GOLDEN, Colo. – The Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team put together a dominant 93-48 victory over Chadron State on Saturday night inside Lockridge Arena as the Orediggers extended their winning streak to four straight games.
 
Liz Holter led all players with 26 points on 11-13 shooting from the floor including 3-4 from behind the three-point line. Holter also grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists. Denali Pinto added 17 points in just 22 minutes of action while notching three steals and pulling down six rebounds. Ashley Steffeck and Courtney Stanton combined for 20 points. Once again, Sammy Van Sickle was a defensive force to be reckoned with. She had nine rebounds, two blocks and added two steals. She also topped everyone with six assists over 25 minutes. Megan Van de Graaf also grabbed nine rebounds and nearly had a double-double with eight points. In just three minutes off the bench, Shelby Nichols went for five points, three rebounds and one assist.
 
The Orediggers (12-6, 9-4 RMAC) proved efficient on offense and tenacious on defense thanks to 51-percent shooting and 13 steals. Mines also shot 58 percent from three-point range and forced 16 turnovers by Chadron State (5-17, 3-10 RMAC). The Eagles did force 14 home-team but suffered from a mark of 29.6-percent from the field including 21 percent from long range. Mines held its opponent to just 10 points in the paint, nine points off turnovers and five points off second chances. The victory keeps the Orediggers tied for #4 in the RMAC standings. Additionally, losses for Colorado Mesa and Western Colorado put Mines within three games of first place, two games of second place and just one game out of third.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Another gorgeous day in Golden, Colo., led to an impressive Oredigger victory over Chadron State as Mines led from start to finish inside Lockridge Arena. As nearly 300 fans filed into the Student Recreation Center, Holter started the action with a layup and Steffeck added a three-point basket for an early 5-0 lead. Mines would never look back thanks to 10 first-quarter points from Holter and five rebounds from Van Sickle. After 10 minutes of action, the Orediggers held a 28-6 lead.
 
The second period showcased Chadron State's best effort of the night as the visitors scored 16 compared to 19 by the home team. However, Pinto's seven points in the second quarter alone kept CSCS at bay. At the half, Mines held a 47-22 advantage on its home court. That only led to more production by the Orediggers as Stanton poured in eight third-quarter points. Holter then reclaimed the scoring torch and exploded for nine more points in the final period as Mines built its lead all the way to 93-48 in the final 20 seconds. It was Nichols scoring the last bucket of the game on a fast-break layup to give the Orediggers' their biggest lead of the night.
 
COACH'S COMMENT
"Tonight was a fun team win," said Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson. "I was really excited to see how well we played as a team."
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is now 29-34 in the all-time series against Chadron State, but boast two straight wins and a mark of 8-2 over the last 10 meetings. The 45-point win isalso the largest margin of victory ever over CSC.
- Saturday marks the first time the Orediggers have broken the 90-point plateau since Jan. 28, 2017 when they also scored 93 against Adams State.
- The most points Mines has ever scored in a game was 98 on Nov. 15, 2005 against Johnson & Wales.
- Saturday also marks the Orediggers' largest margin of victory this season.
- Holter's 26 points against Chadron State are a career high for the junior.
- Van Sickle's six assists mark a career best for the sophomore from Arvada. She also dished out five assists on Friday night against MSU Denver.
- Stanton moved over 200 points for the season in Saturday's victory.
- Mines out-rebounded Chadron State by a margin of 49-27.
- Pinto continues to lead the RMAC in total points and points per game with 356 over 18 games.
- Holter shot 84 percent from the floor and 75 percent from three-point range. on Saturday night against Chadron State.
- With 121 made free throws, Pinto now ranks #2 in Mines' record book for free throws made in a season. The program record is 156 set by Brecca Gaffney in the 2010-11 season.
- In just three appearances and 10 minutes of action as a true freshman, Nichols boasts nine points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal while shooting 80 percent overall and 100 percent from long range.
- For the third time in 2019-20, every active player on Mines' roster appeared in the game.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is 125-94 in eight years at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers continue their four-game home stand next weekend with CSU-Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands coming to Lockridge Arena. 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. Fans can also follow Mines Volleyball on Twitter using the handle @MinesVolleyball.