#14 Mines (15-3, 11-2 RMAC) vs. Fort Lewis (7-11, 4-8 RMAC) – Friday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#14 Mines (15-3, 11-2 RMAC) vs. Adams State (13-5, 9-3 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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HOME COOKING
The #14-ranked Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team played its last four games on the road over the span of two weeks. This weekend, the Orediggers get to enjoy the comforts of home as they return to Lockridge Arena to host Fort Lewis on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Adams State on Saturday at 5 p.m. It's also Alumni Weekend for both teams which means many familiar, historic faces will be filling the stands.
 
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.
 
PROMOTIONS
In addition to Alumni Weekend festivities sent out to registered attendees, there are numerous promotions on both Friday and Saturday night. Friday's contest features free pizza for the first Mines students arriving at the game. Fans in attendance also have the chance to win Anthony's Pizza seat of the game. Saturday brings a giveaway of free cupcakes and cookies for Mines students. Both nights include entertainment from the Oredigger cheerleaders, dance team, and band. The dance team will perform at halftime. There are also halftime contests for randomly selected fans.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Mines rounded out its four-game road trip last week with a trip to MSU Denver on Tuesday and a jaunt to Western Colorado on Saturday. The Orediggers won both games after dropping two straight the previous weekend. On Tuesday, Mines earned a 63-62, nail-biting victory against the Roadrunners. Ashley Steffeck's 15-point, 13-rebound double-double was the highlight along with six steals, three assists and two blocks by the senior guard. Saturday saw the Orediggers run away from WCU, 94-75. Megan Van de Graaf poured in 22 points with five steals. Steffeck had 20 points and added five steals of her own.
 
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS
Fort Lewis comes to Golden, Colo., with an overall record of 7-11 in tow. The Skyhawks are 4-8 in conference play and sit alone at #11 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings. Their latest action was a 57-53 win last Saturday against Westminster. That victory snapped a five-game losing streak for FLC. It's notable that the Skyhawks also defeated Westminster in Salt Lake City earlier this season. Fort Lewis' two other RMAC wins came against Western Colorado and against South Dakota Mines. Three of the Skyhawks' four conference wins have come at home in Durango, Colo., making them 4-3 at home and 2-7 on the road for the season. Lanae Billy and Kelsey Sorenson are the FLC duo to watch. Billy leads the team with 17.1 points and 2.2 steals per game. She's #12 in the nation in three-pointers per game. Sorenson averages 12.4 points per contest and leads the team with 7.4 rebounds per game. Overall, the Skyhawks supplement their 60.7 points per game by making 14.78 free throws per game which ranks #29 in the nation. Opponents have averaged 69.3 points per game against Fort Lewis.
 
SERIES HISTORY – FLC
The all-time series between Mines and Fort Lewis College features 23 wins for the Orediggers and 37 wins for the Skyhawks. However, Mines has won four straight games against FLC and seven of the last 10. The teams last faced off on Feb. 11, 2022, in Golden. The Orediggers notched an 84-56 win as Denali Pinto exploded for 38 points. Ashley Steffeck also scored 12 points, dished out seven assists and racked up six steals. Mines hasn't lost to Fort Lewis since Jan. 11., 2020. That defeat came at Lockridge Arena. Also notable is the largest margin of victory in the rivalry. It was an 87-53, Oredigger win on Dec. 18, 2021, in Durango.
 
SCOUTING ADAMS STATE
A much-improved Adams State squad goes to MSU Denver on Friday before coming to Mines on Saturday. The Grizzlies currently boast a four-game win streak after wins of 74-66 and 70-55 at Chadron State and against Westminster, respectively. Adams State's last loss came on Jan. 6 at the hands of Regis. At 13-5 overall and 9-3 in the RMAC, the Grizzlies also suffered conference losses to Colorado Mesa and CSU Pueblo. One notable win was an 82-52 decision in Alamosa, Colo., against Black Hills State. Harmanie Dominguez is ASU's leading scorer thanks to 12.9 points per game and Sharmayne Finley averages 11.9 points per game. However, arguably most notable is Angelline Nageak. Not only does she put up 9.8 points per night, she leads the league with 60 steals and dishes out 4.0 assists per game. Her steals numbers rank #6 in the nation in total steals and #4 in steals per game. Adams State boasts the RMAC's #1 scoring offense and ranks second in the league in scoring margin. Mines is #2 in the league in scoring and #1 in scoring margin.
 
SERIES HISTORY – ASU
Mines has closed its 28-34 deficit in the all-time series against Adams State thanks to 13 straight wins over the Grizzlies. Prior to that run, the Orediggers had lost four straight at the hands of ASU. Mines and Adams State last played on Feb. 25, 2022. It was an 83-58 win for the home team in Golden. Megan Van de Graaf poured in 23 points with eight rebounds. Ashley Steffeck's game resume featured six points, six assists, six steals and two blocks. The Orediggers last loss to the Grizzlies was a 64-57 margin on Jan. 13, 2012, in Alamosa. Mines hasn't lost to ASU in Golden since Jan. 14, 2011.
 
ALL-TIME STEALS LEADER
Last Saturday, Ashley Steffeck's five steals at Western Colorado made her Mines' all-time steals leader. She now boasts 285 in her career which is one better than Claudia Fonio's 284 from 1980-84. Steffeck also holds the program's single-game and single-season steals records. In fact, she boasts the #1, #2, and #3 slots on the all-time, single-game list. This season, Steffeck's 50 steals rank #23 in the nation and her 2.78 steals average ranks #20 in the nation. The Fort Collins, Colo., native also ranks #1 among all active players in NCAA Division II in career steals and #3 in career steals per game. Among all active players across all three divisions of the NCAA, Steffeck is #5 in both career steals and career steals per game. Also notable this season is her 2.89 assist-to-turnover ratio which ranks #10 in NCAA Division II.
 
RMAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Steffeck's record-breaking performance last week helped her earn RMAC Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and seventh time in her career. Her resume for the week included 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game along with 11 steals, five assists and two blocks. If breaking the all-time steals record wasn't the highlight of her week, then 15 points, 13 rebounds, six steals, three assists and two blocks at MSU Denver was a close second.
 
NINE GAMES TO PLAY
If fans failed to gather from the title of this section, there are nine games remaining on Mines' regular-season schedule for 2022-23, and exactly one month to go on the calendar. Thanks to a difference in games played so far, the Orediggers are still alone at #1 in the RMAC standings thanks to an 11-2 mark in conference play. That's half a game better than Black Hills State and Regis at 10-2. However, Regis holds the head-to-head record over Mines. Those three teams along with Adams State (9-3) round out a condensed top four in the league. If the season ended today, that quartet would host quarterfinal games on campus to start the RMAC Tournament. The bottom half of the projected bracket features Westminster at #5. The Griffins are three games back of ASU at #4. CSU Pueblo is #6, MSU Denver is #7, and Colorado Mesa is tied with UCCS for #8. New Mexico Highlands is one game out of the tournament field while Fort Lewis and Colorado Christian need to pick up at least two games to be in the conversation.
 
CHASING 1,000
There are three Orediggers within striking distance of 1,000 career points. Sammy Van Sickle is the closest. She boasts 907 points for her career and needs just 97 in the last nine games of the regular season. Van Sickle also touts 793 rebounds which puts her in the conversation for 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds for a career. Next closest is Ashley Steffeck who currently owns 873 career points. Megan Van de Graaf rounds out the trio at 805 career points. While all three reaching the milestone could be a tall task, it's not out of the question with a deep postseason run.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
After a setback in the ninth edition of the regular-season national rankings, Mines surged again in week 10. The Orediggers surged from #19 to #14 in the coaches' poll, and climbed from #24 to #22 in the media poll. No other RMAC team is nationally ranked. Ashland is the consensus team at #1 on both lists thanks to a 20-0 record. Texas Woman's is the top-ranked team from the South Central Region with Angelo State appearing the polls as well.
 
LEADING COLORADO
Colorado is home to 21 different collegiate women's basketball teams representing NCAA Divisions I, II, and III along with the junior college ranks. Mines has established itself as one of the best women's teams in the state of Colorado for the 2022-23 season. The Orediggers are tied for #1 in total wins, while standing alone at #1 for fewest losses and best winning percentage. The University of Colorado (DI) is the only team of the 21 in Colorado that has matched Mines' 15 wins this season.
 
HOW FAR WE'VE COME
The inaugural campaign for Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball was 1976-77. Through the first 20 seasons of the program's existence, the Orediggers totaled 106 victories with zero seasons above .500 and just two double-digit win campaigns. Over the last decade, including the 2022-23 campaign, Mines has racked up 174 wins, three conference titles, and three NCAA Tournament berths. The Orediggers have not finished under .500 since 2014-15, and have recorded double-digit wins every year since 2011-12.
 
300 AT THE HELM
Head Coach Brittany Simpson is in her 11th season leading the Mines women's basketball program and Friday night's game against Fort Lewis will be her 300th as head coach of the Orediggers. During her decade tenure, she has become the winningest coach in program history both in terms of total wins and win percentage at 189-110 (63.2). 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
The Orediggers are back on the road next weekend. They face Black Hills State on Friday at 5 p.m. in Spearfish, S.D. On Saturday, they play South Dakota Mines at 4 p.m. in Rapid City, S.D. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be linked 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.