DENVER, Colo. – Two late free throws from Ashley Steffeck completed a come-from-behind, 65-64 win for the #10 Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team on Wednesday night at MSU Denver.
 
Steffeck finished the game with 26 points which led all players. She also had seven rebounds, three steals, one block, and one assist. Jenna Siebert scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds. Audrey Beaty matched Steffeck's seven rebounds, and Josephine Howery dished out three assists. Steffeck's scoring output was highlighted by an 11-of-13 mark and the free-throw line along with a trio of three-pointers.
 
Mines (10-1, 5-0 RMAC) overcame 28-percent shooting thanks to a 21-11 win in the turnover battle. The victory extended the Orediggers' win streak to eight. MSU Denver (2-8, 1-4 RMAC) nearly pulled off the upset by converting 20-of-24 free throws, shooting 39 percent from the field, and 40 percent from long range. The Roadrunners also had 27 points off the bench and 22 points in the paint. Mine parlayed 21 turnovers into 19 points.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Orediggers only led the game for 6:38, mostly thanks to a 9-2 lead at the start of the game. MSU Denver made a 10-0 run in the first quarter, a 7-0 run in the second quarter, and a 6-0 run in the third quarter to lead for more than 30 minutes. However, Steffeck kept Mines in the game with seven first-half points while she and Siebert scored six apiece in the third quarter. Even so, the Roadrunners found an 11-point lead with 1:25 to play in the third period.
 
Thanks to Steffeck's output, Mines only needed a 6-0 surge in the final frame to help with the comeback. A large part of the rally was 13, fourth-quarter points, shockingly, off the hand of Steffeck. With 6:10 to play in the game, the Orediggers trailed 56-46. At that point, Steffeck and Loralee Stock teamed up for Mines' 6-0 run. Then, Steffeck made it a 12-1 run as she accounted for nine of the 12 points. The clock showed 2:56 remaining in the game and the Orediggers had taken a 58-57 lead. Mines relied on free throws over the final three minutes while the Roadrunners found field goals to make it 64-61 with 59 seconds left to play. Steffeck eventually went 4-for-4 at the charity stripe in the final minute to clinch the win for the visitors.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines moved to 32-55 in the all-time series against MSU Denver.
- The Orediggers have won four straight meetings with the Roadrunners.
- Mines hasn't lost to MSU Denver since Feb. 4, 2022.
- Steffeck surpassed Sammy Van Sickle on the program's all-time three-point list. The Fort Collins, Colo., native now ranks #5 at Mines with 170 made three-pointers.
- Audrey Beaty recorded a single-game, career high with seven rebounds at MSU Denver.
- Loralee Stock drained two three-pointers on Wednesday night.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is 208-115 in her 12th season leading Mines.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines plays at Western Colorado on Saturday at 1 p.m. 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.­­­