Mines (2-5, 0-0 RMAC) at Adams State (5-4, 0-0 RMAC) – Thursday, 5:30 p.m. – Alamosa, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (2-5, 0-0 RMAC) at New Mexico Highlands (3-3, 0-0 RMAC) – Saturday, 1 p.m. – Las Vegas, N.M. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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RMAC ACTION BEGINS
The start of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play has arrived. Colorado School of Mines women's basketball will open its 2024-25 RMAC slate on the road at Adams State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and then at New Mexico Highlands on Friday at 1 p.m. A tough non-conference schedule provided plenty of learning experiences for the Orediggers. Now, Thursday brings the start of an entirely new season as Mines will attempt to chase down its fourth conference title in program history while facing an entirely new gauntlet of competition.
 
FRESH FORMAT
During the offseason, the men's and women's head coaches in the RMAC decided to change the schedule format for conference play. The new setup features a majority of games on Thursdays and Saturdays. Travel-partner contests will take place earlier in the week. Thursday games will still take place in the evening. Saturday games have set tipoffs of 1 p.m. for the women and 3 p.m. for the men. The previous format featured action on Friday evenings and late Saturday afternoons.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Free live video of all Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular-season games will be offered on the RMAC Network. Conference tournament games will be pay-per-view come March. All of Mines' RMAC games, home and away, will also include free live stats as linked above, at www.minesathletics.com, and on social media.
 
PRESEASON POLL PRIMER
With conference play about to begin, it seems timely to provide a refresher on the 2024-25 RMAC Preseason Coaches' Polls released earlier this fall. Mines appeared at #5 on the list released in late October. The Orediggers garnered 152 points. Colorado Mesa was picked to win the regular season behind 187 points and seven first-place votes. Filling in the second, third, and fourth positions were UCCS, CSU Pueblo, and Adams State, respectively. The Mountain Lions and ThunderWolves both earned three first-place votes and tallied 170 points and 160 points respectively. The Grizzlies had one first-place vote and 153 points. Regis, MSU Denver, and Colorado Christian rounded out the projected eight-team tournament field.
 
LOOKING BACK
Last weekend, Mines played at home for the first time in the 2024-25 season. The Orediggers hosted defending national champion and #9-ranked Minnesota State on Friday with #12-ranked Fort Hays State in town on Saturday. Mines scored a 92-88 upset of the defending champions thanks to Jenna Siebert's 34 points and 25 more from Josephine Howery. Also notable were 11 assists from Peyton Freiermuth and an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double by Jade Leon. Audrey Beaty chipped in 11 points as well. On Saturday, the Orediggers fell to FHSU by a score of 59-46. The defensive battle with the Tigers saw Emma Sixta pour in 17 points while Lindsey Jones put together a career game featuring 11 points and five rebounds. Josephine Howery rounded out the highlights with nine rebounds and two blocks.
 
GOING FOR 30
Jenna Siebert put her name in the program record book after her 34-point explosion against Minnesota State. She's now tied for fifth for points in a game in program history. The redshirt junior matched Courtney Martin's output at Chadron State from the 2014-15 season. Overall, Siebert is the 16th Oredigger to ever score 30 or more points in a single game. Her performance marked the 26th time that 30 or more points have been scored by a Mines player in a single game. The Orediggers with more points than Siebert in a single night are Taylor Helbig, Denali Pinto, Laura Marshall, and Ashley Steffeck. Furthermore, Siebert's 34 points rank #2 in the RMAC this season and are tied for #13 in NCAA Division II in 2024-25. The only RMAC player with more points in a game so far this season is Alisha Little who scored 35 points against Haskell Indian Nations on the same night as Siebert's outburst.
 
DISHING DIMES
Peyton Freiermuth also put her name in the program record book last Friday. With 11 assists, she became the sixth Oredigger to ever dish out double-digit dimes in a single game. Freiermuth's performance tied her with Laura Tyree for third on Mines' all-time list. The only Orediggers with more assists than Freiermuth in a single game are Liz Holter and Debbie Gangloff. Additionally, Freiermuth is tied for #1 in the RMAC in single-game assists so far this season. She's also tied for #6 in NCAA Division II in the same category.
 
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET
The Orediggers tout one of the toughest schedules in the country. According to the NCAA database, Mines' slate ranks #9 in the nation in toughness. That's based on the combined win-loss record of opponents already played which is 35-13. Notable on the list of past opposition for the Orediggers are Simon Fraser, MSU Billings, Texas Woman's, Minnesota State, and Fort Hays State. The Red Leafs remain unranked but are now 7-2 on the season. The Yellowjackets were #6 when Mines played them and are now up to #3 in the coaches' poll. The Pioneers were #1 at the time and now sit #2 in the coaches' poll. Minnesota State dropped from #9 after Mines beat the Mavericks, but are still ranked and are still the defending national champions. Finally, Fort Hays State just jumped to #7 in the coaches' poll. It's worth mentioning that those five teams were the Orediggers' last five opponents.
 
SISTER-SISTER
The Orediggers' 2024-25 roster features sisters Michaela Lee and Olivia Lee. Michaela is entering her second season at Mines. As a true freshman, she came off the bench and scored six points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked four shots, and grabbed two steals in just 28 total minutes of action. Olivia is in her first, and only, season as an Oredigger. She started her collegiate career at Western New Mexico before transferring to Cal State San Bernardino after two seasons. The elder Lee completed her bachelor's degree at CSUSB and came to Mines to pursue a master's degree and play her final season of collegiate volleyball. Prior to becoming an Oredigger, Olivia accumulated 462 points, 391 rebounds, 61 blocks, 35 assists, and 21 steals across 81 games.
 
SCOUTING ADAMS STATE
Adams State's women were one of the four teams to tie for the RMAC title in the regular season in 2023-24. This year, through nine games and one cancellation, the Grizzlies are 5-4. They have not put together back-to-back wins at any point this season, but they also haven't lost any back-to-back games. The campaign started for ASU with a 69-56 win against Kutztown as part of the D2CCA Tipoff Classic in Canyon, Texas. Last weekend, Adams State was back in Canyon, Texas for the WT PAK-A-SAK Thanksgiving Classic where they fell to West Texas A&M, 72-48, and defeated UT Permian Basin, 68-65. The Grizzlies still boast a stout defense that ranks #11 in the nation in steals per game, #13 in turnovers forced per game, and #14 in turnover margin. Individually, Kiiyani Anitielu is ASU's scoring leader. She averages 13.9 points per game. Taejhuan Hill is tops in rebounding with 8.8 rebounds per outing while also adding 11.3 points per game. Well-known veterans Elaina Watson and Angelline Nageak are back as well. Watson touts 8.2 points and 3.4 steals per game. Nageak averages 9.3 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.8 steals per game.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE GRIZZLIES
The women's basketball rivalry between Mines and Adams State has been rekindled over the last three years. The Orediggers had won 14 straight against the Grizzlies from 2012-23, but ASU has taken the last three meetings including two showdowns in Alamosa, Colo. That has moved Adams State to a 37-29 advantage in the all-time series. Last year, the teams met in Golden on March 1. The visitors won by a score of 82-63. Mines last defeated Adams State on Jan. 28, 2023, in Golden. The Orediggers posted an 80-69 margin in the victory.
 
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
New Mexico Highlands will host Regis on Thursday before welcoming Mines to town on Saturday. The Cowgirls carry a 3-3 record into the first weekend of conference play. They own wins over Western New Mexico, University of the Southwest, and UT Permian Basin. Losses for NMHU have come at the hands of Eastern New Mexico, Northern New Mexico, and West Texas A&M. The Cowgirls are under the direction of first-year head coach Lindsey Fearing who was previously on staff as an assistant and also played a season at fellow RMAC school Black Hills State. In the season box score, Juliana Aragon is tops in scoring with 15.7 points and 4.5 assists per game. Kapiolani Anitielu also puts up 14.7 points per game along with 5.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per night. Caitlin Turnbow's 6.2 rebounds per game are notable as well.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE COWGIRLS
Mines holds a narrow, 35-34 lead in the all-time series against New Mexico Highlands. That advantage is thanks to an active win streak of 14 when playing the Cowgirls. The most recent meeting between the Orediggers and NMHU was last season on Jan. 13, 2024. Mines went to New Mexico and ground out a 68-47 victory. In that win, Josephine Howery posted eight points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one blocked shot. Additionally, Jessica Rios had 11 points, three assists, and three steals. The Orediggers haven't lost to the Cowgirls since Dec. 6, 2014. That was a 75-68 decision – also in New Mexico.
 
MEET TAYLOR HARRIS
The Mines coaching staff added a fresh face last spring with Taylor Harris taking over as assistant coach for the Orediggers. Harris, a 14-year veteran coach, came to the Orediggers after leading Fort Lewis' women's squad for three seasons. Other stops for the Colorado native include Miles Community College (Mont.), and 10 years of service at fellow RMAC programs in Regis and MSU Denver. Fans can check out Harris' full biography HERE.
 
BOSS LADY
Head Coach Brittany Simpson is in her 13th season leading the Mines women's basketball program. During her decade-plus tenure, she has become the winningest coach in program history both in terms of total wins and win percentage at 221-128 (63.3). 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 five of their six trips to the NCAA tournament. Simpson is a three-time RMAC Coach of the Year who has guided 36 All-RMAC selections including 15 first-teamers, 11 second-teamers, one third-team selection and nine 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.
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers are back at home for games on Saturday, Dec. 14 and Monday, Dec. 16. The Saturday contest features Colorado Mesa at Lockridge Arena at 1 p.m. Monday brings Westminster to Golden for another 1 p.m. tipoff. Live video and stats of both games will be linked 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.