GOLDEN, Colo. – The #20-ranked Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team clinched the undisputed, unshared RMAC Regular Season Championship on Saturday night thanks to a 53-40 win against CSU Pueblo at Lockridge Arena.
 
The defensive battle saw just one Oredigger score in double digits with Denali Pinto notching 10 on her senior night. Pinto also produced four rebounds, two steals and two assists. Ashley Steffeck came up big with nine points, six steals and four rebounds. Sammy Van Sickle's resume featured eight points, four steals, three rebounds and two assists. Megan Van de Graaf led her team on the glass with eight rebounds. Shelby Nichols finished second on the team in rebounding thanks to five boards. She added Mines' lone block of the game as well.
 
The conference title is the second straight for Mines (24-4, 19-3 RMAC) and the third in program history. Had CSU Pueblo (21-7, 17-5 RMAC) managed to win, the ThunderWolves would have shared the crown with the Orediggers and owned the #1 seed in the RMAC Tournament. With the win, Mines owns the top seed and hosting rights from start to finish. The Orediggers earned the victory on their defense, producing 17 steals and forcing 25 turnovers by "The Pack." Mines' defense held CSU Pueblo under 30-percent shooting from the floor while the home team shot just over 35 percent. The Orediggers' 30 points off turnovers helped offset a 45-percent mark at the free-throw line. The visitors' lone statistical win was five blocked shots on defense compared to one by Mines.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The tension and nerves inside Lockridge Arena on Saturday night could have been cut with a knife. A very dull butter knife. Both fan bases gasped and tensed at every shot, rebound and turnover. Even though the home team scored first and built a 10-5 lead in the opening quarter, CSU Pueblo stormed back with a 7-0 run to take a 12-10 lead with 1:37 remaining in the first period. However, it proved to be the only lead of the game for "The Pack." Josephine Howery drained a three-pointer in the final minute of the first frame and that put Mines in the lead for good.
 
The Orediggers took their 13-12 lead from the first 10 minutes and made it 27-23 by halftime. Pinto's five points in the second quarter led that charge as part of a 10-0 run for the home team. After the break, it was defense as opposed to offense fueling Mines' fire. Five steals in the third quarter helped limit the ThunderWolves to just three points in the entire period. Six more steals and five more points from Pinto sealed the deal in the fourth quarter. CSU Pueblo managed just four field goals in the last 20 minutes of the game and turned the ball over 15 times. Mines' 42-27 lead in the final frame marked its largest of the game. Pinto's free throws under a minute staved off any sort of comeback by the visitors.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 26-37 in the all-time series against CSU Pueblo.
- The Orediggers are 7-3 in their last 10 matchups with the ThunderWolves.
- Mines hasn't lost to "The Pack" in Golden since 2018.
- Saturday's win gave the Orediggers a split in the regular-season series with CSU Pueblo.
- Steffeck's six steals on Saturday night moved her up to #3 on the Orediggers' all-time steals list.
- Saturday also marked Mines' Senior Night. McKale Grant, Liz Holter, Denali Pinto and Courtney Stanton were all honored at halftime of the men's game.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is now 173-105 in her 10th season with Mines. She has guided the Orediggers to all three of their conference titles with the last two coming back-to-back.
- Simpson's third RMAC title – on Saturday night – also came on her birthday.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines opens the conference tournament on Tuesday at home against eighth-seeded Western Colorado. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. at Lockridge Arena. Live stats an video will also be offered 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.