COLORADO MINES WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Game Notes - Week #11
vs. Fort Hays State, 2/14/03 - Golden, Colo., 6:00 pm
vs. Nebraska-Kearney, 2/15/03 - Golden, Colo., 6:00 pm

PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name Pos. PPG RPG APG FG%
20 Kristen Horkey G 7.1 1.7 1.4 .463
23 Karen Martin F 2.7 2.9 1.2 .338
30 Heather Hoops G 4.7 1.8 1.9 .291
32 Heather Angel F 8.9 6.1 1.8 .412
55 Ashley Gronewoller C 9.8 7.1 1.0 .556

OFF THE BENCH
No. Name Pos. PPG RPG APG FG%
15 Jessica Neumiller G 4.5 1.4 0.5 .375
22 Kim Kilmer G/F 3.0 1.9 0.9 .282
24 Katie Gaudutis G 7.4 0.9 1.6 .344
25 Bara Zhanasova C 3.3 2.6 0.4 .375
42 Gina Cornelio F 1.8 0.9 0.6 .333
45 Katie Cunio C 5.2 5.1 0.9 .469

THE HEAD COACH
Vic Doperalski is in his tenth season as the women’s basketball coach at Colorado School of Mines, and his 26th year overall as a basketball coach. During his nine years at the helm for the Orediggers, Doperalski has accumulated a 90-173 record, guiding the team to the five winningest seasons in CSM history. In 2001-02, Doperalski led CSM to an overall record of 16-11, including a 10-9 mark in the RMAC. In addition, he led Mines to 13 wins in 1999-2000 and 11 victories in 1998-99, 1994-95 and 1993-94.

LAST TIME OUT (2/8/03): Metro State outscored Colorado Mines, 41-28, in the second half in claiming a 65-50 win Saturday night in Volk Gymnasium. Metro, which led 24-22 at the half, opened an 11 point advantage (44-33) midway through the second stanza in earning the victory. Mines was led by freshman forward Heather Angel who scored 10 points and grabbed six boards, while sophomore guard Katie Gaudutis tallied nine points, including 3-of-3 from three-point range, and five rebounds.

MOANS AND GROANS: Those groans you hear at CSM women’s basketball games could be coming from opposing coaches when they realize that freshman center Ashley Gronewoller will have three years of eligibility left after this season. The 6-foot-3 Gronewoller leads the team in in several statistical categories, including scoring (10.0 ppg), rebounding (6.9 rpg), blocked shots (1.4 bpg, also 1st in the RMAC) and field goal percentage (.552). In a win over Colorado College on Jan. 25, Gronewoller produced a career-high 22 points and 10 boards. She has registered double-doubles in three of her last seven games and hit double figures in nine games this year.

AN ANGEL ON THE COURT: Gronewoller’s classmate, forward Heather Angel, has also been outstanding during her freshman year. She is second on the team in both scoring (9.1 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg) and is also tied for first in assists (1.8 apg). Angel has produced four double-doubles this season which ranks sixth in the RMAC. She just missed her fifth double-double with 12 points and nine boards Friday against Chadron.

K-MART: Forward Karen Martin, the lone senior on this year’s squad, has provided the team with experience and leadership this season. A co-captain, Martin is the lone player to start all 21 games for the Oredigger’s this year and is averaging 2.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per night.

HORK OFF THE HOOK: After playing just 39 minutes in eight games all of last season, sophomore guard Kristin Horkey has been a bright spot for Mines this season. A starter in 10-of-17 games, she is fourth on the team in scoring (7.1 ppg) and has led Mines in scoring on four occasions this season. Horkey has missed the last four games after sustaining an injury in a win over Colorado College on Jan. 25.

BIG BAD BARA: Junior center Bara Zahnasova will be glad to see the Lopers in town this weekend. In the first meeting between the two teams, an 88-68 win by UNK, Zahnasova scored a career-high 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor, and also amassed four rebounds and a block.

HOOP IT UP: Sophomore guard Heather Hoops has provided the team with solid all-around play from her point guard position this season. A starter in 19-of-21 games this season, Hoops is tied for the team lead with 37 assists and is averaging 5.0 points and 1.9 rebounds per game. In a victory over Colorado Christian on Jan. 21, Hoops scored 13 points, one off her career-high, and also grabbed four rebounds. Over her last five games, Hoops is averaging 7.6 points, 2.4 boards and 1.4 assists.

FOR STARTERS: Sophomore guard Kim Kilmer made her first two starts of the season over the weekend and responded will. The team’s top returning scorer from last year, Kilmer averaged 8.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in Mines’ two losses. Against Chadron, she tied her season high with 10 points and dished out a career-best five assists.

LET’S GET 70: The number 70 appears to be the good luck charm for the women’s basketball team. Since the 2000-01 season, Mines is 15-1 when it scores at least 70 points, including three victories this season. The last time CSM lost when it scored at least 70 points was on Feb. 21, 2001, a 92-76 setback at Fort Hays State. In three of its four wins this season, CSM has topped the 70-point barrier.

SCOUTING THIS WEEKS COMPETITION:
Fort Hays enters play this week at 15-5 overall and 9-4 in the RMAC following a road loss to Nebraska-Kearney (86-70) and a home win over Regis, 82-74, last week. Jamie Heiman led the way as she totaled 39 points and 15 rebounds in the two games. For the season, Heiman is eighth in the RMAC in scoring (14.3 ppg) and seventh in rebounding (7.4 rpg). Shanell Watson posts 9.5 points and 4.2 boards per night, while Katie Rhodes averages 9.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. As a team, the Tigers shoot 40 percent from the floor and 68 percent from the charity stipe. FHSU tallies 66.3 points per game and surrenders 59.5 per game.

Nebraska-Kearney enters play this week at 18-3 overall and 13-0 in the RMAC. Last week, the Lopers moved their win streak to 14 games with home wins over Fort Hays (86-70) and Regis (91-80). Heather Steffen posted 43 points and 16 rebounds in the two wins. For the season, UNK is led by Allison Krueger who is third in the RMAC in scoring (17.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.5 rpg). Kalee Modlin is sixth in the league in scoring at 15.4 points per game, while Steffen is fourth in the RMAC in rebounding (8.0 rpg). As a team, the Lopers rank first in the RMAC in field goal (.489) and free throw (.758) percentage. UNK also leads the conference in scoring offense at 81.8 points per game, while giving up 65.7 points per night.