AUSTIN, Texas – A duo of Texas natives returned to their home state on Friday and helped the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team start its season with a 72-49 win against St. Mary's on the campus of St. Edward's University.
 
Austin, Texas, native Peyton Freiermuth scored 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting including one three-pointer while adding four rebounds, four assists, and two steals in her collegiate debut in her hometown. Fellow Texan Audrey Beaty matched the 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting while going 3-for-3 at the free-throw line as well. Beaty had three rebounds and one steal as well. Jenna Siebert made it a trio of Orediggers scoring in double figures thanks to 10 points. Also notable were three steals by Isa Hensley and five assists from Josephine Howery.
 
The Orediggers (1-0) fired off 27 three-pointers and made 10 of them for a 37-percent mark from behind the arc. Overall, Mines shot 47 percent from the floor. Meanwhile, St. Mary's (0-1) only managed two three-pointers and converted at less than 40 percent from the floor. The Rattlers did pull down 31 rebounds compared to Mines' 25 boards. However, the ladies from Colorado stacked up 13 steals and only gave up one steal to StMU. In the end, Mines committed 14 turnovers and St. Mary's had 19 turnovers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
A total of three ties in the game all took place in the first quarter. The only two lead changes were in the second quarter when St. Mary's overtook Mines at 21-20 before a Saya Sabus jumper put the Orediggers back in front for good. That final lead change took place with 1:41 to play in the opening half. After the break, Mines showed no mercy. A 25-point third quarter and 22-point fourth quarter polished off a complete team victory as all 11 active Orediggers saw minutes in the game. The final frame brought Mines' largest lead of the contest as well. It was an Olivia Lee layup with 1:41 to play that pushed the Colorado squad to a 72-47 advantage.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 4-2 in the all-time series against St. Mary's.
- The Orediggers have won four straight meetings with the Rattlers.
- Mines hasn't lost to St. Mary's since Nov. 19, 2016.
- The Orediggers' 72 points were actually the fewest they've scored in a win against the Rattlers.
- As mentioned above, Peyton Freiermuth made her collegiate debut on Friday and tied for the team lead in scoring and rebounds while not missing a single shot.
- Beaty's 13 points against the Rattlers were a career high for the junior.
- Hensley had a career game as well in scoring, rebounding, and steals.
- Emma Sixta matched her collegiate best by dishing out four assists. She also handed out four assists on Nov. 18, 2023, against West Texas A&M.
- Lindsey Jones and Jade Leon played the first collegiate game of their respective careers on Friday.
- Jones scored eight points, grabbed two rebounds, and dished out three assists.
- Leon notched four points, four rebounds, two steals, and one assist. She also shot 50 percent from the floor.
- Olivia Lee's performance marked her first in an Oredigger uniform. Her final line included four points on 100-percent shooting in just two minutes of action.
- Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson is now 220-123 in her 13th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines closes its trip to Texas on Saturday with a 3 p.m. (CT) contest at St. Edward's in Austin, Texas. Free live stats and pay-per-video on FloCollege will both be available for fans.
 
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.