GOLDEN, Colo. – Career nights from Jenna Siebert and Josephine Howery fueled the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team in its 92-88, upset victory against defending national champion and #9-ranked Minnesota State on Friday inside Lockridge Arena.
 
The victory came in Mines' first home game of the 2024-25 season. Siebert rose to the top of a box score stuffed with highlights thanks to 34 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and one block. Howery was right behind, touting 25 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Jade Leon added to the standout performances by turning in an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double. Audrey Beaty's 11 points made a quartet of Orediggers scoring in double figures on Friday night. Furthermore, Peyton Freiermuth teased a triple-double behind 11 assists, eight rebounds, and six points. Rounding out the highlights were blocked shots from Siebert, Beaty, Emma Sixta, and Michaela Lee.
 
Mines (2-4) shot over 50 percent from the field, drained seven three-pointers and went 15-of-17 from the free-throw line. Minnesota State (4-2) rode 25 points off the hand of Natalie Bremer and Destinee Bursch's 17 points with eight rebounds. Despite shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor, the Mavericks only managed two made shots from behind the three-point arc. They did get to the free-throw line 29 times and converted 22 of the opportunities. Rebounding numbers came out even and MNSU even edged Mines in the turnover battle. However, the Orediggers prevailed by scoring 26 points off turnovers while shooting over 30 percent from long range.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
There were 14 ties and nine lead changes in Mines' first home game of the 2024-25 season. It was a contest that was later described as atemberaubend in the game staffer's native language. Even so, the first 10 minutes of action only included two ties and two lead changes as the heavyweight powerhouses felt each other out like a pair of prizefighters. After the first quarter, Howery had scored nine points on 75-percent shooting, but the Orediggers still trailed Minnesota State by a score of 24-21. Eight turnovers by the home team proved key in their deficit.
 
The second quarter was when Mines turned the corner. The Orediggers exploded on a 14-0 run. It was part of a 20-4 surge that lasted more than five minutes of game action and provided Mines an 11-point lead with 1:22 remaining before halftime. Howery and Siebert were mostly responsible for the outburst. Howery scored 12 points on perfect, 4-for-4 shooting in the second frame. Siebert dropped 10 points on six attempts including one made three-pointer. Freiermuth coordinated it all from the point by dishing out three assists. Even more remarkable was Mines making the run while still committing seven turnovers. At the break, the Orediggers held a 47-40 advantage over the Mavericks.
 
As expected by most, Minnesota State came out of the locker room after halftime on fire. The visitors immediately went on a 9-0 run and completely eliminated Mines' lead. But the Orediggers were going nowhere. With the period coming to a close, Freiermuth scored four points as part of a 6-2 run by Mines. That contribution provided the hosts a 70-68 lead with 10 minutes to play. It also capped a quarter in which Freiermuth scored six points, Siebert scored six points, Beaty scored five points, and Howery had four points. Also notable were three more assists from Freiermuth.
 
The back-and-forth blows continued in the fourth quarter, as evidenced by seven more ties and two more lead changes. Those last 10 minutes brought 14 points off the hand of Seibert, and three rebounds from Leon. In the end, a critical MNSU error with just over four seconds to play arguably decided the game. There were 4.5 seconds on the clock and a scramble for the ball on the Mavericks' end of the floor. Minnesota State called for a timeout to save possession, but the visitors had no timeouts remaining. They had called their fourth, and final, timeout 15 seconds earlier after Siebert's two made free throws gave Mines a 89-88 lead. The error resulted in an administrative technical which provided the Orediggers two free throws and possession of the ball with 4.5 seconds on the clock. Siebert drained one free throw, and two more after she was fouled on the inbound play. As the final buzzer sounded, Mines stormed the court following what many would have deemed an unexpected victory.
 
NOTABLES
- Friday marked Mines' first-ever win against Minnesota State in women's basketball.
- The Orediggers are now 1-1 in the all-time series against the Mavericks.
- The last time Mines defeated a nationally-ranked opponent was the 2023-24 season (last year). The ladies toppled #23 Colorado Mesa on Friday, Dec. 1, right after upsetting #10 MSU Billings on Saturday, Nov. 25.
- Last year's win against MSU Billings was also the Orediggers' last win over an opponent ranked in the nation's top-10.
- Minnesota State has only lost seven games in its last 43 tries, and 12 in its last 74 outings.
- Siebert became the 16th player in program history to score 30 points in a game. Her 34-point outburst marked the 26th time an Oredigger had broken the 30-point plateau in a single contest.
- Siebert is now tied for fifth on Mines' all-time, single-game scoring list. She matched Courtney Martin's 34 points scored at Chadron State during the 2014-15 season.
- The only players in program history with more points than Siebert in a single game are Taylor Helbig, Denali Pinto, Laura Marshall, and Ashley Steffeck.
- Howery's previous collegiate best in scoring was 19 points, meaning she scored a career high in the first half alone on Friday night.
- Freiermuth's 11 assists made her the sixth Oredigger to ever dish out double-digit dimes in a single game. She's now tied with Laura Tyree for third on Mines' all-time, single-game list.
- The only Orediggers with more assists than Freiermuth in a single game are Liz Holter, and Debbie Gangloff.
- Leon's double-double was the first of the true freshman's career and came in her sixth collegiate game.
- For those who like such things, Mines matched MNSU's 52 points in the paint on Friday, and 32 of the 180 points scored overall came on fast breaks. Additionally, there were a total of 46 points scored off turnovers between the two teams.
- Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson is now 221-127 in her 13th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers host #12 Fort Hays State on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena. Free live video on the RMAC Network and live stats will be available.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women's basketball on "X" (formerly Twitter), Facebook, 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.