Mines (0-3) vs. #3 Texas Woman's (1-1) – Friday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (0-3) vs. UT Dallas (0-0) – Saturday, 3 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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HOME OPENERS
Mines women's basketball has returned to Golden, and will play its home openers this weekend as part of the region crossover event. As programs across the South Central Region face off in a battle between the Lone Star Conference and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the Orediggers will take on #3-ranked Texas Woman's Friday at 5 p.m. and DII newcomer UT Dallas Saturday at 3 p.m. Both games will be played inside Lockridge Arena.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
All fans planning to attend this weekend's games are encourage to purchase digital tickets online in advance at tickets.minesthletics.com. Tickets are available at the door if needed. Mines students and employees can access their free tickets by logging in with their Mines SSO. Blaster Card scanning no longer works to get into any Oredigger home game.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches this weekend will stream on the RMAC Network (pay-per-view). Alex Becker has the call for Friday's showdown against TWU. Joey Feerer will take over on Saturday for game with UT Dallas. There will also be free live stats on Friday and Saturday, linked above and at www.minesathletics.com.
 
RMAC NETWORK CHANGES
This fall, the RMAC Network moved to a pay-per-view model for all events. Fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours. For technical support questions, fans can contact Hudl Support or email the RMAC directly (rmac@rmacsports.org). For further support, fans can visit the RMAC Network Help page.
 
SHANDY HITS MILESTONE
Jenna Shandy (née Siebert) entered her final college season needing just two points to reach 1,000 for her career. She scored those two points late in the first quarter during Mines' season opener against #20 UT Tyler on Friday, Nov. 7. Shandy finished that game with nine points, dropped 20 on Nebraska-Kearney the next night, and finished the trip to Billings, Mont., by scoring 12 against the Yellow Jackets. Shandy now boasts 1,039 career points with 28 games to play in the regular season.
 
OPENING WEEKEND FLASHBACK
Mines started its 2025-26 campaign by traveling to Billings, Mont., for the D2CCA Tipoff at the Trailhead hosted on the campus of MSU Billings. Friday night's opener was a narrow, 55-50 loss at the hands of #20-ranked UT Tyler. The Orediggers rallied back from a 15-point deficit and pulled within three points. However, they failed to find the bottom of the net in the last three-plus minutes. Emily Thomas led Mines with 13 points. Sophia Baal had eight points and eight rebounds. Jenna Shandy tallied nine points, five rebounds, four steals, two assists, and one block. Saturday pitted the Orediggers against Nebraska-Kearney. The result was another close loss, 72-70. Another Mines rally brought the team within three points again, but UNK held off the Orediggers. Shandy's 20 points led all players in the game as she added seven rebounds, six assists, one steal, and one block. Baal added 14 points as well. Sunday's weekend finale against the host Yellow Jackets was a 61-50 decision in favor of the home team. Twelve more points off the hand of Shandy was the highlight.
 
SCOUTING TEXAS WOMAN'S
Texas Woman's swept the Lone Star Conference titles last season, hosted the South Central Region tournament and advanced all the way to the regional championship game. Those accomplishments garnered the Pioneers a preseason ranking of #3 in the nation. After hosting its own D2CCA Tipoff Classic, TWU sits 1-1 with a win against Wayne State (Mich.) and a loss to #25-ranked Harding – both on the Pioneers' home court. The score against Wayne State was 61-56 while Harding handled the home team, 75-59. Early Pioneer leaders include Averee Kleinhans and Gabby Elliott. Through two games, Kleinhans is averaging 13.5 points, 5.5 rebuonds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game. Elliott boasts a line including 11.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE PIONEERS
Mines and Texas Woman's initially met in the year 2000. After that 68-61 Pioneer win in Denton, Texas, the two programs didn't face off again until Nov. 16, 2023. That contest went to TWU, 72-66. Later that season, the Orediggers took on the Pioneers again in the NCAA tournament and fell, 81-72 – also in Denton. Last year, Mines traveled to Texas again and faced then-#1 Texas Woman's. The final score was 83-57 in favor of the Pios. That makes the Orediggers 0-4 when playing Texas Woman's. However, the two teams have never played in Golden – until this weekend.
 
SCOUTING UT DALLAS
Just two years ago, the University of Texas at Dallas was a NCAA Division III program. On July 20, 2023, the Comets announced they would transition to NCAA Division II and join the Lone Star Conference. The 2024-25 season saw UTD without a conference as the Comets produced a record of 18-6 with no chance at the postseason. Their final year of transition began on July 1, 2025. That milestone pushes UT Dallas into a full DII and Lone Star Conference schedule. However, they won't be eligible for the conference or NCAA tournament. The Comets have not played a regular-season game yet this season, but they do return seven players from last year's roster. Anna Yellen tops the list of returners after averaging 11.6 points per game in 2024-25. Umi Otsuka is a key transfer from Southern Nazarene. She was a LSC Preseason Player to Watch after averaging 10.7 points per game last season.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE COMETS
Friday marks the first-ever meeting between Mines' women and UT Dallas. The Oredigger men did play the Comets last season and left Richardson, Texas, with a 90-55 victory.
 
ROSTER RUNDOWN
The Orediggers' 2025-26 roster includes 12 players. Six are returners from Mines' 2024-25 squad. There are also two true freshmen and four transfers. Despite a large percentage of fresh faces, Head Coach Brittany Simpson brings back her top-two scorers from last season and the two players with the most steals for the Orediggers in 2024-25.
 
THE VETERANS
Mines' returners include sophomores Lindsey Jones and Jade Leon, juniors Isa Hensley and Emma Sixta, and redshirt seniors Jenna Shandy (née Siebert) and Quincey Baum.  Shandy and Sixta were the Orediggers' leading scorers in 2024-25, averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 points per game, respectively. The duo of Sixta and Shandy also combined for 78 steals last year. Baum, in her sixth year with the program, sat out her initial redshirt-senior campaign with an injury. Jones, Leon, and Hensley all provided big minutes off the bench and should see an expanded role in 2025-26.
 
MEET THE FRESHMEN
Olivia Campbell and Sophia Baal are the two true freshmen for the Orediggers. Campbell played at Fruita Monument High School just west of Grand Junction, Colo. She averaged 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals per game, and was First-Team All-Conference four times and Honorable Mention All-State three times. Baal, a graduate of Cherry Creek High School, also played club basketball for Hardwood Elite and competed in flag football. In fact, Baal helped represent CCHS and the state of Colorado at the NFL's 2025 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Fla., as the Cherry Creek flag football squad competed in the first-ever NFL Flag High School Girls Showcase. She was named the MVP at the NFL event.
 
TRANSFER QUARTET
Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson further bolstered her roster during the offseason with the addition of four transfers, as noted above. Liv Loveland, a Castle Rock, Colo., native, came back to Colorado after playing one season at NCAA Division I Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. She played in six games for the Cougars including her collegiate debut against Murray State. Madison Gage, a Legacy High School graduate, committed to the Orediggers following two seasons at Chaminade (DII) in Hawaii. Gage's time with the Swords included 155 points, 84 rebounds, 18 assists, 19 steals, and four blocks. She dropped 17 points on Evergreen State as a true freshman and decided to return to Colorado following a coaching change made by the Chaminade administration. Emily Thomas, another Colorado product, returned to her home state after two seasons at RMAC foe South Dakota Mines. Following an injury-shortened freshman season and a coaching change after, Thomas arrives in Golden touting 103 points, 127 rebounds, 25 steals, eight blocks, and 77 assists. Rounding out the quartet is Sofia Baldessari who graduated from Douglas County High School in Colorado before starting her post-prep career at College of Saint Benedict (DIII) in Minnesota. In 12 games as a true freshman, Baldessari collected 102 points, 77 rebounds, six assists, eight steals, and two blocks.
 
JENNA SHANDY (NÉE SIEBERT)
Many fans know her as Jenna Siebert, but now they'll know her as Jenna Shandy. With one season of eligibility remaining, Shandy has made her mark as one of Mines' most prolific scorers – ever. To start, she surpassed 1,000 points for her career last weekend and still has 28 games to play. Last season, the Valor Christian High School graduate broke the program's single-game scoring record by dropping 40 points on Chadron State in just 28 minutes of action at Lockridge Arena. That performance was one of five featuring 30 points or more in single game – tied for first in program history with Denali Pinto and Ashley Steffeck. Shandy's 547 points in 2024-25 are #3 in program history and her 19.5 points per game rank #2 for season scoring average in program history. Furthermore, the mechanical engineering major broke the Oredigger women's season record with 203 made field goals – a record that had stood since the 1985-86 season. Shandy is also tied for #8 and tied for #17 for three-point field goals made in a season. Those two seasons also have her ranked #8 for three-point field goals made in a career.
 
SCHEDULE SNAPSHOT
Mines' 2025-26 regular-season schedule features 31 games including 11 non-conference contests, a trip to Hawaii, 20 RMAC showdowns, and 15 games at Lockridge Arena. Ten of the games in Golden are part of the RMAC slate. There will also be one home game the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and two other home events just days after the calendar turns to 2026. Home opponents for the Orediggers include #3 Texas Woman's (Nov. 14), UT Dallas (Nov. 15), Rogers State (Nov. 25), Adams State (Dec. 4), New Mexico Highlands (Dec. 6), Nelson University (Jan. 2), Northern New Mexico (Jan. 3), Chadron State (Jan. 8), South Dakota Mines (Jan. 10), MSU Denver (Jan. 24), Western Colorado (Feb. 5), Westminster (Feb. 7), UCCS (Feb. 19), CSU Pueblo (Feb. 21), and Regis (Feb. 24). Four different opponents on Mines' schedule are ranked in the top-25 of the national preseason poll.
 
BOSS LADY
Head Coach Brittany Simpson is in her 14th 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 231-142 (.619). 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 37 All-RMAC selections including 16 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 Mines will be a trip to #15 Minnesota State in Mankato, Minn., on Friday, Nov. 21. Free live stats will be available, as well as live video with a subscription to the NSIC Network.
 
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.