GOLDEN, Colo. – Jessica Rios, Ashley Steffeck, and Loralee Stock made up the veteran trio that guided the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team to a 69-52 win against Cameron on Friday evening at Lockridge Arena on opening night of the Thanksgiving Classic.
 
Rios, Steffeck, and Stock combined for 37 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, and five steals. Stock's 14 points were tops on the team as she went 7-for-9 from the floor. Steffeck was right behind with 13 points and teased a double-double thanks to nine rebounds. She matched Stock with three assists as well. Rios turned in 10 points, six rebounds, and a game-high six assists along with two steals. Also notable was Jenna Siebert who also nearly notched a double-double thanks to 12 points, and eight rebounds. Emma Sixta's 10 points made it five Orediggers scoring in double digits. Shelby Nichols pulled down seven rebounds, and Audrey Beaty blocked two shots.
 
While Mines (4-1) used its trademark defense to edge Cameron (2-3) in the turnover battle, 14-15, it was a 47-29 rebounding margin that won the game for the home team. The Orediggers parlayed 15 offensive boards into 15 second-chance points. They also benefited from 26 points off the bench. Meanwhile, the Aggies had just six boards on the offensive glass which limited them to two second-chance points. Cameron also had just 10 points off its bench. As a team, Mines shot 39 percent from the floor including a 7-of-24 mark from three-point range. The Aggies converted at 36 percent overall and 26 percent from long range. The Orediggers went to the free-throw line 20 times and made 16. Cameron was 5-of-6 at the charity stripe. The Aggies' Korie Allensworth led all players with 19 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Through the first eight minutes of the game, Cameron missed just three shots, going 7-for-10 from the floor including a pair of three-pointers. That production gave the visitors a 16-7 lead and a 70-percent shooting percentage. However, Mines did not flinch and closed the period on a 10-0 run to take a 17-16 lead after 10 minutes of action. Sixta accounted for five points during the Oredigger surge. After the first quarter, the game was all Mines.
 
The home team outscored the Aggies 16-9 in the second quarter resulting in a 33-25 advantage at halftime. Six Orediggers contributed to the outburst including Stock and Steffeck who notched four points apiece. Then, after the break, Mines pulled out a 17-13 third quarter that saw Stock pour in six more points on 3-of-3 shooting. Nichols also pulled down four more rebounds. Also notable from the frame was Cameron making its first trip to the free-throw line and finishing 5-for-5 in the quarter. Siebert's nine points and five rebounds in the fourth period finished putting the Aggies to sleep. One tie and one lead change all came in the first quarter, and as the final buzzer sounded, the Orediggers had led the game for 30:26 out of 40:00 minutes of action.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 1-1 in the all-time series against Cameron, notching its first win ever over the Aggies.
- Siebert moved past 200 points for her career thanks to 12 on Friday night. Her eight rebounds were also a single-game high.
- Stock's 14 points matched her career best previously set at St. Mary's in 2022-23.
- Steffeck was 6-for-6 at the free-throw line against Cameron. She made her first three-pointer of the night, and finished shooting 50 percent from the floor on six total shots.
- Rios' six assists marked a career best for the senior. It surpassed her previous game high of four assists which she produced on two occasions.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is 202-115 in her 12th season leading Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers close their Thanksgiving Classic on Saturday, facing #10 MSU Billings at 5 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena­. Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be available 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.­­­