BILLINGS, Mont. – Oredigger guard
Jenna Shandy (née Siebert) hit a big career milestone in the 2025-26 opener for Mines women's basketball, but it wasn't enough as the Orediggers fell to #20 UT Tyler, 55-50, at the D2CCA Tipoff at the Trailhead hosted by MSU Billings.
Shandy's nine points in the game pushed her past 1,000 points for her college career. The redshirt senior also recorded five rebounds, four steals, two assists and one block.
Emily Thomas led all players in the game with 13 points while adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals. It was also Thomas' Oredigger debut. Other notable performances included eight points off the hand of
Lindsey Jones and eight points with eight rebounds for
Sophia Baal who was making her collegiate debut as well.
Mines (0-1) won the turnover battle against UT Tyler (1-0) by an 18-14 margin. The Orediggers were able to attempt more shots than the Patriots as well. However, a 32-percent mark from the floor and just five three-pointers couldn't offset UTT's 36-percent shooting and eight three-pointers. Mines only trailed by one on the glass, but a 9-for-16 mark at the free-throw line hindered the Orediggers' efforts against the ranked squad.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Hot shooting by UT Tyler put Mines in an early deficit as the Patriots shot over 40 percent from the floor in the first quarter and over 50 percent from the floor in the second quarter. Along the way, Thomas scored the first Oredigger points of the season to make the score 7-2 in the first period. Shandy tallied the 1,000th point of her career late in the same frame. All-in-all, a forgettable first half for Mines found the Orediggers trailing by a 33-22 margin at the break. However, a scrappy second half pushed UTT to the limit.
Mines came out of the locker room after half time and dropped 17 points while limiting the Patriots to nine in the third quarter. Balanced scoring led by Jones' five points fueled the rally which saw the Orediggers pull within three at 42-39 going into the final period. Mines stayed close to UT Tyler for the entirety of the fourth quarter and a Thomas three-pointer narrowed the Oredigger deficit to 53-50. That basket came with 3:15 remaining in the game. Mines' defense proved staunch down the stretch, limiting UTT to just two points. However, the Patriots were equally oppressive on defense, keeping the Orediggers off the scoreboard while narrowly escaping with the 55-50 win on a pair of late free throws.
NOTABLES
- Friday marked the second-ever meeting between Mines and UT Tyler.
- Shandy became the 14th Oredigger in program history to record 1,000 points in a career.
- All 10 active players on Mines' roster recorded minutes against the ranked Patriots.
- Thomas, along with fellow transfers
Madison Gage and
Liv Loveland made their first appearances in a Mines uniform.
- True freshmen
Olivia Campbell and
Sophia Baal made their college basketball debuts as well.
- Oredigger Head Coach
Brittany Simpson is now 232-140 in her 14th season at the helm.
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines faces Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. as part of the D2CCA Tipoff at the Trailhead hosted by MSU Billings. Free live stats will be available, as well as live video with a subscription to the GNAC 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.
