GOLDEN, Colo. – The Regis University women's basketball team fought hard in its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Tournament Quarterfinal game at Lockridge Arena on Tuesday but could not withstand a late surge by top-seeded No. 14 Colorado School of Mines and fell, 67-56.
 
How It Happened: Leading 54-50 with 2:55 left in the fourth quarter, sophomore guard Ashley Steffeck scored on a 3-pointer to augment the Orediggers' lead to 57-50. This lead was too much for the Rangers to overcome. 
 
Regis struck first on freshman guard Erin Fry's game-opening trey just 21 seconds into the contest for a swift 3-0 lead.
 
However, following a 4-3, tie-breaking free throw by senior forward Grace O'Neill at the 8:25 mark of the first quarter, junior guard Denali Pinto's jumper with 8:08 to play in the first quarter represented the game's first lead change and gave Colorado School of Mines a 5-4 advantage.
 
Two more ties followed before CSM grew its lead to as large as seven in the opening frame when Steffeck drained a 3-pointer to bring the Orediggers to a 17-10 lead. This occurred at the 2:27 mark of the first.
 
RU then awoke from its scoring drought and commandeered a 7-0 run that came to life on senior guard Tashika Burrell's jumper with 2:09 remaining in the first and ended after sophomore guard Morgan R. Smith hit a pair of free throws at the first quarter's 1:25 mark to knot the game at 17-17.
 
Following Pinto's pair of free throws to give Colorado School of Mines a brief two-point, 19-17 lead with 56 seconds to go in the first, Morgan R. Smith nailed a trey at the 2-second clock reading to give the Rangers a 20-19 advantage at the end of 10 minutes.
 
Sophomore forward Morgan L. Smith extended the lead, 22-19, on a layup 45 seconds into the second quarter.
 
The Regis lead expanded to four on senior guard Emma Sterkel's 3-pointer, which brought RU to a 25-21 advantage at the 6:54 mark of the second.
 
CSM responded by going on a 7-0 run. This came to fruition on another pair of free throws from Pinto with 6:02 left in the second and was concluded on redshirt junior forward Raven Herrera's free throw at the 2:55 mark of the second for a 28-25 lead.
 
The Rangers answered back with the half's final five points, all on account of Burrell, who first hit a jumper with 1:34 to play in the second and then made a 3-pointer at the 1:00 mark of the quarter. The latter basket sent Regis to a go-ahead, 30-28 advantage, which is where the score stood at the intermission.
 
Senior center Courtney Stanton tied the game, 30-30, only 39 seconds into the third frame.
 
Fry next gave the lead back to RU, 32-30, on a jumper at the 8:57 clock reading of the third.
 
This was the first of a back-and-forth battle that ensued for the majority of the third. This pattern ceased though when Herrera converted a jumper to tie the game at 40-40 with 1:29 remaining in the third to kick off a 6-0 run. Two free throws from Pinto closed the run at the 3-second mark while getting the Orediggers to a 44-40 advantage at the end of three quarters.
 
The Rangers received a much-needed spark to open the closing quarter when Fry succeeded in converting a three-point play with a jumper and free throw on a foul just 15 seconds into the fourth to cut the Regis deficit to a point, 44-43.
 
RU retook the lead, 45-44, when freshman guard Madison Diercks downed a pair of free throws at the 8:02 mark. She gave the Rangers back the lead again upon hitting a layup, 47-46, with 6:56 to go before the final buzzer. After Diercks missed the and-one free throw, senior forward Whitney Jacob eventually received the ball and hit a trey to give Regis a 50-46 lead at the 6:51 mark.
 
Unfortunately, Colorado School of Mines saved its biggest stretch of points for late, unloading with an 11-0 run. This one began on a Stanton layup with 6:36 left in regulation and stopped after a Steffeck 3-pointer at the 2:55 mark.
 
A 6-0 run succeeded that one for CSM, starting on a Pinto jumper with 1:50 to play in regulation and ending on a pair of free throws by Pinto at the 54-second mark. The latter points took the Orediggers to a 63-53 advantage.
 
RU's final points came from Jacob on a 3-pointer at the 40-second mark, trimming the Rangers' deficit to 63-56.
 
Two successful trips at the free-throw line for Pinto and junior guard/forward Sammy Van Sickle grew the advantage for Colorado School of Mines with 36 seconds and 30 seconds to go, respectively. Van Sickle's points allowed CSM to win with the eventual final score.
 
Game Notes: Fry had a share of the team-high 10 points to go along with one defensive rebound, a team-high three assists, and a steal. Burrell also had a share of the team-high 10 points and had three defensive rebounds and two assists. Jacob finished with eight points, a team-high nine rebounds (a game-high seven defensive), a share of the game-high two blocks, and one steal. Four Regis players had a share of the team-high one steal.
 
RU sank 20 of 52 (38.5 percent) from the paint, eight of 25 (32 percent) from the arc, and eight of 11 (72.7 percent) from the charity stripe. In comparison, the Orediggers turned in a 21-for-74 (28.4 percent) result from the field, a 4-for-18 (22.2 percent) showing from 3-point range, and a 21-for-29 (72.4 percent) outcome at the free-throw line.
 
Up Next for the Rangers: The Rangers fall to an 8-10 record overall. Regis will await to see if it qualified for the NCAA Division II West Regional Tournament in the days to come.