#16 Mines (5-1, 0-0 RMAC) vs. #23 Colorado Mesa (6-1, 0-0 RMAC) – Friday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#16 Mines (5-1) vs. Westminster (2-2) – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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RMAC ACTION BEGINS
Non-conference play is in the books for the #16-ranked Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team. This weekend, the Orediggers open the conference portion of their schedule. They start Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action by hosting #23-ranked Colorado Mesa and Westminster. Tipoff on Friday against the Mavericks is set for 5:30 p.m. Saturday's start is slated for 5 p.m. The men will make it a doubleheader on both nights with 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. starts at Lockridge Arena. With Mines' women ranked #16, Colorado Mesa's women ranked #23, CMU's men ranked #18, and the Oredigger men receiving votes, it promises to be a high-powered weekend of basketball.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
Fans are encouraged to purchase digital tickets or print tickets at home ahead of this weekend's games by going to www.minesathletics.com/tickets. This will expedite the entry process to Lockridge Arena. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $5 for children, seniors, and military members. Mines faculty, staff, and students get in free with their Blaster Card.
 
WIN FOR BLASTER'S BASKET
Last weekend at the Thanksgiving Classic, Mines did not charge admission. Instead, the Orediggers encouraged fans to donate nonperishable food items or cash to Blaster's Basket which is a food pantry on campus for students who do not have enough to eat. Donating was voluntary and the result was eight large boxes of food (over 300 items), and more than $250. Mines Athletics and Colorado School of Mines extend a huge thank you to all who gave.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Fans who can't make it to Lockridge Arena this weekend can still catch all the action. Live streaming of each contest will be offered free of charge on the RMAC Network. The RMAC Network can be loaded on your phone or downloaded on any smart TV/live streaming device by searching RMAC. There will also be free live stats linked above and at www.minesathletics.com.
 
THANKSGIVING CLASSIC RECAP
Mines latest action came at its own Thanksgiving Classic last Friday and Saturday at Lockridge Arena. The Orediggers started the weekend with a dominant, 69-52 victory against Cameron. They closed the weekend by upsetting then-#10 MSU Billings, 75-71. Friday's contest saw five Orediggers score in double figures led by Loralee Stock's 14 points. Ashley Steffeck teased a double-double thanks to 13 points and nine rebounds. Jenna Siebert added 12 points and eight rebounds. Jessica Rios and Emma Sixta notched 10 points apiece. Rios also handed out six assists. On Saturday, Quincey Baum and Steffeck were the stars of the show. Baum scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Steffeck matched the game high with 25 points while tallying six assists, four rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. The other half of the Thanksgiving Classic field saw Regis lose to MSU Billings before handling Cameron.
 
RANKED WINS
The Orediggers' victory against MSU Billings marked their first win over a ranked opponent since Nov. 25, 2022. On that date, Mines defeated #21 Central Washington by a score of 72-53 at Regis Field House. Saturday's result was also the Orediggers' first win over a top-10 opponent since Feb. 13, 2021, when they down #7 Western Colorado. Earlier this season, Mines faced then-#24 Texas Woman's and dropped a 72-66 road loss. The Orediggers last game against a top-10 opponent was in the 2022 NCAA tournament against #7 Texas A&M-Commerce which has since transitioned to NCAA Division I.
 
RMAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK – AGAIN
Ashley Steffeck's outstanding weekend at the Thanksgiving Classic led to her winning RMAC Offensive Player of the Week for a second time this season. Steffeck averaged 19 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game across Mines' two victories. In that same span, the Fort Collins, Colo., native was 9-of-18 from the floor including a 4-for-8 mark from three-point range. She also went 16-of-17 at the free-throw line. It marks the second weekly offensive award of Steffeck's career after she won RMAC Defensive Player of the Week eight times from 2019-23. We'll have plenty more on Steffeck later in the preview.
 
BIG GAME BAUM
Quincey Baum was a vital cog in Mines' victory over #10 MSU Billings as she put together a career game. Her seven rebounds were a single-game, career high and her 13 points were three shy of her career best. Baum did set career highs in field goals and free throws made as well. Her biggest impact was on the offensive glass. Four of her seven rebounds were offensive and three of those boards resulted in seven of her 13 points. The Littleton, Colo., native's lone steal of the game also led to a fast break layup. Notable as well was a defensive rebound that ended in a Baum layup at the other end thanks to a pass from Shelby Nichols.
 
NATIONAL POLLS DEBUT
After three weeks of regular season play, Mines women's basketball made its debut in the national rankings. Earlier this week, the Orediggers appeared at #16 in the D2CSC Women's Basketball Division II Media Poll. They also received votes in the WBCA Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll. The appearances on both lists are Mines' first since the final week of the 2022-23 regular season when the Orediggers were #22 in the media poll and #25 on the coaches' list. A number of familiar faces also appeared in the third edition of the national rankings. Texas Woman's was #10 in the media poll and #14 according to the coaches. MSU Billings dropped to #17 in the media poll and the coaches' poll. Colorado Mesa was #23 in the media rankings and Regis was #24 in the coaches' poll.
 
STEFFECK SLAYS
Let the following serve as your weekly update on the progress Ashley Steffeck is making as she climbs multiple all-time lists in Mines' record book. As of Thursday, Steffeck is #8 on the Orediggers' all-time scoring list with 1,219 career points. She's six points shy of tying Ja'net Proctor at #7. The guard is #4 in career assists with 325. She's also #5 in career free throws made (282), and #6 in career three-pointers made (159). Steffeck already owns the program records for steals in a game, steals in a season, and steals in a career.
 
ONE OF ONE
Ashley Steffeck's early-season production has put her in a unique situation as conference play begins. She is the only player in the entire RMAC who currently ranks top-10 in the league in scoring average, assists per game, blocks per game, and steals per game. Steffeck is currently #2 in the RMAC in scoring thanks to 18.5 points per game. Her 2.5 steals per game are #6 in the league. She's tied for #8 in blocks thanks to 1.0 per contest. Rounding it out are 3.8 assists per game which rank #7 while her 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio is #5 in the league among qualifying players.
 
NOBODY HAS MORE
We promised plenty of Ashley Steffeck, and hopefully we delivered. Based on the previous sections, it should come as no surprise that Steffeck is the active career leader in steals – across all three levels of the NCAA. She's listed atop the list of active NCAA Division II players with 340 steals which are 18 more than the #2 player in DII, 24 more than the DI active career leader, and 44 ahead of the DIII leader. Additionally, Steffeck ranks #2 among active players in NCAA Division II in career steals average at 2.98 per game across 114 games in her career.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO MESA
Colorado Mesa comes to Golden, Colo., with a 6-1 record and a #23 ranking in the D2CSC media poll. The Mavericks started the 2023-24 season 5-0 before falling to now-#22 Fort Hays State two weeks ago. On the Monday before Thanksgiving, CMU played a non-conference game against Colorado Christian and won, 77-61. The Mavericks then took the holiday weekend off from competition. As of Thursday, Colorado Mesa is #9 in DII in assist-to-turnover ratio, #15 in free-throw percentage, and #18 in fewest turnovers per game. The Mavericks average 70.6 points per game and give up just 57.1. That puts their offense #5 in the RMAC, their defense #3 in the RMAC, and their margin of 13.4 #1 in the league. Individually, CMU is deep, but Olivia Reed rises to the top. She leads the team in scoring, rebounding, and blocks with 17.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game. Reed ranks #1 in DII in total double-doubles, #2 in total rebounds, and #3 in rebounds per game. Kyle Kravig hands out 5.3 assists per game and her 37 assists rank #9 in the nation. Also notable is Mason Rowland who averages 16.1 points per game.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE MAVERICKS
Colorado Mesa won 26 straight games against Colorado School of Mines from 1988-2000. That gives the Mavericks a 61-20 advantage in the rivalry. However, in recent history, the Orediggers have started closing the gap. They are 6-4 in their last 10 meetings with the Mavericks. That includes four straight wins from 2021-22. Mines is also 6-2 in its last eight showdowns against Colorado Mesa. Last season, the Orediggers and Mavericks faced off three times. They split the regular-season series as Mines won in Grand Junction and lost at home. The Orediggers ended CMU's 2022-23 campaign in the first round of the RMAC tournament. It was a 66-60 thriller at Lockridge Arena on Feb. 28. In that game, Ashley Steffeck and Josephine Howery combined for 38 points. Steffeck also had five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
What used to be Westminster College is now Westminster University. Under the new moniker and the guidance of first-year head coach Asami Morita, Griffins women's basketball is 2-2 as they roll into RMAC play. They started the season with back-to-back games at Arkansas Fort Smith (UAFS). The Lady Lions won both contests by scores of 78-47 and 55-36. Westminster then played two games at home against Alaska Fairbanks and grabbed victories of 64-57 and 74-59. The Griffins haven't played an official game since Nov. 18. They did play an exhibition against NCAA Division I Utah Valley on Nov. 21. Westminster starts its weekend at MSU Denver on Friday before coming to Golden on Saturday. As a team, WU's most notable stat is committing just 14.4 fouls per game which ranks #20 in NCAA Division II. The Griffins average 55.3 points per game while giving up 64.8 per contest. Individually, Teuila Nawahine leads the team with 18.5 points per game. Maunayia Harrigfeld pulls down 10.3 rebounds per game.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE GRIFFINS
Mines leads the all-time series against Westminster by an 8-5 margin. The Orediggers and Griffins traded wins through their first seven meetings before Mines won two straight and five of the last six. That surge includes an active, three-game win streak against Westminster. The two teams only met once last season. It was a 76-66 Oredigger win in Salt Lake City. Ashley Steffeck and Josephine Howery combined to score 38 points. Steffeck added seven rebounds, six assists, five steals, and a block in the victory. The last time Mines lost to Westminster was Feb. 19, 2021, in Golden. The final score was 67-62. Prior to the Orediggers' 10-point win last season, four straight meetings had been decided by five points or less.
 
200 WINS
Mines' win against St. Edward's on opening weekend gave Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson the 200th win of her career. It makes Simpson the only head coach in program history to reach the milestone. By default, it also makes her the fastest to 200 career wins in the history of Mines women's basketball. The milestone added to Simpson's impressive resume which saw her become the winningest coach in the history of Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball on Dec. 4, 2020, in a 68-53 win over South Dakota Mines inside Lockridge Arena. Simpson is now in her 12th season as skipper of the Orediggers.
 
BOSS LADY
Head Coach Brittany Simpson is in her 12th 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 203-115 (63.8). Simpson is responsible for all three of the program's RMAC titles including regular-season championships in 2015-16, 2020-21, and 2021-22. She has also led the Orediggers in four of their five trips to the NCAA tournament. Simpson is a three-time RMAC Coach of the Year who has guided 34 All-RMAC selections including 14 first-teamers, 11 second-teamers, one third-team selection and eight honorable mention performers. She has also coached one RMAC Player of the Year, two RMAC Defensive Players of the Year, and two RMAC Freshman of the Year award winners. Eight of Mines' 13 1,000-point scorers have surpassed the milestone under Simpson's watch. Last season, Ashley Steffeck became the first all-American in program history after earning Honorable Mention All-America status from the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA).
 
UP NEXT
Mines hits the road for a four-game swing to close the calendar year. They go to South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State on Dec. 8 and Dec. 9. The Orediggers then play at MSU Denver on Dec. 13 and at Western Colorado on Dec. 16. Free video on the RMAC Network and live stats will be offered for all four games 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.