GOLDEN, Colo. – True freshman Denali Pinto led the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team to its fifth straight win Saturday, scoring 22 points in Mines' 67-55 victory over Black Hills State inside Lockridge Arena.
 
Pinto not only led all scorers, but recorded the first double-double of her career. She led all players with 10 rebounds to go along with her 22 points. Pinto also added an assist while going a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Senior Nicole Archambeau joined Pinto in double digits with 13 points while dishing out two assists and grabbing five rebounds. Sammy Van Sickle turned in a solid evening with eight points and eight rebounds. Four different Orediggers dished out two assists each and Archambeau teamed up with Raven Herrera for a total of four steals.
 
Mines (10-6, 7-4 RMAC) shot nearly 46 percent from the field and 70 percent from the free-throw line while outrebounding Black Hills State (10-5, 6-5 RMAC) by a margin of 41-30. The victory moves the Orediggers into a tie for fourth place in the RMAC standings. CSU-Pueblo is also 7-4 in league play after narrowly escaping Chadron State Saturday night, 68-67.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Black Hills State rolled into Lockridge Arena fresh off a win at UCCS and also as the coaches' preseason favorite to win the RMAC regular season title. However, Mines left no doubt who the better team was Saturday evening as the Orediggers recorded the wire-to-wire victory in dominant fashion.
 
Mines set the tone early as Archambeau scored the first bucket of the game 57 seconds into the opening period. Then, as has become somewhat common, Pinto took over. The Boulder, Colo., native went off for nine points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field including one three-pointer while going 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Pinto contributed five points to Mines' 9-0 run to start the game and Heidi Hammond capped off the opening period with a three-point basket to give the Orediggers a 21-13 advantage.
 
Black Hills State righted the ship over the next two periods as it matched Mines' 14 points in the second quarter and outscored the Orediggers 12-9 in the third quarter. However, the home team would not disappoint in the final 10 minutes.
 
Both teams opened the fourth quarter by exchanging baskets from long range, but Mines maintained its advantage with a 7-0 run sparked by a fast-break jumper from Archambeau. The Yellow Jackets attempted to stage a comeback, but Anna Kollmorgen stepped in with her first points of the game and closed it out with six total in the final period. The Orediggers would finish the game having never trailed or tied and leading for 39 of 40 minutes.
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is 5-5 in the all-time series against Black Hills State
- The Orediggers have now won two straight over the Yellow Jackets.
- Saturday marked Mines' fourth straight double-digit win and its eighth of the season.
- Pinto's double-double is the Orediggers' seventh of the season. Archambeau has two and Herrera four.
- Pinto has accounted for 91 of Mines' points over its five-game win streak. She has led the Orediggers' scoring efforts in eight games as a true freshman.
- Kollmorgen surpassed 800 points for her career in Mines' win over Black Hills State. She now has 802 over 103 games with 593 rebounds and 294 assists.
- The Orediggers' five-game winning streak is its longest since winning 13 straight in the 2015-16 season when Mines won the RMAC Regular Season Championship.
- Mines is just one game out of third place in the RMAC standings with Western Colorado sitting at 8-3.
- Head coach Brittany Simpson is 105-83 in seven years at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Mines heads to MSU Denver and Chadron State Jan. 25-26. Live stats and video of the 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.