CHADRON, Neb. – Sophia Baal and Sofia Baldessari guided the Colorado School of Mines women's basketball team to a 79-51 victory Saturday afternoon at Chadron State.
Baal registered a career-high 16 points while adding three assists, one rebound, one steal, and one block. Baldessari led all players in the game with her 33 points and 11 rebounds. She had also had one assist. Jade Leon's 10 points made it a trio of double-digit scorers for the visitors. Jenna Shandy topped a list of six players who had multiple assists with five dimes of her own. Olivia Campbell handed out four assists with eight rebounds and two points. Leon, Emily Thomas, and Quincey Baum combined for seven additional assists.
 
The win snapped a six-game skid for Mines (13-14, 8-8 RMAC) and marked a 10th consecutive loss for Chadron State (1-20, 1-15 RMAC). The Orediggers' earned the victory by dominating on the glass with a 45-23 rebounding margin. They also shot over 55 percent from the floor, which offset just three made three-pointers and a 66-percent mark at the free-throw line. The Eagles did win the turnover battle, 13-8, and collected nine steals along the way. However, Mines' stifling defense limited CSC to a 32-percent clip from the floor and a 13.3-percent mark from long range.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Baal and Baldessari combined to score Mines' first 16 points of the game which afforded the Orediggers a 16-2 lead after seven minutes of action. By the end of the first quarter, Baal was up to eight points, Baldessari boasted 14 points, and the visitors owned a 24-9 advantage. Chadron State found 14 points of offense in the second quarter, but eight more points off the hand of Baldessari kept the Eagles at bay. The teams headed to the locker room at halftime with Mines ahead, 41-23.
 
Baldessari only played 3:32 of the third quarter. That opened the way for Leon to pour in eight of her 10 points. In the same period, Mines' defense flexed and held Chadron State to only eight points. Baldessari returned for nearly six minutes of the final period and dropped in nine more points. She also accounted for all three of the Orediggers' long-range baskets in the game after hitting from behind the arc just 21 seconds into the quarter. That bucket gave Mines its largest lead of the game at 65-31. From there, the visitors cruised until the clock hit zero, unbothered by the home team's 20 points in the frame.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines improved to 38-34 in the all-time series against Chadron State.
- The Orediggers have won 11 straight meetings with the Eagles.
- Mines hasn't lost to Chadron State since Jan. 25, 2019 – over seven years ago.
- Baldessari has scored 478 points so far this season which currently ranks #5 in program history.
- Saturday marked Baldessari's fifth game with at least 30 points. That ties her for the most 30-point games in Mines history.
- The other players with five 30-point games are Jenna Shandy, Ashley Steffeck, and Denali Pinto.
- Furthermore, Baldessari has recorded three straight double-doubles and six on the season.
- Shandy moved up to #10 on Mines' all-time assists list with 246 in her career.
- Baal had a career high in both scoring and assists against the Eagles.
- Olivia Campbell's eight rebounds and four assists were collegiate, single-game bests.
- Emily Thomas surpassed 200 points for her career as well.
- Every active player on Mines' roster scored at least two points Saturday afternoon.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is now 245-153 in her 14th season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines hosts UCCS Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and CSU Pueblo Saturday at 1 p.m. 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.