DENTON, Texas – Large negative margins in rebounding and fouls committed proved to be the demise of the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team as the Orediggers dropped a 72-66 game at #6/24 Texas Woman's on Thursday evening.
 
Loralee Stock led a trio of double-digit, Oredigger scorers. She notched 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting including a 2-for-3 mark from three-point range. Nichols turned in 11 points along with six rebounds, one block, and one steal. Josephine Howery had 10 points while dishing out six assists. Also notable for Mines was Jenna Siebert who tallied five points, five rebounds, and four assists. Ashley Steffeck scored eight points, dished out four assists, grabbed three rebounds, and had one block.
 
Mines (2-1) dropped its first game of the season despite shooting over 40 percent from the field. Texas Woman's (6-0) remained undefeated thanks to 45-percent shooting from the floor and a 38-32 advantage in rebounding. The Pioneers also made it to the free-throw line 25 times thanks to 25 fouls whistled against the Orediggers. Mines only shot six free throws as the Pioneers only committed eight fouls in the game. The visitors also lost the turnover battle but benefited from 11 three-pointers while TWU only had four three-pointers. Both teams notched seven steals apiece and tallied six blocks apiece.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Stock exploded for nine points in the first quarter which helped Mines find an eight-point lead. However, Texas Woman's closed the period on an 8-0 run to keep the score tied, 22-22, after 10 minutes of action. The second quarter saw Steffeck knock down a pair of three-pointers, but neither team led by more than three points and there was no run more than five points. That left the score tied at 35-35 as the teams headed to the locker room for the halftime break.
 
An 8-0 run early in the third period helped TWU build a 12-point lead. But Mines kept itself in the contest by holding the Pioneers without a field goal for nearly five minutes of game action running from the third quarter into the second quarter. Then, neither team scored any points from 7:15 in the fourth quarter to the 3:06 mark in the same period. Siebert broke the drought with a three-pointer which pulled the Orediggers within three points of Texas Woman's at 57-54. However, in the last three minutes, TWU went 9-of-10 at the free-throw line and made a pair of three-pointers to hold on for the win.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines dropped to 0-2 in the all-time series against Texas Woman's.
- The Orediggers and Pioneers last played in the year 2000.
- Mines last faced a nationally-ranked opponent on Nov. 25, 2022, as the Orediggers defeated #21 Central Washington by a score of 72-53 at Regis Field House.
- The Orediggers haven't lost to a nationally-ranked foe since falling to #7 Texas A&M-Commerce by a score of 80-74 in the 2022 NCAA tournament.
- Audrey Beaty surpassed 100 points for her collegiate career on Thursday night. She scored 89 at Emporia State last season while adding 12 so far in 2023-24.
- Howery's six assists against TWU set a single-game career high for the senior.
- Siebert and Emma Sixta notched career highs against Texas Woman's as well, with Siebert dishing out four assists and Sixta scoring nine points.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is 200-115 in her 12th season leading Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines takes on West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas, on Saturday at 1 p.m. CT. Pay-per-view video will be offered on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network. Free live stats will be linked at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women's basketball on "X" (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @MinesWBB. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, "X" and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.­­­