GOLDEN, Colo. – Thursday night was "Rock the Lock" at Colorado School of Mines and the Oredigger women's basketball team provided a thriller that was decided in the final seconds and resulted in a 72-70 loss to UCCS.

Sofia Baldessari led all players in the game by pulling down 11 rebounds on the way to a double-double with 31 points. Baldessari also added two assists, two blocks, and one steal. Quincey Baum and Jenna Shandy made a trio of double-digit scorers for the home team, combining for 25 points with Shandy handing out six assists as well. Baum notched two blocks, Sophia Baal grabbed seven rebounds, and Olivia Campbell chipped in seven points and two assists to round out the highlights. Amyah Moore Allen's 34 points were the most in the game.
 
Mines (13-15, 8-9 RMAC) out-rebounded UCCS (16-9, 12-5 RMAC) by a 36-29 margin. The Orediggers also shot better than the Mountain Lions from the floor and long range. However, UCCS forced Mines to commit 14 turnovers while the visitors only committed five turnovers. Those 14 turnovers by the Orediggers turned into 17 points for the Mountain Lions. Mines was 22-for-26 at the free throw line and UCCS was 14-of-16 at the charity stripe.  
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Thursday's showdown featured seven ties and nine lead changes with six of each coming in the first half alone. A tightly contested first quarter ended with UCCS clinging to a 20-19 lead. Mines switched to a zone defense in the second quarter and opened a 40-26 advantage thanks to Shandy's three-pointer with 1:28 to play before halftime. After 20 full minutes of game action, Baldessari had scored 13 points, Shandy had scored 11 points, and the Orediggers boasted a 40-30 cushion on the Mountain Lions.
 
When the teams came out of their respective locker rooms, the margin continued to hover around 10 points. Then, back-to-back, UCCS three-points in less than a minute cut Mines' lead by more than half. After that, the Oredigger lead fluctuated from three to six points until Baldessari drained an impressive step-back three-pointer at the end of the quarter. Her last-second bucket and 12 third-quarter points sent the home team into the fourth quarter leading 57-50. It was a lead that quickly dissipated despite a raucous home crowd as UCCS exploded on an 11-2 run to start the final period. Mines stemmed the tied, but the Mountain Lions still pushed their lead to 70-64 with 3:47 remaining in the game.
 
The Orediggers' defense flexed during the last 3:47 of the fourth quarter and limited UCCS to just two points on one field goal during that span. Unfortunately for Mines, that basket was a contested, pullup jump shot by Moore Allen with just 3.3 seconds on the clock. After an Oredigger timeout, the home team attempted a contested three-pointer at the top of the key, but to no avail.
 
NOTABLES
- Baldessari's 31 points marked her sixth game of at least 30 points, the most 30-point games by any Oredigger in program history.
- Baldessari also surpassed 500 points for the season and now ranks #4 for single-season scoring in the program record book.
- The only other Orediggers who have scored 500 points or more in a season are Ashely Steffeck, Denali Pinto, and Jenna Shandy.
- Additionally, Baldessari notched her fourth straight double-double and her seventh of the season while recording a career high in made free throws and matching her single-game best in blocks.
- A trio of three-pointers for Shandy put her at 186 in her career, ranking #4 all-time at Mines.
- Shandy also moved up the all-time assists' list to #9, touting 252 in her career.
- Baum crossed over 300 career points Thursday night.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is now 245-154 in her 14th season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines hosts 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.