GUNNISON – The Colorado School of Mines women's basketball team showed little signs of rust from the holiday layover as the Orediggers opened the 2013 portion of their slate with a 66-53 road win over Western State at the Paul Wright Gym in Gunnison.
The fourth straight win for Mines – longest since seven in a row in February of 2010 – equaled the team's best start in RMAC play over the past decade at 5-1 (2004-05, 2009-10). The Orediggers moved to a season-best four games above .500 at 8-4 overall and 5-2 away from home, while the Mountaineers suffered their third consecutive setback, falling to 1-10 overall and 1-6 in the conference.
Sophomore Taylor Helbig sustained her momentum from December when she averaged 19.5 points per game in four contests with the first six points Friday, including a four-point play as she was fouled on her successful three-point attempt and sank the ensuing free throw.
Aided by Helbig's hot start, Mines jumped out to an 8-0 lead just 1:38 into the game and scored 16 of the first 20 points for its largest lead of the half at 16-4 at the 13:31 mark.
WSCU pulled within 36-28 at the half and closed to 37-30 less than two minutes into the second, yet it was all Orediggers the rest of the way as the women stretched their advantage to the largest of the evening at 52-32 with 12:48 to play and led by no less than nine down the stretch en route to the wire-to-wire victory.
Nine players made it into the scoring column for Mines, including four starters for the second time this season. Helbig led the balanced attack with 12 points, her sixth straight outing in double figures, while senior Angie Charchalis and junior Courtney Gallo finished with 11 and junior Tory Langas collected her second double-double with 10 points and a career-best 13 rebounds.
Freshman Courtney Martin paced the bench with eight points on 4-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes of work.
Allie Grazulis, the No. 2 rebounder in the RMAC entering the night, joined her classmate with double digit boards with 11, her fifth game of 10 or more and third straight, as the Orediggers outrebounded the Mountaineers 51-to-36, including 21 on the offensive glass resulting in a 22-to-6 margin in second chance points.
Mines also converted 18 WSCU turnovers in 28 points.
Jade McIntosh led the Mountaineers with a double-double of 14 points and 11 boards and Natalie Markovich added 13.
The women conclude their trip to the western half of the state tomorrow in Grand Junction with a 5:30 p.m. clash at RMAC leader and USA Today Sports/WBCA Division II No. 13 Colorado Mesa.
