Mines (3-2, 0-0 RMAC) vs. Western Colorado (2-2, 0-0 RMAC) – Friday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena – [Live Stats] [Live Video]
Mines (3-2, 0-0 RMAC) vs. Colorado Mesa (4-2, 0-0 RMAC) – Saturday, 5 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [Live Video]
 

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GAME DAY INFO
New in 2019, fans can purchase digital tickets online in advance via Mines' new ticketing portal, or buy them at the gate on game day. Ticket pricing remains the same as 2018 at $10 for adults and $5 for seniors, military, and children. Mines students, faculty, and staff are free with their Blaster Card. No pets (except service animals) are permitted inside Lockridge Arena.
 
ON THE RMAC NETWORK
Every Mines home game and all RMAC contests can be seen live and for free on the RMAC Network at minesathletics.com/tv. The RMAC Network can also be found on Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, and Android TV devices by going to the app store and searching "RMAC".
 
RMAC PLAY BEGINS
The Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team starts Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play this weekend as it hosts Western Colorado on Friday and Colorado Mesa on Saturday. Mines has finished conference play in fourth place for the last two years and this season looks to up its game. The trail to another RMAC title in Golden starts this weekend against two very tough Western Slope opponents. Both games are part of a basketball doubleheader with Mines' men playing the same opponents at 7 p.m. each night.
 
STUDY BREAK!
Finals at Colorado School of Mines begin on Friday and Oredigger athletics has just the cure for any academic woes. On Friday, students are invited to take a study break and enjoy free pizza during halftime of the women's game. Then, on Saturday, another study break is available featuring free Jimmy John's. Since science supports study breaks and Mines is a STEM institution, students shouldn't hesitate in taking advantage of both these opportunities.
 
LOOKING BACK
Last Saturday, Mines faced off against Regis in a non-conference affair inside Lockridge Arena. The Orediggers claimed a dominant, 69-55 victory thanks to an impressive third quarter. In that fateful period, Mines outscored Regis by a margin of 20-11 before pushing its lead all the way to 27 in the final quarter. Denali Pinto led all players with 20 points. She also grabbed two rebounds and dished out two assists. Sammy Van Sickle, Megan Van de Graaf and Ashley Steffeck all joined Pinto in double digits. Defensively, Liz Holter led all players thanks to four steals while Steffeck had two and added two blocks. Steffeck also dished out five assists to lead all players on the court. On the boards, it was Van Sickle leading the way with eight rebounds. As a team, Mines shot 42 percent from the floor and 62 percent from long range. The Orediggers were 15-18 at the free-throw line for a mark of 83.3 percent.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN COLORADO
Western Colorado rolls into Golden with an overall mark of 2-2, also playing in its RMAC opener. The Mountaineers started the season with two losses at Western Washington and at Simon Fraser. Two straight wins over Montana Western and University of the Southwest put WCU back on the winning track. Western Colorado's average margin of victory is just over 10 points while the average margin of loss is right at 11 points. Individually, Samantha Coleman leads the offense behind 13.3 points per game thanks to a 14-25 mark (56%) from outside the three-point arc. She also leads on the glass with 4.3 rebounds per game. Jessie Erickson and Hannah Cooper both have 11 assists on the year. Four blocks for Mikaela Parker and seven steals for Taytem Coleman round out a potentially stifling defense. As a team, Western Colorado enters the weekend averaging 65 points per game while giving up 62.8 to the opposition. Through four games, WCU is shooting 43 percent from the floor, 36.6 percent from three-point range and 74.3 percent at the free-throw line.
 
WHAT'S A MOUNTAINEER?
Western Colorado University, previously known as Colorado State Normal School and Western State Colorado University, uses the nickname Mountaineers for its athletics programs. Merriam-Webster defines a Mountaineer as a native or inhabitant of a mountainous region, or a person who climbs mountains for sport. The institution lives up to its nickname as the first school (1901) on the Western Slope of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Western Colorado further embraces its geological location and history with its Mountain Sports program which includes freeride skiing and snowboarding, alpine ski racing, Nordic ski racing and many more. With three freeride skiing athletes qualifying for the Freeride World Tour, it's clear Western Colorado is truly, the Mountaineers.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO MESA
Colorado Mesa University started the year nationally ranked in the preseason polls. However, narrow losses to Tarleton State (57-53) and Northwest Nazarene (56-52) dropped the Mavericks out of the nation's top 25. Mesa's wins came over Cameron, Saint Martin's, University of the Southwest and Montana Western. Most notably, CMU dominated University of the Southwest to the tune of 92-25. Gone is last season's leading scorer Jaylyn Duran. In her stead is Kelsey Siemons averaging 14.8 points per game. Siemons touts a 19-35 mark on three-pointers, good enough for 54 percent. She also shoots 56 percent from the field overall. Sierra McNicol is tops in rebounding thanks to 6.5 boards per game. The clear-cut point guard is Sydni Brandon boasting 23 assists through six games. Brandon also has 18 steals making her someone to watch on defense. Colorado Mesa's 66.8 points per game may be inflated due to its 92-point output earlier this year. However, CMU only gives up 45.5 points per game to its opponents and that's no joke.
 
UNBRANDED YOUNGIN'
Formerly known as Mesa State, Colorado Mesa claims the nickname Mavericks for its athletics teams. In the context of CMU, a maverick is defined as an unbranded calf or yearling. However, the term more commonly refers to an unorthodox or independent-minded person. Maverick is also the nickname of Tom Cruise's character in the 1986 film Top Gun, as well as a steel roller coaster and Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Maverick is also the title of the famous western television show created by Roy Huggins, running from 1957-62, starring James Garner.
 
LOCKRIDGE ARENA
Fondly referred to as "The Lock", Mines' home court for volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball features seating for 3,000 at Oredigger home athletics events. The venue has also twice hosted the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball South Central Regional Tournament. Additionally, Lockridge Arena hosts numerous major campus events and has been graced by the presence of Barack Obama, Neil DeGrasse Tyson, Bill Nye and many others.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Mines has faced Western Colorado and Colorado Mesa a total of 130 times in program history. The Orediggers trail both all-time series with a 25-37 mark against the Mountaineers and a 14-54 record against the Mavericks. Despite the overall deficit, Mines is 5-1 in its last six meetings with WCU. The Orediggers last win over Colorado Mesa came inside Lockridge Arena on Dec. 8, 2015. That was the same season Mines went 21-7 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, the Orediggers went 0-3 against the two opponents. That mark included a season-ending loss to CMU in the RMAC Tournament Semifinals in Grand Junction.
 
SHE'S PRETTY GOOD
Don't let the lack of RMAC weekly awards fool you. Denali Pinto is pretty good at basketball. How good? Well, for starters, she leads the entire RMAC in scoring thanks to 20.4 points per game. That number also ranks 20th in the nation. The last Oredigger to average 20 points per game for the season was nobody. Mines' all-time record for single-season scoring average is 19.0 points per game. A mark owned by Kelly Hadley from the 1986-87 season. Pinto also ranks #2 in the nation in free-throw percentage at 97 percent on the year, which doesn't hurt her scoring average either. The defending RMAC Freshman of the Year has scored 486 points through 32 games in her career. At her current pace, Pinto projects to score nearly 500 points in the 2019-20 campaign alone. With plenty of basketball left to play, you never know what the phenom from Fairfield High School might do next.
 
THE RUNDOWN
In the scouting reports, fans saw how teams are doing overall. But how does that compare to the Orediggers? Through five games in the 2019-20 season, Mines touts an average of 63.8 points per game while holding opponents to 58.2 per contest. The Oreddigers currently shoot 39.5 percent from the floor. After a slow start from long range, Mines is up to 29 percent from behind the arc. At the free-throw line, the Orediggers convert at 81.3 percent which ranks #8 in the nation. As per usual, Mines outrebounds its opponents. That margin currently sits a 4.8 to the positive. Overall, the Orediggers magic numbers appear to be 60 and 40. Mines is 3-0 when it holds opponents under 60 points and 40-percent shooting from the field.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Mines' next action is Dec. 13-14 at Colorado Christian and Regis. Live stats and video of both games will be available at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all season long on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.