Sunday. Fans planning to attend should plan accordingly.
 
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets to Mines home games online at www.minesathletics.com/tickets or at the gate. General admission is $10 for adults, $5 for children, seniors, and military, and free for Mines students with their blaster card.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
All RMAC contests will stream live and for free on the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Network. The RMAC Network can be accessed at www.minesathletics.com/tv, as well as with apps on all major smart TV platforms by searching RMAC. Live statistics are also available at www.minesathletics.com.
 
LOOKING BACK
Mines opened its RMAC home slate last Friday and Saturday with a pair of dominant victories. The Orediggers started by beating South Dakota Mines, 70-52. Megan Van de Graaf poured in 20 points in the win, and Ashley Steffeck had 14 points. Sammy Van Sickle also came up big, posting eight assists, seven points, five rebounds, five steals and two blocks. Mines carried that momentum into Saturday and proceeded to dominate Black Hills State, 75-47. Sammy Van Sickle and Van de Graaf each produced a double-double. Van Sickle's included 19 points and 10 rebounds. Van de Graaf had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Steffeck walked away with eight assists, six rebounds, three steals and three points as the Orediggers halted BHSU's seven-game win streak and dealt the Yellow Jackets their first loss in RMAC play.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
MSU Denver started the 2022-23 season as the defending RMAC Tournament champions. Since then, the Roadrunners have gone 4-6 overall including an 0-4 start to the season. They started conference action 2-2, splitting the first two weekends. MSU Denver wore RMAC losses from Westminster and Black Hills State. The Roadrunners defeated Colorado Mesa and South Dakota Mines. The later was their most recent action and featured a 60-59 margin in a nail-biter at Auraria Event Center in Denver, Colo. MSU Denver's game at Mines is its only contest of the weekend. Kendra Parra will lead her team into the showdown boasting 18.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Leilah Vigil who averages 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game hasn't played for MSU Denver since opening weekend. Jaiden Galloway is also notable, touting 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. As a team, the Roadrunners average 65 points per game while giving up 69 to the opposition. They make it to the free-throw line a lot, ranking #23 in the nation in free-throw attempts per game and #28 in free-throws made per game. Parra plays a huge role in that, ranking #3 in DII in free throws made this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY – MSU DENVER
Mines trails the all-time series with MSU Denver, 28-55. However, the Orediggers do hold a slight, 6-4 edge through their last 10 meetings with the Roadrunners. The last showdown between Mines and MSU Denver was on Feb. 4, 2022, and resulted in a 74-67 overtime win for the home Roadrunners. Prior to that, the Orediggers had won four straight against MSU Denver including a 75-49 win in Denver on Nov. 28. 2020. Mines hasn't lost to the Roadrunners inside Lockridge Arena since Dec. 16, 2017.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN COLORADO
Western Colorado comes to Golden for its only game of the weekend under the guidance of first year head man Adam Jacobson. Under his guidance, the Mountaineers are 3-6 overall and 2-2 in RMAC play. They started 2022-23 with a 57-55 loss to Texas Woman's and a 66-51 loss to Angelo State, both at home in Gunnison. A 62-56, overtime win against Texas A&M-Kingsville led to four straight losses for WCU. Last weekend, the Mountaineers returned to the win column by defeating Chadron State by two and Colorado Christian by 13. Emmery Wagstaff and Rachel Cockman are the team leaders. Through nine games, Wagstaff's per-game averages are 14.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals. In the same span, Cockman touts 13.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, and 1.0 assists per game. Also notable is Wagstaff putting up 85 three-pointers and making 24 of them which ranks #8 and #42 in the nation. As a team, WCU is being outscored nearly 58-52. Western Colorado also ranks #9 in the nation in defensive rebounds per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY – WESTERN COLORADO
The Orediggers are 28-38 in their rivalry with Western Colorado. They have narrowed that gap considerably in recent years thanks to an active four-game win streak. Since Jan. 31, 2015, Mines is 9-3 against the Mountaineers. The Orediggers and WCU last met on March 1, 2022, in the quarterfinals of the RMAC tournament. Mines won that game 64-31 inside Lockridge Arena. Sammy Van Sickle finished that game with five points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists. Shelby Nichols pulled down eight rebounds with eight points and two blocks.
 
RACKIN' UP AWARDS
Five weeks of the 2022-23 season have passed. Three of those five weeks have featured an Oredigger winning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week. Jessica Rios earned the award in week one. Then, Sammy Van Sickle and Ashley Steffeck went back-to-back in weeks three and four. It marked the first career award for Rios. Steffeck has won it six times. Van Sickle owns 10 RMAC Defensive Player of the Week awards in her career.
 
WINNING BIG
All eight of Mines' wins in 2022-23 have come by double digits. The Orediggers' 17.3-point average margin of victory ranks #26 in the nation. That gap is fueled by a scoring defense that ranks #6 in NCAA Division II, surrendering just 52.9 points per game. One of those contests was a 72-53 win against then-#21 Central Washington which still ranks #10 in the nation in scoring offense at 81 points per game. The spoils of the defensive production are the seventh-most steals per game in NCAA Division II resulting in the #7 turnover margin in the country. Mines also ranks #9 in offensive rebounds per game and #9 in assist-to-turnover ratio. The Orediggers' 8-1 record gives them the #16-ranked winning percentage in DII.
 
RUNNIN' HOT
The Orediggers tout a modest, current win streak of six games. They started the run with a 72-53 win against then-#21 Central Washington which came into the game unbeaten and averaging 88 points per game. Colorado School of Mines went on to defeat Seattle Pacific (65-54), Colorado Mesa (67-55), and Westminster (76-66) all away from the friendly confines of Lockridge Arena. Mines came home and extended the surge from four to six thanks to wins over South Dakota Mines (70-52) and Black Hills State (75-47). The Orediggers' longest winning streak in program history is 13 games which they reached during the 2015-16 season and the 2021-22 season.
 
STRONG START
At 8-1 so far in 2022-23, Colorado School of Mines owns its second-best start to a season in program history. The Orediggers started the 2001-02 campaign with a 6-1 record. Their best start to a season in program history was in 2021-22 when they rolled to a 16-1 mark through 17 games.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
For the first time since week one of the regular season, Mines' women are appearing in both DII national rankings. The Orediggers improved from #12 to #11 in the coaches' poll. They also returned to the media poll sponsored by D2SIDA at #18. Mines remains the only nationally-ranked women's program in the RMAC. Grand Valley State sits #1 in both the coaches' and media polls.
 
BOSS LADY
Head Coach Brittany Simpson is in her 11th season leading the Mines women's basketball program. During her decade tenure, she has become the winningest coach in program history both in terms of total wins and win percentage at 181-109 (62.4). Simpson is responsible for all three of the program's RMAC titles including regular-season championships in 2015-16, 2020-21, and 2021-22, as well as three of four trips to the NCAA Tournament. She is a three-time RMAC Coach of the Year who has guided 31 All-RMAC selections including 11 first-teamers, 11 second-teamers, one third-team selection and eight honorable mention performers.
 
UP NEXT
Following Sunday's game, Mines will have one week off from competition and practice, as per NCAA Division II rules. The Orediggers' next game will be Saturday, Dec. 31, at Colorado Christian. New Year's Even tipoff in Lakewood is slated for 3 p.m.