#12 Mines (19-3, 15-2 RMAC) vs. Colorado Mesa (8-14, 7-9 RMAC) – Friday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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REMATCH WITH COLORADO MESA
It's a one-game weekend for the #12-ranked Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team. They'll host Western Slope rival Colorado Mesa at 5:30 p.m. on Friday inside Lockridge Arena as part of the annual "Rock the Lock" night. The Orediggers tout a modest, six-game win streak. The Mavericks are fighting for their playoff lives. It sets a perfect scene for a raucous night in Golden, Colo.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
All RMAC contests 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.
 
GET YOUR 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.
 
ROCK THE LOCK
It's become an annual event with the goal of packing Lockridge Arena and giving away cool prizes. The 2022-23 edition includes free food, prizes, giveaways, t-shirts. Starting with the women's game, the first 200 students will receive free food from Mines Athletics sponsor Pierogies Factory. There will also be a poster contest in the concourse outside Lockridge Arena with prizes for the best posters. During the game, Rock the Lock t-shirts will be thrown out to fans on each Oredigger three-pointer. In-game action will also include raffle prizes, a prize wheel, and a dice game. The big giveaway is a 43-inch Vizio TV. Each student who comes to the game will receive a raffle ticket. The winner will be announced at the final media timeout of the men's game and must be present to win.
 
MORE ROCKING OF THE LOCK
Not only will Friday night include tons of prizes and giveaways, there will be numerous recognitions and performances as well. The Mines Dance team will perform at both halftimes. Then, the Oredigger women's soccer, football, men's soccer, and volleyball teams will be recognized on-court at various breaks in the game for their incredible fall of competition. There will also be hospitality available for Oredigger Club members in the McNeil Room on the upper level of Lockridge Arena.
 
THE TRIP TO SOUTH DAKOTA
Last weekend, Mines made a quick road trip to South Dakota and found great success on both nights. Friday saw the Orediggers claim a 72-58 win against Black Hills State in Spearfish. Megan Van de Graaf and Ashley Steffeck combined to score 47 points on the #1 defense in the league. Saturday was a STEM showdown at South Dakota Mines, and the Orediggers emerged victorious by a score of 84-68. Van de Graaf exploded again, this time for 23 points. Jenna Siebert provided a career-high 16 points as well while Sammy Van Sickle pulled down 13 rebounds.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO MESA
Colorado Mesa's 2022-23 campaign has been a tale of two seasons. The Mavericks opened the year 2-10 overall including a sluggish, 1-5 start to conference play. Since their heartbreaking, 67-66 loss at CSU Pueblo, the Mavericks have somewhat turned the season around and produced a 6-4 record over the last 10 games. Last Saturday, CMU earned a narrow, 64-62 win against UCCS inside Brownson Arena. That snapped a three-game skid for Colorado Mesa. The Mavericks are now in a three-way tie for #7 in the RMAC standings and need each win in their final six games to stay in contention. Individually, Olivia Reed, Monica Brooks, and Kylie Kravig are the lead trio for CMU. Reed leads the team in scoring, rebounding, and blocks with 12.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Her field-goal percentage of 60.5 ranks #9 in the nation. Brooks boasts 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Kravig runs the point as evidenced by 4.8 assists per game along with 8.5 points and 1.0 steals.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Overall, Colorado Mesa has owned the Colorado School of Mines rivalry with an all-time record of 60-19. However, recent history has been all Orediggers. Mines has won five of the last six meetings including a four-game win streak from Jan. 22, 2021 – Jan. 21, 2022. That marked the Orediggers' most consecutive wins against CMU in the history of the series. The last time Mines and Mesa faced off was earlier this season on Dec. 2, 2022. The meeting was in Grand Junction, Colo., and the Orediggers left the Western Slope with a 67-55 victory. Josephine Howery, Ashley Steffeck, Sammy Van Sickle and Megan Van de Graaf all scored in double-digits. Steffeck made her night a double-double thanks to 10 rebounds. Van de Graaf also dished out four assists. The last time Mines lost to CMU was Feb. 19, 2022, in Grand Junction. The Orediggers haven't lost to the Mavericks in Golden, Colo., since Dec. 7, 2019. It was a 55-53 heartbreaker inside Lockridge Arena.
 
RMAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Megan Van de Graaf's explosive weekend in South Dakota led to her being named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week last Monday. She earned the first weekly honor of her career thanks to 24 points per game on 60-percent shooting from the floor. The highlight of the graduate student's weekend was a career-best 25 points against the #1 defense in the RMAC as Mines downed BHSU by score of 72-58. She converted 10 of her 15 field-goal attempts and added five free throws as well. Van de Graaf closed the weekend by pouring in 23 points during an 84-68 victory at South Dakota Mines. She was 10-of-18 from the floor in that game and added an assist as well.
 
STANDINGS UPDATE
Mines' two wins last weekend clinched the Orediggers a berth in the 2023 RMAC Tournament. Furthermore, Westminster defeated Regis last Saturday in Salt Lake City. While Mines was already #1 in the RMAC standings due to a difference in games played, that decision gave the Orediggers sole possession of first place and control of their own destiny. Five games remain for Mines in the regular season. Most other teams have six to play. If the Orediggers win all of them, they will win their third straight RMAC title. If they lose, things get murky. The rest of the standings have condensed greatly. While there had been a clear-cut top four teams, Westminster and MSU Denver have surged into the mix. As of Thursday, Mines is #1, Regis sits #2, Black Hills State is #3, and Adams State is #4. Those four teams would host #5 Westminster and #6 MSU Denver while CSU Pueblo, Colorado Mesa, and UCCS all sit tied for the last two spots in the RMAC Tournament bracket. Colorado Christian is one game out of the mix. New Mexico Highlands, Fort Lewis and Western Colorado are just two games out of contention. No team has been mathematically eliminated from the conference postseason, yet.
 
CHASING 1,000
Ashley Steffeck, Megan Van de Graaf, and Sammy Van Sickle are all within striking distance of 1,000 points for their respective careers. Steffeck's scoring surge of late has put her up to 943 career points. That leaves 57 points, or 11.4 points per game for the Fort Collins, Colo., native to reach the milestone in the regular season. Van de Graaf also helped herself with 48 points last weekend. She now boasts 864 career points and needs 136, or 22.6 points per game to accomplish the feat in the regular season. It's a taller task, but she's proved more than capable. Van Sickle rounds out the trio at 932 career points. Her margin is now 68 points or 11.3 points per game. With all that in mind, Mines has already guaranteed itself at least one postseason game which will provide more opportunity for all three to make history.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
The time of year has come to remind fans that the national rankings have absolutely nothing (we repeat, NOTHING), to do with postseason selection. Qualification for the NCAA Tournament is based solely on winning the conference tournament and the decision of the Regional Advisory Committee (RAC). Even so, an update on the national rankings is due. The 12th edition of the regular-season polls saw Mines surge into a tie for #12 on the coaches' list and move up to #14 in the media's rankings. No other RMAC team was nationally ranked. Ashland was the consensus #1 team. Other teams from the South Central Region in the top-25 were Texas Woman's and Angelo State.
 
BEST IN 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. No other collegiate women's basketball team in the state has more wins, fewer losses, a better winning percentage, or a longer win streak than Colorado School of Mines 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 178 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.
 
AT THE HELM
Head Coach Brittany Simpson is in her 11th season leading the Mines women's basketball program. Mines' home game against Fort Lewis marked her 300th as head coach of the Orediggers. During her decade-plus tenure, she has become the winningest coach in program history both in terms of total wins and win percentage at 193-110 (63.6). 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
Mines closes the home portion of its regular season next weekend as the Orediggers welcome Colorado Christian to Lockridge Arena on Friday before hosting Chadron State on Saturday. Tipoff on Friday is 5 p.m. and Saturday is slated to start at 3:30 p.m. Seniors will be honored at halftime of the men's game on Saturday. Tickets for the game can be purchased online or at the door. 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 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.