Mines (4-7, 2-2 RMAC) vs. Alaska Anchorage (7-2, 0-2 GNAC) – Thursday, 5:45 p.m. HT – Honolulu, Hawaiʻi [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (4-7, 2-2 RMAC) at Hawaiʻi Pacific (3-4, 2-1 PacWest) – Saturday, 2:30 p.m. HT – Honolulu, Hawaiʻi [Live Stats] [Live Video]

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HOOPS IN HAWAIʻI CLASSIC
Final exams are mostly in the books, and the semester is ending. Mines women's is celebrating with a trip to the Hoops in Hawaiʻi Classic for two games in Honolulu on the campus of Hawai'i Pacific. Island action starts for the Orediggers on Thursday against Alaska Anchorage at 5:45 p.m. HT. That's 8:45 p.m. mountain time. Mines gets Friday off from competition before closing the quick trip with a Saturday showdown against Hawaiʻi Pacific at 2:30 p.m. HT (5:30 p.m. mountain time).
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both games this week will have live video provided by PassThaBallLive (www.passthaballlive.com). An all-tournament pass is available for $26.99 (plus taxes). There will be free live stats as well.
 
SCOUTING ALASKA ANCHORAGE
Alaska Anchorage started the season 7-0 and was nationally ranked before opening Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) play 0-2. The Seawolves first seven wins were against Northwest University, Hawaiʻi Pacific, Chaminade, Hawaiʻi Hilo, and UC Merced. Two weeks ago, UAA fell on the road at Saint Martin's and Western Oregon and dropped out of the national rankings. Alaska Anchorage has also played exhibitions against NCAA Division I programs St. Thomas, Bowling Green, and Oregon State. As a team, the Seawolves rank first in the nation in rebounds per game and defensive rebounds per game. They're also third in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio, fourth in three-point attempts per game, sixth in made three-pointers per game, and seventh in assists per game. Four different individuals are averaging double-digit scoring numbers led by Elaina Mack's 20.3 points per game. Lillee Duffin is big on the glass with her 13.4 rebounds per game. Also notable are Kimberly Carrada Sanchez and Mylee Anderson averaging 4.7 and 3.7 assists per game, respectively.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE SEAWOLVES
The all-time series between Mines and Alaska Anchorage started in 1990 with a 102-76 Seawolf win in Golden, Colo. After that, the teams met twice in Alaska during the 1994-95 season. The home team won both games by scores of 94-68 and 80-67. Mines and UAA last met on Nov. 9, 2012, over 13 years ago. That game was also in Alaska and the Orediggers won, 80-74, to improve to 1-3 in the all-time series.
 
SCOUTING HAWAI'I PACIFIC
Hawaiʻi Pacific is 3-4 overall and 2-1 in PacWest Conference play. The Sharks' 2025-26 campaign started with losses to Alaska Anchorage, Saint Martin's, and UC Merced. Hawaiʻi Pacific responded to the early struggles with three consecutive wins against Cal State East Bay, Chaminade, and Hawaiʻi Hilo. Last Saturday, HPU dropped a 69-63 decision at home against Hawaiʻi Hilo. The Sharks will play #9 West Texas A&M on Friday before hosting Mines on Saturday.  Individually, Abby Spurgin is the top player for Hawaiʻi Pacific. Her game averages are 22.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, and 1.2 assists. Kalina Obrey and Avery Cargill both average over 10.0 points per game as well with Obrey adding 7.3 rebounds per game.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE SHARKS
Mines and Hawiʻi Pacific have played twice all-time and the Orediggers are 2-0. They won, 69-63, in Honolulu on Dec. 22, 2007. Mines hosted HPU on Nov. 21, 2009. The result was a 62-52, Oredigger win.
 
ISLAND TIES
Madison Gage provides the Orediggers some familiarity with Hawaiʻi and specifically Honolulu. Before transferring to Mines this summer, Gage played her first two years of college basketball at Chaminade which is just four miles away from the campus of Hawaiʻi Pacific. The two schools are also PacWest Conference rivals. Gage's time with the Silverswords saw her twice named Academic All-PacWest and CSC Academic All-District with a D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award as well. During two seasons on the court, Gage accumulated 155 points, 84 rebounds, 18 assists, 19 steals, and four blocks.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Orediggers were on the road last week for their final two RMAC games of the 2025 calendar. They started with a 78-62 win at Westminster on Thursday evening. Sofia Baldessari had a career night thanks to her 24-point, 13-rebound double-double with three assists as well. Jenna Shandy came up with 17 points, nine assists, and four rebounds. Emma Sixta and Sophia Baal combined for 22 points. Also notable were six points, six assists, five rebounds, one block, and one steal from Jade Leon. On Saturday afternoon, Mines ran up against #13-ranked Colorado Mesa and suffered an 86-47 loss in Grand Junction. Shandy finished as the Orediggers' top scorer with her 13 points. Baldessari added nine rebounds.
 
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 1,139 points with 20 games to play in her career.
 
ROSTER RUNDOWN
The Orediggers' 2025-26 roster includes 11 players. Five 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 has 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, junior 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 and Leon both 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 on opening weekend of the 2025-26 season. Last year, 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 #7 and tied for #17 for three-point field goals made in a season.
 
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 235-146 (.616). 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 Orediggers are off for the holiday break. They return to action at home on Jan. 2 against Nelson University. Mines also hosts Northern New Mexico on Jan. 3 at Lockridge Arena. Free live stats will be available, as well as live video with a subscription to the RMAC 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.