GOLDEN, Colo. – Three dominant quarters for the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team pushed the Orediggers to a decisive, 83-40 win against Westminster on Monday afternoon at Lockridge Arena.
 
Mines had a plethora of players who stuffed the box score. Emma Sixta topped the list thanks to her 20 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. Peyton Freiermuth came up big with 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and one block. Josephine Howery added 13 points, six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. Jenna Siebert joined the party by way of 12 points, five rebounds, four steals, and one assist. Also notable were eight points, eight rebounds, one assist, and one steal for Jade Leon. Any Oredigger that recorded double-digit minutes of action also scored multiple points. For Westminster, the top player was Maunayia Harrigfeld who tallied nine points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, one steal, and one assist.
 
As a team, Mines (3-8, 1-3 RMAC) dominated on the glass, outrebounding Westminster (2-9, 1-3 RMAC) by a margin of 51-27. The Orediggers also shot nearly 48 percent from the field while holding the Griffins to 26-percent shooting. Mines found the bottom of the basket on seven three-pointers and only allowed two WU buckets from long range. Significant margins in points in the paint (48-18), points off turnovers (23-2), second-chance points (13-0), and bench points (29-19) fueled the home team's victory. Mines' cherry on top of the proverbial cake was 11 steals and 18 assists compared to three steals and nine assists by the Griffins.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
All five lead changes and both ties took place in first seven minutes of action on Monday afternoon at Lockridge Arena. The unfamiliar date and tipoff time seemingly worked against the engineering ladies of Mines as Westminster took an early lead. The Griffins hung around for about four more minutes before the Orediggers took control. A Leon layup gave the home team a 9-8 lead at the 4:28 mark of the first quarter. She made another layup to make it 11-8. While WU managed to tie the game at 11-11 with 3:30 to go in the first frame, Sixta, Howery, and Freiermuth fueled a 7-0 run that gave Mines the lead for good. After 10 minutes of action, the Orediggers owned a 20-15 advantage thanks to six points apiece from Howery and Sixta. The only piece of evidence giving credence to that narrow of margin was the Griffins shooting over 46 percent from the field.
 
Mines held Westminster to just two field goals and six points in the second quarter while Sixta scored six more. The halftime break did little to help the Griffins as the Orediggers exploded for 24 points in the third quarter and held WU to eight. That surge featured six points off the hand of Freiermuth, five points from Howery, four points from Sixta, and four rebounds by Leon. After three periods, the home team boasted a 59-29 lead. In the end, the fourth quarter proved academic. But Mines put a stamp on its win by outscoring Westminster, 24-11. Siebert and Sixta combined for 13 points during the final 10 minutes while Sixta and Freiermuth grabbed a total of nine rebounds.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 10-5 in the all-time series against Westminster.
- The Orediggers have taken five straight from the Griffins.
- Mines hasn't lost to WU since Feb. 19, 2021. That loss came in Golden.
- Monday marked the Orediggers' first RMAC win of the 2024-25 season. They are now tied for ninth in the conference standings.
- Freiermuth posted a career high in rebounds after grabbing eight against the Griffins.
- Isa Hensley had a career game on Monday thanks to eight points and six rebounds.
- Four steals for Siebert against Westminster were a single-game best for the redshirt junior.
- Sixta's eight rebounds and five assists were also collegiate highs.
- Siebert moved over 200 rebounds for her career and Sixta surpassed the century mark on the glass.
- Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson is now 222-131 in her 13th season at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers close the calendar year on Friday, Dec. 20, by hosting Angelo State at 1 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena. Admission will be complimentary. Fans are encouraged to give to Blaster's Basket – Mines' on-campus food pantry. Free live stats and video of the game will be available at www.minesathletics.com.
 
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.