Paxton Ritchey-CSC Sports Information
CHADRON, Neb. – In a game where neither team shot better than 30 percent from the field, Jenna Siebert’s 23 points on 25 field goal attempts were the difference for the visiting Colorado School of Mines Orediggers, who defeated Chadron State 55-45 in an RMAC women’s basketball game at the Chicoine Center Thursday.
The loss drops the Eagles to 2-9 overall and 1-4 in the RMAC. Mines improved to 4-9 overall and 2-3 in conference play.
Kyra Tanabe (13 points) and Allison Richards (11) scored in double figures for Chadron State, with Richards returning to the rotation after a two-game absence. Tanabe shot 4-for-13 from the field, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists. Ashayla Powers had a team-high nine rebounds to go with seven points.
The Eagles shot 25.4 percent from the field, making 15 of 59 field goal attempts. They were only 15.8 percent from three (3-19) but continued to excel from the free-throw line, hitting 92.3 of shots from the stripe (12-13). The Eagles are hitting 80 percent of their free throws as a team this season, third-best in the RMAC.
Despite the low percentages for CSC, the Eagles defense forced the Orediggers into a tough shooting night as well. The visitors were 27.3 percent from the field, 16.7 percent from three and only 63 percent (17-27) from the line.
The difference came with Colorado School of Mines outrebounding CSC 52-45, including 18 offensive rebounds that consistently gave the Orediggers extra possessions. Chadron State also committed 15 turnovers, the Orediggers had just 10.
Colorado School of Mines took an early lead by margins of 6-0 and 9-3, but the Eagles used a 7-0 scoring run with four points from Jordyn Stokes and a three from Allison Richards to take a 10-9 lead after one quarter of play.
The Eagles led for much of the second quarter as both teams struggled to score. Back-to-back jumpers from Olivia Waufle and Tanabe gave CSC its largest lead at 14-10, but Mines took a 17-16 lead on a Peyton Freiermuth jumper with 2:10 to go in the first half and led 19-17 at halftime.
The teams traded baskets early in the third, with an Allison Richards three-point play making it 23-22, Orediggers. But Mines found a run, outscoring CSC 11-2 over the next five minutes of game time to separate and build the first double digit lead for either team.
CSC closed the third quarter on a 6-2 run, but Mines maintained the lead throughout the fourth quarter. It was a two-point game at 47-45 with a minute to play, but Siebert had a layup and Mines scored six points from the free-throw line in the game’s final 19 seconds for a deceptively large final margin of victory.
Chadron State will remain at home this Saturday against Regis (5-7, 3-2 RMAC). The Rangers lost 79-55 to Black Hills State on Thursday and have dropped their last three.