DENVER – Sophomore guard Denali Pinto dropped 14 fourth-quarter points for the Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team on Saturday afternoon in a 75-68, comeback victory at Regis.
 
Pinto finished the game with 20 points thanks to 12-13 shooting at the free-throw line. She also grabbed eight rebounds and dished out five assists in the win. Courtney Stanton came up big as well. She led all Orediggers with 22 points, going 8-13 from the floor at 6-6 at the charity stripe. Heidi Hammond and Sammy Van Sickle combined to score 22 points and make it a trio of Orediggers in double figures. Defensively, Van Sickle notched one block and racked up four steals with eight rebounds.
 
Mines (5-4, 2-2 RMAC) used 36 points in the paint to fuel its comeback. As a team, the Orediggers shot 42 percent from the floor and out-rebounded Regis (3-7, 1-3 RMAC) by a margin of 42-33. The Rangers out-shot Mines from long range and at the free-throw line while racking up 21 points off turnovers. However, 15 offensive rebounds for the Orediggers compared to 10 for RU proved to be the difference. The victory gives Mines back-to-back wins in RMAC play and marks the Orediggers' highest offensive output of the season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
For the fourth time in seven days, Colorado School of Mines invaded Regis Fieldhouse. While the previous three visits were for the NCAA Volleyball Tournament, Saturday brought fans looking for squeaky shoes on shiny hardwood with blocks, three-pointers, steals and layups. In the end, fans in attendance received as much as excitement as they could handle.
 
Regis controlled the early going, building a 10-point lead in the opening quarter. However, Mines used an 11-2 run to keep it close after 10 minutes of action. Hammond sparked the surge with a three-point bucket from the corner. McKale Grant continued the run with a layup. Stanton and Pinto contributed scoring as well. Van Sickle capped it all with a half-court shot at the buzzer to cut RU's advantage to 16-15.
 
A hard-fought second quarter featured six ties and two lead changes. But Mines' advantages were short lived, adding up to just two minutes and five seconds with the lead. Regis used four three-pointers in the second period to keep the visitors at bay. At halftime, RU retained a 32-30 advantage. That rolled into a 45-37, Regis lead midway through the third frame and a 52-45 margin with 10 minutes left to play. However, Stanton did all she could to keep Mines in the game. She played eight minutes in the third quarter and scored 12 points on 4-5 shooting from the floor with a 4-4 mark at the charity stripe. Stanton's efforts sent the Orediggers into the final period with some fire and some hope.
 
In the fourth quarter, Pinto took over the game. She started her 14-point outburst 44 seconds into the period with a pair of free throws. That made the score 53-47 in favor of Regis. The sophomore drained two more free throws with 5:56 remaining and pulled Mines within one, 55-54. With Regis back out to a 60-56 advantage, Pinto scored six points in an 8-0 Oredigger run to give Mines its first lead since the second quarter, 64-60. While Pinto led the comeback, Hammond virtually finished it with another three-point basket from the corner to make it 67-63 thanks to an assist from Pinto. Down the stretch, Mines did not miss from the floor or the free-throw line. Stanton and Pinto teamed up for eight more points in the final minute, making the final tally 75-68.

COACH'S COMMENT
"I am very proud of our group and how they battled today," said Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson. "Our fourth quarter was pretty phenomenal."

NOTABLES
- Mines boasts three straight wins in the all-time series against Regis, sitting 25-53 since the first matchup in 1978.
- Saturday marked the Orediggers' first single-digit victory of the season.
- In the 2019-20 season, Pinto touts five games with at least 20 points.
- Pinto's five assists at Regis match her career best, previously set at CCU last season.
- Stanton notched the second 20-point game of her career.
- Van Sickle's four steals match the sophomore's career high. She played all 40 minutes in Saturday's victory at Regis and boasts nine blocks in nine games.
- All eight Orediggers' to play at Regis tallied at least one field goal.
- Mines only led Saturday's game for 4:57 out of 40 available minutes including the last 2:52 of the contest.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is 118-92 in eight years at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers close out the decade hosting UCCS on Dec. 21 at 5:30 p.m. inside Lockridge Arena. Live stats and video of the game 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. Fans can also follow Mines Volleyball on Twitter using the handle @MinesVolleyball.