SPEARFISH, S.D. – A second-quarter drought for the Colorado School of Mines women's basketball team Thursday evening led to a 62-50 loss for the Orediggers at Black Hills State.
Sofia Baldessari had more points than any other player in the game, scoring 22 while adding 14 rebounds for a double-double. She also had two steals. Jenna Shandy handed out four assists and scored six points on 50-percent shooting. Utility lines in the box score came from Jade Leon and Quincey Baum. Leon produced four points, five rebounds, two blocks, and one assist. Baum had four points, four rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal. Three players for the home team scored in double figures with Brinlee McRae topping the list thanks to 15 points.
 
Mines (12-14, 7-8 RMAC) hung tough with one of the best rebounding teams in the nation, pulling down 38 rebounds. Black Hills State (14-8, 11-4 RMAC) still stayed in the positive with 44 rebounds while forcing the Orediggers into 15 turnovers. The turnover battle and margin on the glass proved key for BHSU as Mines' defense limited the Yellow Jackets to 35-percent shooting from the floor, under 30-percent shooting from long range, and a 61-percent mark at the free-throw line. At the same time, the Orediggers only shot 35 percent from the floor and made just a trio of three-pointers. They did convert seven of their eight opportunities at the charity stripe. Arguably most notable were 17 second-chance points for the home team compared to nine for the visitors.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Black Hills State jumped out to a 6-0 lead at the start of the game and never looked back. A shooting percentage of 53.3 in the first quarter fueled a 19-11 lead after 10 minutes of game action. The second quarter was an offensive grind for both teams. However, Mines didn't score its first points until the clock had dropped under 3:00 in the period. Even so, Baldessari still managed eight points in the final three minutes before halftime, but the Oredigger deficit was still 33-19. Mines battled in the second half as Baldessari scored seven more points in the third quarter while her team shot over 46 percent from the floor. The fourth quarter saw a stifling Oredigger defense limit BHSU to two field goals while Baldessari poured in seven more points. Six made free throws on eight chances and a 14-10 rebound margin helped the home team lock up the victory.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines still holds a 12-10 lead in the all-time series against Black Hills State.
- Baldessari's 22 points moved her into the Oredigger top-10 for points in a season. She now boasts 445 points, just two back of Kelly Hadley (1985-86) at #9.
- Thursday also marked the fifth double-double of the season for Baldessari.
- Baldessari tied her career high with 14 rebounds as well.
- Leon notched multiple blocks in a game for the first time in her college career.
- Emma Sixta went over 700 career points after scoring four points at BHSU.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is now 244-153 in her 14th season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines travels to Black Hills State next Thursday and Chadron Sate on Saturday. Live video will be available with a subscription to the RMAC Network and there will be free live stats 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.