#8/9 Mines (11-1, 6-0 RMAC) vs. Colorado Christian (8-4, 4-2 RMAC) – Saturday, 1 p.m. – Lockridge Arena [Live Stats] [RMAC Network]

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HAPPY NEW YEAR
This Saturday, the #8/9-ranked Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball opens the new year with a single Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest against Colorado Christian inside Lockridge Arena. It marks Mines' first action after three weeks off for the holidays. That being said, the league-leading Orediggers will look to stay hot as they put their nine-game win streak on the line. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. with Mines' men set to play CCU 20 minutes after the conclusion of the women's game.
 
LIVE COVERAGE
For fans who can't make it to Lockridge Arena on Saturday, live streaming of each contest will be offered free of charge on the RMAC Network. The RMAC Network can be loaded on your phone or downloaded on any smart TV/live streaming device by searching RMAC. There will also be free live stats linked above and at www.minesathletics.com.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The last time the Orediggers took the hardwood for a game was Dec. 13 and Dec. 16 in a set of road games at MSU Denver and Western Colorado. Mines edged the Roadrunners on Wednesday by a score of 65-64. The Orediggers only led for 6:38 of the game, but Ashley Steffeck completed the comeback effort for Mines by scoring 26 points. She also notched seven rebounds, three steals, one block, and one assist. Saturday was another narrow victory for the Orediggers with a final score of 61-56 against the Mountaineers in Gunnison, Colo. In the win, Jenna Siebert poured in 19 points. Steffeck struck again as well, scoring 13 points and grabbing nine rebounds with three steals and three assists. Also notable was Loralee Stock with six points, six rebounds, five steals, and one assist.
 
SOLID START
Mines opened its 2023-24 campaign on Nov. 10 with an 81-68 home win against St. Mary's out of Texas. From that point through the end of 2023, the Orediggers posted a record of 11-1 (6-0 RMAC) including a 6-0 mark in the month of December. Mines also played exactly half of its first 12 games at home and went 6-0 in those contests as well. After two months of play, the Orediggers are tied with Adams State for #1 in the RMAC standings and rank #7 in the nation in winning percentage, #3 in free throws made per game, and #8 in three-point percentage. Individually, Ashley Steffeck has guided Mines' start as she sits #7 in DII in total steals, #7 in total free throws, #8 in free-throw percentage, #12 in steals per game, #15 in three-point percentage, and #16 in free-throw attempts.
 
RUNNIN' HOT
As mentioned above, the Orediggers currently boast an active, nine-game win streak. It started on Saturday, Nov. 18, with an 81-78 win at West Texas A&M which puts the run at 49 days and counting. The streak is the eighth-longest, active surge in NCAA Division II this season. That means only seven other teams have longer streaks going as of Friday, Jan. 5. Holy Family is at the top of the list with 13 straight wins. Mines' only loss this season came on the road at then-#24 Texas Woman's by a score of 72-66. The longest win streak in program history is 13 games. The Orediggers won 13 straight in 2015-16 and 2021-22. They also won the RMAC title in both of those campaigns.
 
NATIONAL RANKINGS
During the holiday break, the Oredigger women made significant moves in the national rankings. On Dec. 18, the D2CSC Women's Basketball Division II Media Poll pushed Mines to #8. The latest WBCA NCAA Division II Top 25 Women's Basketball Coaches' Poll released Tuesday afternoon saw the Orediggers surge to #9. Mines last appeared inside the nation's top-10 on Jan. 11, 2023, and #9 in the coaches' poll and #7 on the media list. Adams State was the only other RMAC team in either top-25, sitting #22 in the D2CSC rankings. Also notable was MSU Billings at #15 in the media poll and #17 in the coaches' rankings. Texas Woman's was #18 according to the coaches but still #3 by the media's standard which does not include back-to-back losses in late December.
 
STEFFECK'S STANDING
Mines has played 12 games in 2023-24 and has 16 remaining. That leaves 16 games for Ashley Steffeck to complete her revision of the program record book. As of Friday, Jan. 5, the Oredigger graduate student is #6 in all-time scoring, #3 in career assists, #4 in career free throws, #5 in career three-pointers, and she owns nearly every steals record in program history. Steffeck needs 19 points to take #5 in scoring, nine assists to move up that all-time list, 16 free-throws to take over #3, 12 three-pointers for sole possession of #4, and 54 rebounds to move onto that all-time list.
 
STILL THE MOST
Ashley Steffeck continues to rank #1 among all active NCAA basketball players in career steals. That includes men and women across NCAA Divisions I, II, and III. She now boasts 365 steals across the last five seasons. That's over 110 more than the leading active men's player in any division. It's also 27 more than the #2 women's player in DII, 31 better than the leading DI women's player, and 40 over the top DIII women's baller. Additionally, Steffeck ranks #2 among active players in NCAA Division II in career steals average at 3.04 per game across 120 games in her career. The Fort Collins, Colo., native needs 35 more swipes to move into NCAA Division II's top-25 all-time steals leaders. It should be noted that steals were not considered an official NCAA Division II category until the 1992-92 season.
 
SCOUTING COLORADO CHRISTIAN
At 8-4 overall and 4-2 in RMAC play, Colorado Christian is off to its best start to a season in nearly a decade. The last time CCU started a season 8-4, or better, Mines current assistant coach Taylor Flanagan (née Torres) was a senior guard for the Cougars. Despite the hot start, Colorado Christian is fresh off back-to-back losses. One was a 71-49 margin at the hands of Regis on Dec. 17. The Cougars also dropped an exhibition to the University of Denver by a score of 81-59. Prior to the losses, CCU had won four straight, taking down CSU Pueblo, Western Colorado, Chadron State, and UCCS. Before the surge, the Cougars had dropped a 74-73 loss to New Mexico Highlands. As a team, CCU is #10 in the nation in free-throw percentage and #16 in fewest fouls per game. Individually Maggie Hutka and Dasiya Jones are the players to watch. Hutka avarges 16.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Jones puts up 10.0 points and grabs 7.8 rebounds per game while handing out 1.8 assists per contest as well. Also notable are Nicole Bowlin's 3.8 assists per game.
 
OREDIGGERS AGAINST THE COUGARS
Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Christian have faced off in women's basketball 62 times. The Orediggers have won 39 of those meetings compared to 23 losses. They also boast an active, eight-game win streak against CCU. Last season, Mines earned a 75-62 win in Lakewood, Colo. In that game, the Orediggers scored zero field goals in the second quarter. At home, Mines escaped with a 70-69 win over the Cougars thanks to Josephine Howery's 16 points, five assists, two steals, and one block. Ashley Steffeck also chipped in six points, four steals, four assists, and two rebounds in the win. The Orediggers haven't lost to Colorado Christian since Feb. 11, 2017. Mines is 11-1 in its last 12 meetings with CCU.
 
TIES TO CCU
Existing in the Denver metro area isn't the only common thread between Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Christian. Mines Assistant Coach Taylor Flanagan also played for and graduated from CCU. Flanagan played for the Cougars as Taylor Torres from 2012-16. She earned Division II Bulletin All-America All-Freshman Team distinction and was named RMAC Freshman of the Year in 2013. She also added Second-Team All-RMAC and NCCAA All-Region in that same season. The 5-4 guard garnered Honorable Mention All-RMAC honors in 2014-15 as well. In her senior season, Flanagan averaged 9.5 points and 3.9 assists per game along with 2.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest. In her collegiate career, Flanagan helped the Cougars go 4-4 against the Orediggers.
 
200 WINS
Mines' win against St. Edward's on opening weekend gave Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson the 200th win of her career. It makes Simpson the only head coach in program history to reach the milestone. By default, it also makes her the fastest to 200 career wins in the history of Mines women's basketball. The milestone added to Simpson's impressive resume which saw her become the winningest coach in the history of Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball on Dec. 4, 2020, in a 68-53 win over South Dakota Mines inside Lockridge Arena. Simpson is now in her 12th season as skipper of the Orediggers.
 
BOSS LADY
Head Coach Brittany Simpson is in her 12th season leading the Mines women's basketball program. During her decade tenure, she has become the winningest coach in program history both in terms of total wins and win percentage at 209-115 (64.5). Simpson is responsible for all three of the program's RMAC titles including regular-season championships in 2015-16, 2020-21, and 2021-22. She has also led the Orediggers in four of their five trips to the NCAA tournament. Simpson is a three-time RMAC Coach of the Year who has guided 34 All-RMAC selections including 14 first-teamers, 11 second-teamers, one third-team selection and eight honorable mention performers. She has also coached one RMAC Player of the Year, two RMAC Defensive Players of the Year, and two RMAC Freshman of the Year award winners. Eight of Mines' 13 1,000-point scorers have surpassed the milestone under Simpson's watch. Last season, Ashley Steffeck became the first all-American in program history after earning Honorable Mention All-America status from the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association (WBCA).
 
UP NEXT
Mines will hit the halfway point of its season next weekend with a trip to CSU Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands. The Orediggers play in Pueblo on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and in New Mexico on Saturday at 5 p.m. Free live stats and video will be offered at www.minesathletics.com.
 
Fans can keep up with Mines women's basketball on "X" (formerly Twitter) and Instagram at @MinesWBB. They can also keep up with Colorado School of Mines Athletics all year long on Facebook, "X" and Instagram using the handle @MinesAthletics.