COLORADO MINES WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Game Notes - Week #5
vs. St. Cloud State, 12/31/02, Golden, Colo., 3:00 pm
at Mesa State, 1/3/03, Grand Junction, Colo., 6:00 pm

PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name Pos. PPG RPG APG FG%
23 Karen Martin F 2.4 3.9 1.1 .276
24 Katie Gaudutis G 9.5 1.1 1.5 .422
30 Heather Hoops G 2.9 2.0 2.0 .190
32 Heather Angel F 7.9 6.4 1.6 .365
55 Ashley Gronewoller C 7.5 6.5 0.8 .525

OFF THE BENCH
No. Name Pos. PPG RPG APG FG%
15 Jessica Neumiller G 4.1 1.9 0.6 .393
20 Kristen Horkey G/F 5.9 2.0 1.1 .548
22 Kim Kilmer G/F 2.0 2.0 0.5 .174
25 Bara Zhanasova C 2.3 2.0 0.2 .227
33 Cathy Sauter F 2.7 1.3 0.3 .333
42 Gina Cornelio F 0.0 1.0 0.7 .000
45 Katie Cunio C 7.4 6.0 0.4 .511

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 an 87-163 record, guiding the team to the three winningest seasons in CSM history. Last season, Doperalski led CSM to an overall record of 16-11, including a 10-9 mark in the RMAC. In addition, the Orediggers racked up 11 wins in both the 1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons.

LAST TIME OUT: The Colorado School of Mines women’s basketball fell to 1-7 overall and 0-2 in the conference with a 54-50 setback to CU-Colorado Springs in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference basketball action on Saturday night in Volk Gymnasium. CSM claimed an 18-11 lead with eight minutes to play in the first half, but the Mountain Lions used a 9-3 run to close the half down by just one point (21-20). UCCS then opened the second half on a 20-11 run to claim its largest lead of the contest with eight minutes to play (42-30). CSM cut the deficit to three points on one occasion, but would get no closer the rest of the game. The Orediggers were led by sophomore guard Katie Gaudutis who was a perfect 6-of-6 from the field for 13 points. Junior center Katie Cunio added 11 points and nine boards, while freshman center Ashley Gronewoller registered six points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

LONG BREAK: Following Saturday’s loss to UCCS, the Orediggers will be out of competitive action for 17 days. Their next game will not be until Dec. 31 when they host St. Cloud State at 3:00 pm.

WINDEX WASHER: CSM freshman center Ashley Gronewoller cleaned up on the glass over the weekend as she grabbed a total of 27 boards in CSM’s two games. Gronewoller tallied a career-high 14 rebounds in the loss to Western State and the came back to snatch 13 rebounds the following night.

HORK OFF THE HOOK: Sophomore guard Kristen Horkey has been off the hook over her last three contests. During those games, she has averaged 11.7 points per game while shooting 62 percent from the floor (13-21). Horkey, who made her first career start against UCCS, has also averaged 3.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 steals over the last three games.

STINGY “D”: Despite its 1-7 record, Mines has provided its opposition with solid defense this season. Through eight games, the Orediggers are ranked fourth in the RMAC surrendering just 60.1 points per game. In addition, Mines has held seven of its eight opponents under 65 points this season. CSM is also ranked fourth in the league in field goal defense as they allow teams to shoot just 37 percent.

HOOP IT UP: Sophomore guard Heather Hoops has started all eight games this season and is second on the team as she is averaging 25.9 minutes per game. For the season, Hoops is averaging 2.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per night. She also leads the team with 16 assists.

WE MEET AGAIN: CSM and Mesa State will meet for the second time this season on Jan. 3. In the first meeting, Mesa came away with a 63-56 victory. CSM claimed its largest lead of the game (18-12) midway through the first half, but the Mavericks ended the half on a 14-7 run to take a 26-25 lead at the intermission. Mesa took a 36-31 lead five minutes into the second half, however, the Orediggers responded with a 5-0 run to knot the game at 36-36 with just under 13 minutes to play. From there, the Mavericks would outscore CSM 16-7 over the next seven minutes to take their largest lead of the game (52-43) with five minutes to play. The Orediggers mounted one more charge as they went on a 10-2 run over the next three minutes to cut their deficit to one point (54-53) with two minutes to play. However, Mesa hit all seven of its free throws down the stretch to seal the win. Mines was led by freshman center Ashley Gronewoller who tallied 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while freshman forward Heather Angel added 11 points and five assists.

LET’S GET 70: The number 70 appears to be the good luck charm for the women’s basketball team. Over the last two seasons, Mines is 13-1 when it scores at least 70 points. A 70-49 victory over Lynn on Nov. 30 has been the only time CSM has hit the 70 point barrier 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.

SCOUTING THIS WEEKS COMPETITION: St. Cloud State enters play this week 4-6 overall and on a two game winning streak. St. Cloud has not been in action since defeating Bemidji State, 71-67, on Dec. 20. For the season, the Huskies are led by Kristine DeGoot who is the only player on the squad averaging double figures at 11.4 points per game and also leads the team in rebounding at 5.3 boards per contest. As a team, St. Cloud State is shooting 45 percent from the floor.

Mesa State enters play at 6-3 overall and 0-2 in the RMAC. The Mavericks have not been in action since a 75-47 setback at Division I Wyoming on Dec. 17. For the season, MSC is led by Natalie Rogers who is averaging team-highs in points (17.2) and rebounds (8.2). Erin Packer chips in with 11.7 points and 4.0 boards per contest, while Danielle Porreco is averaging 8.4 points and 3.3 assists per night.