#6/7 Mines (15-2, 10-1 RMAC) vs. MSU Denver (3-12, 2-8 RMAC) – Tuesday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
#6/7 Mines (15-2, 10-1 RMAC) vs. Western Colorado (3-12, 1-9 RMAC) – Friday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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STAYING HOME
After a pair of home games over the weekend, the Orediggers get to continue enjoying their own beds a little longer. They host a midweek RMAC contest against MSU Denver on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. before welcoming Western Colorado to Lockridge Arena on Friday at 5:30 p.m. The next two games mark Mines' opportunity to build a new win streak after suffering its first loss in over 60 days.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
Fans are encouraged to purchase digital tickets or print tickets at home ahead of this week'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.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Fans who can't make it to Lockridge Arena 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.
 
WEEKEND RECAP
Mines women's basketball celebrated Alumni Weekend by hosting Regis on Friday and UCCS on Saturday. Friday's contest was a shootout that resulted in a 93-74 Rangers' win. Ashley Steffeck scored 28 points in the loss for Mines. Steffeck exploded again on Saturday, going off for 35 points as the Orediggers bounced back against UCCS, 77-68. Steffeck's 35 points were the second-most in a game in program history. Also notable on Saturday were Shelby Nichols' four steals and Quincey Baum's five assists.
 
IN THE RANKINGS
The newest national rankings will not be released until Tuesday. That being said, Mines currently stands #7 in the WBCA NCAA Division II Top-25 Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll and #6 in the D2CSC Women's Basketball Division II Media Poll.
 
STEFFECK STAT TRACKER
After averaging over 30 points per game for the weekend, it's definitely time to update Ashley Steffeck's revision of the program record book. The graduate student is now #3 in career points and sits 32 shy of #2. She's #2 in all-time assists, #3 in career free throws made, and #5 in career three-pointers made. Steffeck's big weekend also pushed her to #5 on Mines' single-season free-throws list. She boasts 112 through 17 games.
 
ACTIVE CAREER LEADER
Ashley Steffeck's 383 career steals remain most of any active player in NCAA basketball. That includes men and women across all three divisions. She leads the top active men's player, Jalen House out of New Mexico, by more than 100. The next closest women's player, Haley Meinel of Jefferson, trails Steffeck by 20 steals. The Fort Collins native is also #3 among all active NCAA Division II women's players in steals per game at 3.06. She needs 17 more swipes to move into NCAA Division II's top-25, all-time steals leaders. It should be noted that steals were not considered an official NCAA Division II category until the 1992-93 season.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
Metropolitan State University of Denver is 3-12 (2-8 RMAC) and riding a three-game skid into Tuesday. Over the weekend, the Roadrunners hosted UCCS and Regis. They fell 65-49 to the Mountain Lions and 68-51 to the Rangers. MSU Denver's last win was a 58-49 victory at New Mexico Highlands. The Roadrunners also beat Seattle Pacific in non-conference play and Westminster in their RMAC opener. Mikylah Espinosa leads her team with 12.2 points per game. Brianna Sealy averages 8.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Also notable is Tosjanae Bonds who did not appear in a game until December. She's currently sitting on 4.1 points and 4.4 rebounds each night.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE ROADRUNNERS
Mines and MSU Denver already played once this season. On Dec. 13, the Orediggers rallied from 11 points down and avoided overtime in a 65-64 win. Ashley Steffeck guided the comeback with 25 points. That moved Mines to 32-55 in the all-time series against the Roadrunners. The Orediggers have won their last four meetings against the Roadrunners and eight of the last 10 showdowns. Mines hasn't lost to MSU Denver in Golden since Dec. 16, 2017.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN COLORADO
Western Colorado currently sits 3-12 (1-9 RMAC) this season. The Mountaineers snapped a nine-game losing streak over the weekend by taking down New Mexico Highlands, 65-56. Western Colorado's other two wins came in non-RMAC action against Eastern New Mexico and Northern New Mexico College. The average margin of defeat for WCU is less than 10 thanks to 57 points for compared to 64 points against per game. Individually, Rachel Cockman and Jayda Maves lead the team. Cockman puts up 16.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per outing. Maves has drained 40 three-pointers in 15 games to average 12.4 points per game.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE MOUNTAINEERS
Mines and Western Colorado played in Gunnison earlier this season. The Orediggers edged the Mountaineers, 61-56, as Jenna Siebert poured in 19 points. Ashley Steffeck contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, three steals, and three assists as well. That victory improved Mines to 32-38 in the rivalry with WCU. The Orediggers have now taken seven straight off the Mountaineers and seven of the last 10. Mines' last loss to Western Colorado was Dec. 18, 2020.
 
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 213-116 (64.7). 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
After hosting MSU Denver and Western Colorado, Mines will travel to Fort Lewis on Feb. 2 and Adams State on Feb. 3. Free live stats and video of both games will be offered 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.