Mines (2-5, 0-0 RMAC) vs. Adams State (5-3, 0-0 RMAC) – Thursday, 5:30 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (2-5, 0-0 RMAC) vs. New Mexico Highlands (3-2, 0-0 RMAC) – Saturday, 1 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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RMAC ACTION BEGINS
The first week of official Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play has arrived. Mines women's basketball opens its conference slate at home, hosting Adams State Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and New Mexico Highlands Saturday at 1 p.m. The Orediggers played a grueling non-conference slate with more to come. However, they're fresh off a pre-Thanksgiving win and eyeing a strong start RMAC action. That being said, anyone vaguely familiar with RMAC basketball knows there are no easy "nights" in league play.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS
All fans planning to attend this week's games are encouraged 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. Additionally, one ticket Thursday and one ticket Saturday covers both the women and the Mines men's basketball doubleheaders.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Both matches this week will stream on the RMAC Network (pay-per-view). Josh Tolle has the call for both games. Miles Dunklin will also be featured later this season. There are free live stats on Friday and Saturday as well, 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.
 
SCOUTING ADAMS STATE
Adams State started the 2025-26 season picked #3 in the conference's preseason poll while also receiving votes in the national poll. A relatively robust non-conference schedule brings the Grizzlies to Golden with a record of 5-3. Notable wins for ASU came against Northwest Missouri State, Angelo State, and MSU Billings – all perennial powerhouses in NCAA Division II. The Grizzlies also knocked off Eastern New Mexico and UT Permian Basin. Through eight games, Kiiyani Anitielu and Taejhuan Hill are Adams State's leading scorers, averaging 16.1 and 15.0 points per game, respectively. Hill is also pulling down 7.6 rebounds per game and handing out 2.1 assists each night. She ranks #13 in the nation with three double-doubles to date. Elaina Watson leads the team with her game averages of 2.5 steals and 2.4 assists while also adding 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. As a team, the Grizzlies average 61.5 points per game while giving up just 59.1 to their opponents.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE GRIZZLIES
Mines defeated Adams State's women 14 consecutive times from 2012-23. However, fourth-year head coach Mario Caetano has turned ASU into a RMAC contender and NCAA tournament qualifier as of late and now owns five straight victories over the Orediggers. The all-time record between Mines and Adams State sits at 39-29 in favor of ASU. Last season, the Grizzlies won by a score of 75-63 in Alamosa and down Mines 88-78 in Golden. That last meeting featured 26 points, four assists, four rebounds, and one steal from Jenna Shandy. The last time Mines' women beat Adams State was Jan. 28, 2023. The final score in Golden was 80-69 thanks to Ashley Steffeck's 29 points and Shandy' 13 points.
 
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
Unlike Mines and Adams State, New Mexico Highlands did not get an early start to official games. So, after just five games in the 2025-26 campaign, NMHU is 3-2. The Cowgirls started 2-0 thanks to a pair of home victories over Cameron and Western New Mexico. The later margin was 106-40. New Mexico Highlands grabbed a third win by traveling to WNMU and downing the Mustangs, 92-43. Last weekend, the Cowgirls dropped a 57-53 decision to UT Permian Basin and an 84-57 loss to #13-ranked West Texas A&M. Both games were in Canyon, Texas. New Mexico Highlands will play Regis on Thursday before coming to Golden on Saturday. A quartet of Cowgirls are averaging double-digit scoring numbers with Kapiolani Anitielu leading the way at 14.0 points per game. Anitielu also averages 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 steals, and 1.6 assists. Also notable is NMHU ranking #10 in the nation in bench points per game. Thanks to the two blowouts against Western New Mexico, the Cowgirls are averaging 77.2 points per game as a team while giving up just 57.2 to the opposition.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE COWGIRLS
Mines defeated New Mexico Highlands' women in 14 straight games from 2015-24. That streak ended last season with a 74-73 overtime decision in Las Vegas, N.M. An Oredigger squad recovering from an unknown virus still found 26 points, six rebounds, and six assists from Jenna Shandy in the loss. Emma Sixta stacked up four steals. Prior to that, Mines had not lost to NMHU since Dec. 6, 2014. The last time the Orediggers defeated the Cowgirls was Jan. 13, 2024. The score was 68-47 in Las Vegas, N.M. Mines and New Mexico Highlands have not played in Golden in nearly three years. The last meeting between the Orediggers and Cowgirls at Lockridge Arena was Jan. 7, 2023.
 
RMAC PRESEASON POLLS
The start of conference play marks a prudent moment to review the preseason coaches' polls. Mines was voted #5 by the RMAC coaches thanks to 141 points and four third-place votes. Defending champion Colorado Mesa earned the top spot with 191 points and nine first-place votes. Just behind at #2 was UCCS with 181 points and six first-place votes. Adams State and Western Colorado rounded out the top four at #3 and #4, respectively. The rest of a projected RMAC tournament bracket included #6 Black Hills State, #7 CSU Pueblo, and #8 New Mexico Highlands. Spots 9-15, in order, featured MSU Denver, Colorado Christian, South Dakota Mines, Fort Lewis, Westminster, Chadron State, and Regis.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Mines hosted Rogers State the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and earned its second win of the season by a score of 79-73. The Orediggers started the game on a 16-2 run, but RSU rallied back and eventually took the lead in the fourth quarter. Jenna Shandy's 27 points and 24 more off the hand of Emma Sixta helped Mines close out the win. Quincey Baum also recorded the first double-double of her career thanks to 11 points and 12 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 1,091 points with 24 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 and still has 24 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 #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 233-144 (.618). 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
Mines travels to Westminster next Thursday and then to #14 Colorado Mesa 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.