GOLDEN, Colo. – Mines women's basketball suffered a 73-64 loss to Western Colorado Thursday night at Lockridge Arena.

Despite the loss, Sofia Baldessari still produced a game-high 26 points while adding four rebounds and one steal. Jenna Shandy chipped in 14 points with four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Quincey Baum put together a utility-belt performance which featured seven points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals. Also notable were nine points, four rebounds, three steals, and two assists from Emma Sixta. Ivey Schmidt led the winning team by way of 23 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and one block.
 
Mines (12-12, 7-6 RMAC) forced Western Colorado (11-8, 9-4 RMAC) into 17 turnovers. However, the Mountaineers entered the game ranked #1 in the nation in three-point shooting percentage and made nine from behind the arc on 20 attempts. They also outrebounded the Orediggers, 37-33, blocked eight shots, and converted over 43 percent of their attempts from the floor. Mines did grind out 17 second-chance points and only missed three of its 20 free throws. In the end, the rebounding deficit and 17 turnovers by the home team were too much to overcome.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Baldessari put Mines on the board first, but the opening period was all Western Colorado. A 12-6 rebound advantage helped the visitors hold the lead for 8:07 of the first 10 minutes. At the first break, WCU owned an 18-11 lead after limiting the Orediggers to 35-percent shooting from the floor. Mines battled back and scored 13 points in the second quarter, but the Mountaineers got hot and went 7-of-14 from the floor. Both teams committed six turnovers each. By halftime, the WCU lead was 34-24.
 
Mines came out of the locker room with some fire in the third frame and maintained the margin before closing the quarter on an 8-0 run. Baldessari's 11 points in the third period helped the Orediggers cut their deficit to 50-46 going into the final 10 minutes of action. Sixta started the last period with a pair of free throws and made it a two-point game. Unfortunately, that was the closest Mines would get. Western Colorado needed less than two minutes of game action to put together a 10-0 run which included a pair of three-pointers. Late WCU fouls helped the Orediggers cut the lead to six points as Baldessari went 6-for-6 at the charity stripe. However, one more three-pointer and timely jumpers for the Mountaineers prevented any real comeback.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines still holds an 8-2 record across its last 10 meetings with Western Colorado.
- The Orediggers bounced back and outrebounded the Mountaineers, 20-16, in the second half Thursday night.
- Baldessari has scored at least 20 points in nine of her last 11 games, and her 10-for-10 mark at the free-throw line against WCU was a career high.
- Shandy's 14 points moved her to #7 all-time in the program record book. She has scored 1,281 career points. Her 182 made three-pointers are also tied with Cassidy Budge for #5 in program history.
- Baum now boasts a career-high 19 blocks this season.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is now 244-151 in her 14th season leading the Orediggers.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines hosts Westminster on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Lockridge Arena. The contest will also be the Orediggers' second annual Green Game. 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.