GOLDEN, Colo. – Chadron State found itself on the wrong end of a 40-point night from Colorado School of Mines's Jenna Siebert as the Orediggers defeated the Eagles 87-47 on Saturday afternoon in Golden, Colorado. 

Liberty Line scored a team-high 12 points for Chadron State while Ashayla Powers added 10 as 11 different Chadron State players had at least one basket, but Siebert took over the game, shooting 17 of 29 from the field, making 6 of 11 threes and putting up 40 points in just 28 minutes played and without a single free throw attempt. 

The loss makes it a 1-1 week for the Chadron State women, who are now 5-17 overall and 4-12 in RMAC play. Colorado School of Mines improved to 10-14 overall and 8-8 in the RMAC as the Orediggers retained their hold on the eighth and final RMAC Tournament spot as things stand.

Colorado School of Mines didn't leave the game in doubt for long. The home team took a 21-8 lead after one quarter of play as Chadron State shot just 30 percent from the field, 1 of 7 from three and 1 of 6 from the line in the opening period. 

After Peyton Freiermuth made a layup to give Mines an 11-point lead at 19-8 with 1:15 to go in the first quarter, Mines led by double digits for the rest of the game. 

Chadron State's shooting did improve after the slow start, as the Eagles finished 38 percent from the field, 32 percent from deep (8-25) and 59 percent from the line (13-22), but the Orediggers offense continued to execute at a high level and didn't let the Eagles back in the game. 

The Orediggers shot 45.7 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from distance (7-17) and sunk 16 of their 19 free throws.
 
Siebert, who entered the game as the RMAC's third-leading scorer, became just the fourth opponent in Chadron State history to score 40 or more against the Eagles. Siebert joins an exclusive club of Western Colorado's Shannon Smart (41 in 1992-93), Mount Marty's Ann Devoy (40 in 1976-77) and Colorado Mesa's Sharaya Selsor (40 in 2013-14). 

Mines finished with a 36-16 advantage in points in the paint, but Chadron State had a healthy lead in bench points, with 42 compared to the Orediggers' 16. Allison Richards, Malorie Byrne, Olivia Waufle and Camren Morris all tallied a block for the Eagles during Saturday's action. 

Chadron State will have the second half of their four-game road trip next weekend against Western Colorado and Westminster, starting with a Thursday night tip in Gunnison, Colorado set for 5:30 p.m.

Chadron State— Liberty Line 12, Ashayla Powers 10, Jordyn Stokes 6, Olivia Waufle 5, Kyra Tanabe 5, Bati Assefa 5, Megan Counts 4, Allison Richards 3, Kylie Krise 3, Camren Morris 2, McKenzi Petersen 2. Totals: 18-47 FG, 8-25 3PT, 13-22 FT. 57 points, 28 rebounds, 15 assists, 20 turnovers.

Colorado School of Mines— Jenna Siebert 40, Audrey Beaty 12, Peyton Freiermuth 10, Josephine Howery 7, Jade Leon 6, Isa Hensley 6, Jessica Rios 4, Emma Sixta 2. Totals: 32-70 FG, 7-17 3PT, 16-19 FT. 87 points, 42 rebounds, 12 assists, 12 turnovers.

Eagles Can't Keep Pace With Top-10 Orediggers

GOLDEN, Colo. – The No. 8-ranked Colorado School of Mines men's basketball team put together a pair of major runs, one in each half, that spelled the much of the difference while defeating Chadron State 104-77 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action played in Golden on Saturday afternoon.

Jalen Thomas paced the Eagles with 18 points by making 5 of 7 field goal shots and all eight of his free throws. Zy Wright was next with 16 points, including 3-for-6 on three-pointers, while Julio Phipps added 12 and Trey Ballard 10. 

The Eagles are now 12-12 overall and 8-8 in the RMAC after the loss. Chadron State is currently in the eighth and final RMAC Tournament position, with a two-game lead over Westminster and Colorado Christian. Mines is now 21-3 overall and 15-1 in RMAC play to top the standings, meaning that if the season ended today, CSC and Mines would play again in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinals. 

The Eagles got off to a good start, hitting their first shot and leading the opening four-plus minutes before Mines tied the score at 11-11. After the teams exchanged layups that made it 13-13, the Orediggers launched their first major surge—a 17-3 run that put them ahead 30-16 with eight-and-a-half minutes left in the half.

Chadron State didn't give up. The Eagles cut the difference to six points at 41-35 with three minutes remaining in the first half after their leading scorer, Jalen Thomas, sank four consecutive free throws.

Although Mines led 48-40 at halftime and added a pair of free throws to open the second half, the Eagles' Zy Wright promptly nailed a pair of 3-pointers that cut the margin to only four points. Each team netted two points on its ensuing possession, making the score 52-48.

That's when the Orediggers found their second big swing. The Eagles turned the ball over four times and missed a pair of 3-point shots in a four-minute span, allowing Mines to put together a 14-0 burst and go ahead 66-48. The hosts led by at least 20 points for the final 11 minutes. 

Known for its outstanding depth this season, Mines had 10 players score at least five points. Senior Majok Deng, who poured in 42 points against the Eagles in Chadron last year, tallied 22 in this game and was the game's top scorer.  Alex Romack was next with 18 points and was the game's top rebounder with eight. Three more Miners—Reagan Koch, Cade Mankle and Riley Schroeder—all added 11 points.

Mines made 19 field goals in each half while shooting 55 percent from the field and was 12 of 32 from behind the arc. The Eagles were 26-of-56 from the field for 44.4 percent and went 9 of 27 from long range. Both teams were 16-19 at the free throw line. The Orediggers won the rebounding battle 35-30 and had just six turnovers compared to the Eagles' 17.

Chadron State—Jalen Thomas 18, Zy Wright 16, Julio Phipps 12, Trey Ballard 10, Darrius Miles 9, Dalton Peterson 6, John Jenkins 5, Jasiya DeOllos 1. Totals: 26-56 FG (9-27 3PT) 16-19 FT. 77 points, 30 rebounds, 11 assists, 17 turnovers.

Colorado School of Mines—Majok Deng 22, Alex Romak 14, Cade Mankle 11, Riley Schroeder 11, Reagan Koch 11, Juani Dassie 9, Markus Postoric-Straun 8, Adam Krasovec 7, Derek Lamb 6, Caleb Clark 5. Totals: 38-69 FG (12-23 3PT) 16-19 FT. 104 points, 35 rebounds, 18 assists, 6 turnovers.