Mines (5-8) vs. Nelson University (1-12) – Friday, 1 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (5-8) vs. Northern New Mexico (5-8) – Saturday, 1 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

---

FLIPPING THE CALENDAR
The Colorado School of Mines women's basketball team ends its 12-day hiatus from competition this weekend as the Orediggers host Nelson University from Arizona on Friday and Northern New Mexico on Saturday. It will be the first games of 2026 for Mines' women with the calendar turning at midnight Thursday. The Orediggers hope to carry the momentum from their win in Hawaii into the new year. Both tipoffs are scheduled for 1 p.m. Mines' men will make it a Saturday doubleheader as they face Northern New Mexico after the women.
 
BLASTER'S BASKET
Both women's games and Saturday's men's game feature complimentary admission as part of the department's Blaster's Basket series. All fans get in free on Friday and Saturday but are encouraged to consider a donation to Blaster's Basket. Donations can either be monetary or a non-perishable food item which can be dropped off upon arrival at Lockridge Arena. Blaster's Basket is the food pantry on campus that provides non-perishable food, toiletries and basic school supplies to Oredigger students in need – no questions asked.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Fans can watch this weekend's action with a subscription to the RMAC Network. Miles Dunklin will have the call for both the men and women. There will also be free live stats linked above and at www.minesathletics.com.
 
RMAC NETWORK CHANGES
During the 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.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The last time Mines was in action was at the Hoops in Hawaii Classic in Honolulu on Dec. 18 and 20. Thursday marked a showdown with Alaska Anchorage which the Orediggers dropped, 76-55. In the loss, Emma Sixta Scored 12 points and Sofia Baldessari had 10 points with nine rebounds and two steals. Jade Leon did a little bit of everything by notching seven points, 12 rebounds, and four assists. On Saturday, Mines faced the host school Hawaii Pacific and won by a score of 56-53. Jenna Shandy led all Orediggers with 15 points. She also had three steals. Leon struck again by way of six points, five assists, three rebounds, three steals, and one block. Also notable in the win were seven rebounds, six points, two assists, and one steal for Baldessari.
 
LEON NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
Jade Leon's efforts on Oahu led to her being named to the 2025 Hoops in Hawaii Classic NCAA DII Women's All-Tournament team. She was one of six DII women's players honored over the weekend. Mahaila Harrison from Alaska Anchorage was the most valuable player. Leon's resume across two games came out to 6.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. The accolade marked the first award of Leon's collegiate career.
 
RECORD BOOK UPDATE
Jenna Shandy surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this season, and the redshirt senior continues to climb the all-time rankings in the program record book. With 18 games remaining in her collegiate career, Shandy now boasts 1,157 points which ranks #10 in program history. She's just 18 points shy of tying Laura Tyree's 1,175 points from 2013-17 at #9. Additionally, Shandy has drained 162 three-pointers in her career which ranks #7 in the program record book. She needs seven more makes from long range to tie Sammy Van Sickle's 169 three-pointers from 2018-23. Furthmore, Shandy just moved over 200 career assists. She needs 24 more dimes in 18 games to tie Marissa Eichorn (1998-02) for #11 on Mines' all-time list.
 
MORE SHANDY
Many fans know her as Jenna Siebert, but now they'll know her as Jenna Shandy. In the midst of her final season, 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.
 
SCOUTING NELSON UNIVERSITY
Since many fans are likely unfamiliar with Nelson University out of Arizona, here's a little background. The school was founded as Nelson American Indian College in Phoenix, Ariz. The private Christian institution became a campus of Nelson University in 2016. Nelson University was formerly Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) and is based in Waxahachie, Texas. Now, the Phoenix-based campus competes in athletics as part of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA). So far in the 2025-26 season, the Warriors are 1-12. They have contests scheduled at Pacific Union on Monday and Tuesday before coming to Mines on Friday. Nelson's lone win of the season came at home against University of the Southwest by a score of 75-59 on Nov. 15. Tatiana Ayala leads the Warriors in scoring and rebounding with 7.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Sophia Moron averages 2.4 assists and 3.3 points per game. As a team, Nelson averages 51.3 points per game while giving up 73.1 to the opposition.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE WARRIORS
Friday will be the first-ever meeting between Mines and Nelson, or SAGU.
 
SCOUTING NORTHERN NEW MEXICO
Northern New Mexico College is a NAIA program. Most of the teams are unaffiliated with any conference. However, the women's basketball team does have a four-game slate of games in the California Pacific Conference (Cal Pac). The Eagle women are 5-8 in 2025-26 thus far. Their last action was a 70-50 home loss to CSU Pueblo on Dec. 17. They'll face Colorado Christian in Lakewood, Colo., on Friday before coming to Golden on Saturday. Wins for the Eagles have come against Benedictine, Nelson, Wayland Baptist, and Panhandle State. Jayden Jenkins is NNMC's top player, touting averages of 17.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists across 10 games.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE EAGLES
While Mines' men have faced Northern New Mexico multiple times. Saturday will be the first-ever showdown between the Oredigger women and the Eagles.
 
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.
 
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 236-147 (.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. nine of Mines' 14 1,000-point scorers have surpassed the milestone under Simpson's watch.
 
UP NEXT
The Orediggers return to conference play next week, hosting Chadron State on Thursday and South Dakota Mines on Saturday. 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.