ST. GEORGE, Utah – The Colorado School of Mines Women's Basketball team came just short of a comeback victory on Saturday night in a 77-72 loss to Dixie State inside Burns Arena.
 
Courtney Stanton and Denali Pinto led the charge after the Orediggers trailed by as many as 13 points. Pinto registered 26 points on seven field goals and 11 free-throws. She also added six reoubnds, two steals, two assists and one block. Stanton dropped 23 points while shooting 50 percent from the field and grabbing four rebounds, one block and one steal. Sammy Van Sickle was tops on the team with eight rebounds. Ashley Steffeck dominated defensively as she led all players with three steals and two blocks. She led Mines with three assists as well.
 
The Orediggers (7-5, 4-3 RMAC) only shot 33 percent as a team, but forced 18 turnovers to stay in the game. Dixie State offset its turnovers with 51-percent shooting from the floor including 52 percent from long range. The Trailblazers finished the game with 11 three-pointers while Mines only managed four. With the loss, the Orediggers see their four-game winning streak snapped. The win for DSU keeps the Trailblazers tied with Mines for sixth place in the RMAC standings.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mines rolled into St. George fresh off a huge upset of a nationally-ranked opponent, but also rolling into day three over 500 miles from home. The early going saw the results of life on the orad as the Orediggers started 0-7 from the field. Dixie State took advantage of that and its home court to shoot 71 percent into the first media timeout for a 14-5 lead. All five of Mines' early points came off the hand of Stanton while Van Sickle pulled down four rebounds in the first five minutes. Stanton pushed her way to nine points by the end of the first quarter. Two Grant free throws stopped DSU's 9-2 run, and made it 23-13 at the break.
 
Stanton stayed hot to start the second quarter. She put Mines in the frame's scoring column first as part of 18 first-half points including nine more in the second period. However, the Trailblazers continued shooting nearly 60 percent from the field and over 50 percent from three-point range. That pushed the home team's lead out to 13 points. After the second quarter's media timeout, Pinto sparked a 6-0 run for Mines that pulled the visitors within seven points. The trio of Pinto, Holter and Stanton followed that up with an 8-1 run over the final three minutes of the period. At the halftime buzzer, the Orediggers had cut their deficit to 38-35.
 
Coming out of the break, both teams started exchanging blows like two heavyweights in a title fight. Dixie State matched Pinto's early layup with one of its own. Stanton's jumper led to a DSU three-pointer. Pinto then sank a pair of free throws at the 7:46 mark which dropped both teams into a scoring drought that lasted over three minutes. In fact, Mines held Dixie State scoreless more than four minutes of the third quarter. The Trailblazers returned the favor and kept the Orediggers off the board for four minutes and 25 seconds. Pinto snapped the slump with a pair of free throws to keep Mines within two points at 45-43. Then, with 2:46 to play in the third quarter, Pinto drained a three-point basket and gave the Orediggers their first lead of the game, 46-45. It marked Mines' first three-point basket of the entire contest. The quarter closed out with the Orediggers and Trailblazers combining for five three-pointers over the final three minutes, making it 52-52 heading into the fourth quarter.
 
With 10 minutes to play and the score tied, Pinto took full control of the game. The sophomore from Boulder, Colo., dropped eight points in the first 90 seconds to give Mines a 60-55 advantage. Six of those points came off and-one opportunities. But Dixie State was not done yet. The home team exploded for an 11-2 run spanning over three minutes of action to retake the lead, 66-64. Single free throws from Stanton and Pinto tied the game at 66-66. Dixie State used its 11th three-point basket of the game to spark a 5-0 run and take a 71-67 lead. Van Sickle and Steffeck added five more points to Mines' total. However, Dixie State converted six free throws in the final minute to seal the win.
 
COACH'S COMMENT
"Dixie State shot really well tonight, and I thought our execution down the stretch was poor," said Mines Head Coach Brittany Simpson. "Their kids really showed up to play today."
 
NOTABLES
- Mines is 1-1 in the all-time series against Dixie State.
- Stanton's 23 points matches the junior's career high. She also scored 23 against Colorado Mesa earlier this season.
- Pinto surpassed 600 points for her career on Saturday night. She finished the trip to Utah averaging 28 points and four rebounds per game.
- Pinto also moved over 200 points for the 2019-20 season. She now leads the RMAC in scoring with 18.9 points per game.
- Saturday's game at Dixie State featured five ties and six lead changes, despite DSU leading the entire first half.
- Steffeck now boasts three games with multiple blocks as a true freshman. She also leads Mines on the year with 1.3 steals per game.
- The Orediggers had just nine turnovers at Dixie State, marking the fewest in a single game this season.
- Mines has scored over 70 points in three of its last four games.
- Head Coach Brittany Simpson is 120-93 in eight years at the helm.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Orediggers return to Golden for games against Adams State and Fort Lewis on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11 inside 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.