DENVER, Colo. – Five ties and 15 lead changes highlighted Saturday's RMAC Women's Basketball Tournament Championship game inside Regis Field House where second-seeded Colorado School of Mines eventually fell to top-seeded Regis by a score of 65-61.
The Orediggers had three massive performances on the night.
Ashley Steffeck topped the list with 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal.
Sammy Van Sickle turned in a resume featuring 15 points, nine rebounds, three blocks, two steals and one assist. She also became the program's all-time leader in career rebounds.
Megan Van de Graaf produced an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.
Josephine Howery chipped in three assists as well.
Mines (24-6) held a narrow margin on the glass, 47-46, and won the turnover battle, 9-5. The Orediggers also had more steals, more assists, and more blocks than Regis (25-6). However, the Rangers committed just 14 fouls and went to the free-throw line 26 times, converting 18 of those opportunities. In comparison, Mines was whistled for 21 fouls and went 10-of-16 at the charity stripe. Neither team was over 40-percent shooting from the floor, nor did they break the 25-percent mark from the behind the arc. The Orediggers won on points in the paint, points off turnovers, second-chance points, fast-break points, and points off the bench.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Saturday's roller coaster of a championship featured three turning points. The first was a 24-point outburst for Regis in the second quarter. It helped the Rangers overcome a 14-13, Mines lead after one quarter of play. By halftime, the home team owned a 37-32 advantage which could have been more if not for the Orediggers' going 4-for-5 in the final minutes of the second quarter.
The second turning point was a 7-0 run by Mines it in the middle of the third quarter. It pulled the Orediggers back even with RU and even allowed the visitors to retake the lead on two occasions. However, a three-pointer with 17 seconds to play in the third quarter pushed Regis back to a 50-48 advantage. That led to the final change of momentum which came in the form of back-to-back jumpers from Regis' Erin Fry less than three minutes into the final period. Those provided the Rangers with a 56-53 lead which they would never relinquish.
Steffeck scored 11 of her 18 points in the first half thanks to a 5-for-5 mark from the free-throw line.
Sammy Van Sickle scored seven points, grabbed four rebounds and blocked two shots in the third quarter. The fourth quarter saw Steffeck pour in her remaining seven points while Van de Graaf grabbed four more rebounds to complete her double-double.
NOTABLES
- Mines dropped to 29-55 in the all-time series against Regis, but the Orediggers still tout a 7-3 record in their last 10 meetings with the Rangers.
- Steffeck and
Sammy Van Sickle were voted to the RMAC All-Tournament team. Regis' Erin Fry was voted MVP after winning RMAC Player of the Year as well.
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Sammy Van Sickle's nine rebounds helped her break the program's career rebounding record. The previous top mark was 890 career rebounds collected by Ashley Gronewoller from 2002-06.
- Van Sickle now boasts 898 rebounds and 1,016 points for her career.
- Steffeck moved to #11 on Mines' all-time scoring list. She surpassed Emily Bailey (2014-18), and is seven points shy of tying
Courtney Stanton (2017-22) at #10.
- Van de Graaf tied her career high with 12 rebounds on Saturday night. She also had 12 rebounds against Chadron State in 2019.
- Van de Graaf's double-double was the third of her career and second of the season.
- Steffeck and
Sammy Van Sickle combined to attempt 44 field goals, both taking the most attempts in a single game of their respective careers.
- Howery surpassed 500 points for her career.
- Steffeck hit the 300-assist milestone on Saturday as well.
- Head Coach
Brittany Simpson is 198-113 in her 11th season leading the Orediggers.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines awaits the NCAA Selection Show scheduled for Sunday evening at 8:30 p.m. (MT) on
www.ncaa.com. If the Orediggers' name is called, their season continues. If not, the offseason begins. Mines will need to be inside the top eight in the final South Central Regional Rankings to continue its season.
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.
