GUNNISON, Colo. – It was ugly sweater night in Paul Wright Gym for the Western Colorado University Women's Basketball game on Friday night. The action on the court was anything but ugly for the Mountaineers as they dominated play from the tip against Colorado School of Mines. Western earned its first conference victory with a convincing 64-36 win over the Orediggers.
 
Western (3-1, 1-1 RMAC) began the game with back-to-back three pointers from Samantha Coleman and never looked back. With 6:35 left to play in the first quarter, the Mountaineers had engineered a 10-0 lead.
 
Coleman led all players on Friday with 16 points, scoring eight in the first quarter and leading Western to a 14-8 advantage heading into the second quarter.
 
While the Mountaineer offense was clicking, the stingy Western defense was firing on all cylinders.
 
Western held Mines (3-4, 0-2 RMAC) to just 23.33 percent (7-of-30) shooting from the field in the first half. In the second half, the Mountaineer defense allowed just six Oredigger field goals. Mines managed to shoot just 18.7 percent (6-of-32) in the second half, as every shot was contested.
 
For the game, Western's defense forced 17 turnovers, allowed just six second-chance points and held a team that had averaged nearly 40 percent shooting from the field to a pedestrian 21 percent (13-of-62).
 
Mines' shooting percentage was the lowest by a Western opponent since the Mountaineers held Northern New Mexico College to 16.4 percent (9-of-55) in 2010.
 
Led by Western sophomore Jessie Erickson's career-high 12 boards, the Mountaineers outrebounded Mines 48-34.
 
Following a 10-point 31-21 lead at halftime, Western extended the lead to 26 points by outscoring the Orediggers 25-9 in the third.
 
Forward Katie Dalton notched 14 points, making 7-of-10 field goals. Dalton scored 12 of her 14 points in the third quarter.
 
Point guard Tammarrah Gothard recorded five rebounds, four assists and three steals to go along with her four points.
 
As a team, Western shot 45.3 percent (24-of-53) from the field.
 
The Mountaineers' 28-point margin of victory is the most since Western defeated New Mexico Highlands University by 32 points in the final game of the 2016-17 season.
 
Denali Pinto led the Orediggers in scoring with seven points.
 
The Mountaineers will look to continue their winning ways on Saturday against UCCS at 5 p.m. in Paul Wright Gym.