Mines (8-12, 6-6 RMAC) at Western Colorado (13-6, 8-4 RMAC) – Thursday, 5:30 p.m. – Gunnison, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (8-12, 6-6 RMAC) at Westminster (4-15, 3-9 RMAC) – Saturday, 1 p.m. – Salt Lake City, Utah [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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WESTWARD BOUND
For the first time since January 11, the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team will not get to sleep in their own beds. The Orediggers are headed west this week for games at Western Colorado and Westminster. Mines faces off against the Mountaineers on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Gunnison, Colo. Saturday brings a matchup against the Griffins in Salt Lake City at 1 p.m. Eight games remain in the regular season and the Orediggers are in a tight battle for a spot in the RMAC tournament. That makes each game critical if Mines hopes to make the postseason.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Free live video of all Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, regular-season games will be offered on the RMAC Network. Conference tournament games will be pay-per-view come March. All of Mines' RMAC games, home and away, will also include free live stats as linked above, at www.minesathletics.com, and on social media.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN COLORADO
Western Colorado is 13-6 overall this season and its conference mark of 8-4 has the Mountaineers tied for #3 in the RMAC standings. After starting the season 0-2, WCU won five straight and 10 of 11 to surge well above .500. Despite the early momentum, the Mountaineers stumbled last weekend with a 54-45 loss at UCCS and a 58-37 defeat at Colorado Christian. It marked the tail end of a five-game road swing. Thursday's game will be WCU's first at home since Jan. 14. As a team, Western Colorado is #10 in the nation in defensive rebounds per game and #13 in rebound margin. Those numbers are fueled in large part by Rachel Cockman who averages 12.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. She also owns 28 blocks on the season. Ivey Schmidt is the other key to WCU's success. She touts game averages of 11.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE MOUNTAINEERS
The all-time series between Mines and Western Colorado sits at 38-33 in favor of the Mountaineers. However, the Orediggers have closed the gap significantly thanks to eight straight wins. Mines extended that run last season in a pair of meetings with WCU. The Orediggers won, 61-56, in Gunnison, Colo., on Dec. 16. Mines was victorious again in Golden by a score of 76-68. Jenna Siebert was the star of both wins, scoring 19 points on the road and 22 more at home. The last time Western Colorado defeated the Orediggers was in Golden on Dec. 18, 2020 by a 57-51 margin. Mines hasn't lost in Gunnison – which boasts the highest college gym in all the world – since Dec. 7, 2018.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
Westminster hosts Regis on Thursday before playing Mines on Saturday. The Griffins enter the week 4-15 (3-9 RMAC). Extended losing streaks throughout the season have put WC in a hole. That being said, last weekend, the Griffins snapped a five-game skid by taking down Colorado Christian, 63-58, in Lakewood. Westminster has also defeated Adams State and MSU Denver. The win over the Grizzlies came in overtime in Salt Lake City. As a team, WC is negative 15.1 in scoring margin, negative 2.9 in rebound margin, and negative 3.4 in the turnover battle. Teuila Nawahine is the Griffins leading scorer thanks to 11.9 points per game. Abby Conlee averages 10.0 points per game. Also big is Maunayia Harrigfeld who grabs 10.6 rebounds and scores 7.9 points each night to compliment 34 blocked shots this season.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE GRIFFINS
Mines and Westminster played earlier this season in Golden. The Orediggers won the game, 83-40, and extended their win streak against the Griffins to five. Mines also owns the lead in the all-time series with Westminster, 10-5. The Dec. 16 meeting at Lockridge Arena saw Emma Sixta score 20 points with eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. No Griffin reached double figures on offense. Another top performer was Jenna Siebert with 12 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Peyton Freiermuth churned out 10 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and one block. Mines' last loss to Westminster was a 67-62 nailbiter in Golden, Colo., on Feb. 19, 2021. The Orediggers haven't lost in Salt Lake City since a 68-66, overtime thriller on Dec. 30, 2017.
 
LOOKING BACK
The Orediggers hosted Fort Lewis and Adams State at Lockridge Arena last week. On Thursday, Mines and FLC went to overtime, but the Orediggers prevailed with an 81-76 victory. Jenna Siebert led a quartet of double-digit scorers for the home team with 28 points. Emma Sixta scored 15 points, Peyton Freiermuth tallied 13 points, and Audrey Beaty added 12 points and seven rebounds. Also notable were five assists and three steals for Sixta. Saturday's battle against Adams State eventually went to the visitors, 88-78, but not without a fight. Siebert scored 26 more points and handed out four assists. Josephine Howery turned in 17 points and three assists. Sixta's final line featured 12 points, five rebounds, three steals, two blocks, and one assist.
 
ELITE COMPANY
Jenna Siebert joined an elite club after a 31-point outburst at South Dakota Mines. That performance made her just the fifth player in program history to record multiple games of 30 points or more in a career. The only other players in Oredigger women's history to have multiple 30-point games in their respective careers are Denali Pinto, Ashley Steffeck, Mary Meager, and Angie Charchalis.
 
INTO THE RECORD BOOK
Jenna Siebert put her name in the program record book after her 34-point explosion against Minnesota State in November. She's now tied for fifth for points in a game in program history. The redshirt junior matched Courtney Martin's output at Chadron State from the 2014-15 season. Overall, Siebert is the 16th Oredigger to ever score 30 or more points in a single game. Her performance marked the 26th time that 30 or more points have been scored by a Mines player in a single game. The Orediggers with more points than Siebert in a single night are Taylor Helbig, Denali Pinto, Laura Marshall, and Ashley Steffeck.
 
LEVELING UP
After joining an elite Oredigger club earlier this season (see five sections below), Jenna Siebert leveled up her status in Mines history thanks to 31 points at MSU Denver last month. First of all, the outburst included 17 points in the third quarter alone which drove the Orediggers to victory. However, it also marked the third game of Siebert's career with more than 30 points. Now, the only players in program history with more games of 30-plus points are Ashley Steffeck and Denali Pinto. That duo ranks #1 and #2 in all-time scoring at Mines.
 
FROM DOWNTOWN
If you haven't heard enough about Jenna Siebert's accomplishments this season, we have you covered. In addition to everything already mentioned, Siebert also entered the program record book for career made three-pointers. With five against MSU Denver, she surpassed Marissa Eichorn at #11 on the all-time list. Five more long-range buckets against Regis pushed the redshirt junior to #10 – a spot previously held by Sam Rusk. Siebert currently touts 115 made three-pointers in her career and is four back of Stephanie Fogle at #9.
 
DISHING DIMES
Peyton Freiermuth also put her name in the program record book against defending national champion Minnesota State. With 11 assists, she became the sixth Oredigger to ever dish out double-digit dimes in a single game. Freiermuth's performance tied her with Laura Tyree for third on Mines' all-time list. The only Orediggers with more assists than Freiermuth in a single game are Liz Holter and Debbie Gangloff.
 
SISTER-SISTER
The Orediggers' 2024-25 roster features sisters Michaela Lee and Olivia Lee. Michaela is in her second season at Mines. As a true freshman, she came off the bench and scored six points, grabbed eight rebounds, blocked four shots, and grabbed two steals in just 28 total minutes of action. Olivia is in her first, and only, season as an Oredigger. She started her collegiate career at Western New Mexico before transferring to Cal State San Bernardino after two seasons. The elder Lee completed her bachelor's degree at CSUSB and came to Mines to pursue a master's degree and play her final season of collegiate basketball. Prior to becoming an Oredigger, Olivia accumulated 462 points, 391 rebounds, 61 blocks, 35 assists, and 21 steals across 81 games.
 
MEET TAYLOR HARRIS
The Mines coaching staff added a fresh face last spring with Taylor Harris taking over as assistant coach for the Orediggers. Harris, a 14-year veteran coach, came to the Orediggers after leading Fort Lewis' women's squad for three seasons. Other stops for the Colorado native include Miles Community College (Mont.), and 10 years of service at fellow RMAC programs in Regis and MSU Denver. Fans can check out Harris' full biography HERE.
 
BOSS LADY
Head Coach Brittany Simpson is in her 13th 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 227-135 (62.7). 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 36 All-RMAC selections including 15 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 host Black Hills State on Thursday, Feb. 13, and Chadron State on Saturday, Feb. 15. Free live stats and video on the RMAC Network will be available for both games at www.minesathletics.com.
 
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.