Mines (3-9, 1-3 RMAC) at Chadron State (2-8, 1-3 RMAC) – Thursday, 5 p.m. – Chadron, Neb. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (3-9, 1-3 RMAC) at South Dakota Mines (1-10, 1-3 RMAC) – Saturday, 1 p.m. – Rapid City, S.D. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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WELCOME TO 2025
The calendar has turned, classes at Colorado School of Mines have resumed, and the Oredigger women's basketball team is returning from a 21-day hiatus. Their first action of 2025 will be a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) road contests at Chadron State and South Dakota Mines. The Orediggers tipoff against the Eagles in Nebraska on Thursday at 5 p.m. before taking on the Hardrockers in Rapid City, S.D., on Saturday at 1 p.m.
 
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.
 
NEW SCHEDULE 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.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Mines closed the 2024 calendar with a non-conference showdown against Angelo State on Friday, Dec. 20. The result was a 69-59 victory for the Rambelles who shot well above their season average from three-point range. In the loss, Jenna Siebert scored 17 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Emma Sixta and Audrey Beaty combined for 25 points as well. Also notable were six assists from Sixta and seven rebounds for Beaty.
 
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET
The Orediggers' schedule so far has been challenging to say the least – especially their non-conference slate. Mines' eight non-RMAC opponents tout a combined record of 84-27 to date and only one has a losing record. Four of those teams were nationally-ranked when they played the Orediggers including #6 MSU Billings, #1 Texas Woman's, #9 Minnesota State, and #12 Fort Hays State. The latest coaches' poll has Texas Woman's #2, MSU Billings #5, Fort Hays State #7, and Minnesota State #11. In 12 games total, Mines has faced just two teams with a losing record and its opposition has a combined record of 106-50 as of Jan. 8. According to the NCAA statistical database, the Orediggers currently own the ninth-ranked toughest schedule in NCAA Division II.
 
SCOUTING CHADRON STATE
Chadron State's two wins so far this season have come against York University (Neb.) and South Dakota Mines. That makes the Eagles 2-8 overall and 1-3 in RMAC play. Thursday also marks CSC's return to action after the holiday break. Chadron State closed 2024 with double-digit losses at CSU Pueblo and UCCS. As a team, the Eagles rank #10 in the nation in free-throw percentage. Individually, four different players average double-digit points led by Allison Richards' 12.6 points per game. Ashayla Powers puts up 12.2 points per game and pulled down 6.5 rebounds each night. Kylie Krise and Camren Morris average 11.4 points and 10.1 points, respectively. Through 10 games, Chadron State's scoring margin is minus 11.1. In the same span, the Eagles' turnover margin is minus 7.4.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE EAGLES
The all-time series between Mines and Chadron State is knotted at 34. However, the Orediggers have won the last seven meetings and are 13-1 since 2016. Last season, Mines took an 83-72 decision off the Eagles in Nebraska. Ashley Steffeck's 33 points led the way. Josephine Howery was impressive as well with seven points, seven assists, six steals, and five rebounds. The last time CSC beat Mines was Jan. 26, 2019, in Nebraska. The final score was 76-73.
 
SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
South Dakota Mines will play MSU Denver on Thursday before hosting Colorado School of Mines on Saturday. The Hardrockers enter the week 1-10 overall. Their lone win so far was a 66-56 decision at Colorado Christian which makes SDM 1-3 in conference play. Prior to the holidays, the Hardrockers played NCAA Division I University of South Dakota to a 75-31, exhibition loss. South Dakota Mines also dropped a 62-57 heartbreaker at CSU Pueblo on Saturday, Dec. 14. Individual leaders for SDM include Piper Bauer, Morning Grace Spotted Bear, Savea Mansfield, and Emma Martin. Bauer averages 13 points per game. Spotted Bear averages 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. Mansfield puts up 10 points a night. Martin's highlight is 2.0 blocks per game. Through 11 games, the Hardrockers' scoring margin is minus 15.5 and their turnover margin is minus 5.2.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE HARDROCKERS
Colorado School of Mines owns a 13-6 advantage in the all-time series against South Dakota Mines. That mark includes an active, eight-game win streak for the Orediggers which dates back to Dec. 4, 2020. In two meetings last season, the ladies from Colorado went 2-0 with an 81-67 win in Rapid City, S.D., followed by a 58-53 nailbiter in Golden. The Orediggers' home game saw Ashley Steffeck score 30 more points. Jenna Siebert had four assists. In South Dakota, Shelby Nichols, Ashley Steffeck, Loralee Stock, and Josephine Howery all scored in double digits. The last time Colorado School of Mines lost to South Dakota Mines was Feb. 22, 2020, in Golden. The final score was 77-75 after a last-second three-pointer from Michaela Shaklee.
 
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 222-132 (62.7). 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 next action for the Orediggers will be a showdown against CSU Pueblo on Thursday, Jan. 16, in Golden, Colo., at 5:30 p.m. Free live stats and video on the RMAC Network 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.