Mines (12-9, 7-3 RMAC) at Fort Lewis (12-6, 5-5 RMAC) – Thursday, 5:30 p.m. – Durango, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]
Mines (12-9, 7-3 RMAC) at Adams State (15-5, 9-1 RMAC) – Saturday, 1 p.m. – Alamosa, Colo. [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST
The Orediggers aren't headed to a music festival. If you know, you know. However, they are traveling south and west this week for a pair of daunting RMAC showdowns. Action tips off Thursday evening at 5:30 p.m. in Durango, Colo., against Fort Lewis. Saturday presents a rematch with Adams State in Alamosa, Colo., starting at 1 p.m. With the Skyhawks and Grizzlies playing on their home courts and ASU receiving votes in the latest national rankings, wins won't come easy, but would be big for positioning in the conference standings.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
Fans can watch this week's action with a subscription to the RMAC Network. 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.
 
PREPARE FOR THE GREEN GAME
Next Saturday, Feb. 7, marks Mines' second annual "Green Game." The event calls for all fans to join both Oredigger squads in wearing green and consider a donation to the Student Emergency Fund. Green is not one of Mines' official colors, but it's a special occasion. The game against Westminster will honor Head Coach Brittany Simpson's late sister Annie who tragically passed away nearly two years ago. Annie's favorite color was green and she dedicated her life to those in the midst of emergencies. Any amount and any shade of green would be extremely meaningful to Coach Simpson, her family, and the memory of Annie. Click here for more information on the Mines Student Emergency Fund.
 
LAST WEEK RECAP
The last action for Mines' women was a split week with a road game at Regis on Thursday and a home game against MSU Denver on Saturday. The Orediggers handled business in Denver to the tune of a 76-60 win. It extended Mines streak to eight consecutive victories as Sofia Baldessari poured in 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Emma Sixta and Jade Leon bolstered the effort by combining for 31 points, 10 rebounds and three steals with seven assists off the hands of Sixta. Also notable were eight points, five assists, four steals, and two rebounds from Emily Thomas. On Saturday, Mines was tripped up by the Roadrunners in a 72-59 loss at Lockridge Arena. Baldessari still scored 30 points, Sixta and Leon pulled down 10 rebounds apiece, and Quincey Baum collected five rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals. The loss snapped the Orediggers' winning streak which was their longest since the 2023-24 season. Saturday also marked MSU Denver's first win against Mines in Golden since 2017.
 
UNCOMMON
Sofia Baldessari is in her first season as an Oredigger. She has played in 17 of Mines' 21 games so far and leads the team with 323 points. Over the last 26 years, since the turn of the century, only three other players have surpassed 300 points in their first season as an Oredigger. Denali Pinto scored 384 as a true freshman during the 2018-19 campaign. The season before, in 2017-18, Nicole Archambeau poured in 355 after playing two seasons at Colorado Mesa. Iva Tomova, a transfer from Northeastern Junior College, went for 399 during the 2005-06 season.  Those three names, Archambeau, Pinto, and Tomova, appear a total of 39 times in the program record book. For further context, 14 different players have scored over 1,000 career points at Mines. That catalog includes the likes of Ashley Steffeck, Ashley Gronewoller, Angie Charchalis, and more. Pinto is the only player on that list who went over 300 points in her first year as an Oredigger.
 
SEASON BOX SCORE
Mines has played 21 games so far and is halfway through its RMAC slate. That leaves 10 games to play in the 2025-26 season. Team leaders entering the home stretch include Sofia Baldessari with 19.0 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game, Jenna Shandy's 3.4 assists per game, Jade Leon with 2.0 steals per game, and Quincey Baum boasting 16 blocks. Shandy and Emma Sixta are also averaging double-digit scoring numbers with 12.1 points and 11.9 points per game, respectively. Madison Gage, Olivia Campbell, and Emma Sixta are all shooting over 40 percent from behind the three-point arc. Sixta is also converting over 52 percent of her shots from the floor.
 
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS
The Fort Lewis College women charged to a 5-0 start this season and made it to 9-3 by the end of 2025. Since the calendar turned, the Skyhawks are 3-3 which puts them at 12-6 (5-5 RMAC) as they welcome Mines to Durango, Colo. Most recently, FLC hosted Colorado Christian and won, 81-71, before dropping a 75-68 home game to UCCS. Nationally, Fort Lewis ranks #14 in steals per game and #24 in turnovers forced per game. That production has helped the Skyhawks average 70.7 points per game while limiting opponents to 67.4 points per game. The FLC trio of Katie Lamb, Makaya Porter, and Fonoti Alemaualii leads the team in scoring with averages of 12.2, 11.1, and 10.2, respectively. Porter also averages 1.4 blocks and 2.3 steals per game. Lamb grabs 2.1 steals per game and Alemaualii pulls down 4.7 rebounds per game. Josie Davis is tops on the glass with her 5.1 rebounding average. Lamb's 42 made three-pointers are notable as well.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE SKYHAWKS
Mines trails the all-time series against Fort Lewis, 28-37. However, the Orediggers have taken nine straight games from the Skyhawks which is their longest winning streak in the history of the rivalry. Last season, Mines and FLC went to overtime in Golden on Jan. 30 before the Orediggers pulled out an 81-76 victory. Jenna Shandy's 28 points including three free-throws down the stretch clinch the win. Emma Sixta scored 15 with five assists, four rebounds, and three steals. It was the only meeting of the season between the two teams. The last time the Skyhawks defeated the Orediggers was a 64-55 decision in Golden on Jan. 11, 2020. Mines hasn't lost to Fort Lewis in Durango since 2017.
 
SCOUTING ADAMS STATE
Adams State's women own sole possession of #2 in the RMAC standings thanks to a record of 15-5 (9-1 RMAC). The Grizzlies' only loss in conference play was to league-leader Colorado Mesa on Jan. 10. The latest national rankings had ASU receiving four votes. Non-conference losses for Adams State came at the hands of then-#13 Lubbock Christian, Simon Fraser, now-#6 West Texas A&M, and Maryville. The Grizzlies are 5-1 at home and 8-1 in true road games. Their other three losses were at neutral sites. Individually, Kiiyani Anitielu averages 16.3 points per game thanks to 38 made three-pointers. Taejhuan Hill touts game averages of 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds. Elaina Watson is the glue, providing 9.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 3.2 steals per game.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE GRIZZLIES
Adams State leads the rivalry against Mines, 40-29. The Orediggers are in a bit of a rut against the Grizzlies with six straight losses. Earlier this season, on Dec. 4, the two teams faced off in Golden. Adams State won, 75-68, despite 24 points from Sofia Baldessari leading four Orediggers in double figures. Jade Leon also produced an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double with four assists. The last time Mines beat ASU was Jan. 28, 2023, in Golden with a final score of 80-69. The Orediggers haven't won in Alamosa, Colo., since Jan. 29, 2022, when they escaped with a 57-52 victory. That was the same game where Denali Pinto broke the program's all-time scoring record.
 
FAMILIAR WITH FORT LEWIS
Thursday will be just the second time that Mines Assistant Coach Taylor Harris will face off against his former team. Prior to joining the Orediggers, Harris served as the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Fort Lewis. During his three-season tenure, the Skyhawks excelled on the court and in the classroom. Among multiple highlights are a victory over NCAA Division I Utah State and the 2022-23 RMAC Brechler Award which honors the highest team grade-point average in the conference. Harris closed his time in Durango with 23 wins.
 
JENNA SHANDY
Jenna Shandy continues to climb the all-time rankings in the program record book. On opening weekend, she surpassed 1,000 career points and was officially honored with a commemorative ball prior to tipoff against Northern New Mexico on Jan. 3. With 10 games remaining in the regular season, Shandy now boasts 1,240 points which ranks #8 in program history. She's just 33 points shy of tying Brecca Gaffney at #7. Additionally, Shandy has drained 177 three-pointers in her career which is #6 in program history and sits five short of Cassidy Budge's 182 made three-pointers. Furthermore, Shandy now boasts 229 career assists and ranks #11 in the Mines record book. She needs 14 assists to surpass Cathy Dingwall at #10.
 
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. A record toppled by teammate Sofia Baldessari this season. That performance was one of five for Shandy 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.
 
BALDESSARI BREAKS RECORD
Sophomore forward Sofia Baldessari broke the program's single-game scoring record on Friday, Jan. 2, against Nelson. She torched the Warriors for 45 points inside Lockridge Arena. The previous record was 40 points set by teammate Jenna Shandy at home against Chadron State last season. That performance made Baldessari the first Oredigger woman to ever go over 40 points in a single game. Her 45 points are also tied for #4 in RMAC history and were #1 in NCAA Division II for the season at the time. That total now ranks #2 in DII this season. She accomplished the feat in just 26 minutes of action while going 4-for-9 from three-point range, 16-of-23 from the floor, and 9-for-10 at the free-throw line. She had a career-high five steals as well. Also notable in the same game were seven assists for Shandy – six of which were to Baldessari. So far during the 2025-26 season, only four players across all three divisions of the NCAA have scored more points in a game than Baldessari. One of those is Audi Crooks from Iowa State.
 
MORE BALDESSARI
In the midst of her second collegiate season and first campaign with the Orediggers, Sofia Baldessari is already making program history. As referenced above, the sophomore who started her career at College of Saint Benedict in Minnesota has already broken Mines' single-game scoring record. Furthermore, Baldessari's 30 points at Colorado Christian made her the sixth Oredigger woman to record multiple games of 30 points or more. Another 30-point outburst against MSU Denver last week marked her third game of 30 points or more this season. The other five players who have accomplished the same feat are Jenna Shandy, Ashley Steffeck, Denali Pinto, Angie Charchalis, and Mary Meager. Through 21 games, Baldessari ranks #3 in the RMAC in scoring, #4 in rebounding, #2 in free-throw percentage, #9 in field-goal percentage, #9 in made three-pointers per game, and #25 in steals per game.
 
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 243-148 (.621). 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
Mines returns home next week to host Western Colorado on Thursday and Westminster 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.