Mines (5-11, 3-5 RMAC) vs. MSU Denver (6-11, 5-4 RMAC) – Thursday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (5-11, 3-5 RMAC) at Regis (7-9, 5-4 RMAC) – Saturday, 1 p.m. – Denver, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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ONE OF EACH
It's a split week for the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team. On Thursday, the Orediggers host MSU Denver at 5:30 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena. Saturday has Mines making the short trip to Regis in Denver for a 1 p.m. showdown. Stumbles as of late may have the Orediggers down as they hit the halfway point of the RMAC schedule. However, compression in the league standings provides plenty of opportunity for Mines to get rolling.
 
HOW TO GET YOUR TICKETS
Last week, Mines Athletics launched a new online ticketing platform at tickets.minesathletics.com. With the new portal through Vivenu comes change as well. The biggest change is for Mines faculty, staff, students. Tapping your BlasterCard at the gate will no longer work and tickets must be reserved in advance. To do so, visit tickets.minesathletics.com and click Sign In, then log in with your Mines SSO. Shop for your tickets, and on check out you'll have the option to select either a Mines Student or Mines Fac/Staff ticket. Then scan your ticket at the gate and cheer on the Orediggers! General fans can still purchase tickets in similar fashion as before, just at a new link.
 
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.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Orediggers hosted league-leading CSU Pueblo last Thursday and welcomed Colorado Christian to town on Saturday. Mines started by toppling the ThunderWolves, 62-56. Jade Leon exploded for a career-high 20 points while adding seven rebounds, four steals and two assists. Emma Sixta added 13 points. Also notable were 11 rebounds by Audrey Beaty and Josephine Howery's nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Saturday brought a tough, 74-61 loss at the hands of CCU. In defeat, Jenna Siebert scored 20 points and Howery tallied 16 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. Rounding out the highlights were six three-pointers off the hand of Siebert and three apiece from Howery, Emma Sixta, and Jessica Rios.
 
FROM DOWNTOWN
Saturday's game against Colorado Christian may have been a loss for Mines, but the Orediggers were still impressive from long range. For the game, Mines went 15-of-35 from behind the three-point arc. That gave the home team their most three-pointers in a game this season and their second-best, three-point shooting percentage in the same span. In fact, it was the most three-point field goals made by a Mines team in a single game since the 2021-22 season. The last time the Orediggers made more than 15 three-pointers in a single game was against New Mexico Highlands on Jan. 26, 2022.
 
SCOUTING MSU DENVER
Metropolitan State University Denver's women toppled Regis on Tuesday evening to improve to 6-11 (5-4 RMAC) this season. The victory marked the Roadrunners' third straight win. They have also won four of their last five including wins over South Dakota Mines, Colorado Christian, and UCCS. Prior to the surge, MSUD lost four straight and six of seven. Rounding out the Roadrunners' record from the beginning was an 0-4 start to the 2024-25 campaign. Obviously, things have turned around. Individually, Mikylah Espinosa is the star player for MSU Denver. She leads the team with game averages of 14.4 points and 4.6 rebounds. She's also #5 in the nation in total steals and #6 in the nation in steals per game at 3.7 swipes per night. Nevaeh Millard adds 10.4 points per game, Jackie Pippett grabs 4.2 rebounds each outing, and Madi Johnson notches 3.0 steals per game.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE ROADRUNNERS
In the all-time rivalry between Mines and MSU Denver, the Roadrunners hold a 55-33 advantage. However, Mines touts an active win streak of five games while going 9-1 in the last 10 meetings with MSUD. That being said, three of the last four games between the two teams have been decided by a total of five points. On Jan. 17, 2023, Mines won by a score of 63-62 in Denver. Then, on Dec. 13, 2023, the Orediggers escaped with a 65-64 victory – also in Denver. Last January, Mines managed to escape again. This time, the score was 65-62 in Golden thanks to 33 combined points from Jenna Siebert and Ashley Steffeck. The Orediggers' last loss to MSU Denver was on Feb. 4, 2022, at the Auraria Event Center. It was a 74-67 overtime thriller.
 
SCOUTING REGIS
Regis, swept the RMAC's regular season (four-way tie) and tournament crowns last season, is 7-9 (5-4 RMAC) after its loss to MSU Denver on Tuesday night. The defending champions started the 2024-25 campaign 0-2 in Texas and have been on a rollercoaster ever since. Consecutive wins at New Mexico Highlands, at Fort Lewis, and against Colorado Mesa provided RU its most successful stretch of the season. Prior to Tuesday, the Rangers had lost to UCCS on Thursday, 78-73, but dominated CSU Pueblo on Saturday, 85-70. Regis boasts a deep lineup with plenty of contributors, but Erin Fry and Athena Saragoza are the names to know. Fry's season line includes 18.9 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. She's top-10 in the nation in four statistical categories and ranks #18 in scoring average. Saragoza boasts an average of 17.5 points per game thanks to 48 made three-pointers which rank #4 in the nation. Also notable are 10.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game from Fiona Snashall.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE RANGERS
Regis owns a 56-29 advantage in the all-time series against Mines including three straight wins. The Orediggers did win seven straight from Dec. 16, 2018, to Feb. 8, 2022, marking their longest streak in the rivalry. The two teams only met once last season. It was a 93-74 decision for the Rangers in Golden. For Mines, Jenna Siebert and Jessica Rios combined to score 22 points. The last time the Orediggers downed RU was Feb. 8, 2022. The score was 73-58 in Denver. Courtney Stanton scored 18 points, Denali Pinto had 11 and Liz Holter notched 10 with five assists.
 
ELITE COMPANY
Jenna Siebert joined an elite club after a 31-point outburst at South Dakota Mines. That performance made her just the fifth player in program history to record multiple games of 30 points or more in a career. The only other players in Oredigger women's history to have multiple 30-point games in their respective careers are Denali Pinto, Ashley Steffeck, Mary Meager, and Angie Charchalis.
 
INTO THE RECORD BOOK
Jenna Siebert put her name in the program record book after her 34-point explosion against Minnesota State in November. 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.
 
DISHING DIMES
Peyton Freiermuth also put her name in the program record book against defending national champion Minnesota State. 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.
 
SISTER-SISTER
The Orediggers' 2024-25 roster features sisters Michaela Lee and Olivia Lee. Michaela is in 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 basketball. Prior to becoming an Oredigger, Olivia accumulated 462 points, 391 rebounds, 61 blocks, 35 assists, and 21 steals across 81 games.
 
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 224-134 (62.5). 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' next action are home games against Fort Lewis (Jan. 30) and Adams State (Feb. 1). Live stats and free video on the RMAC Network will be offered for both games 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.