GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado vaulted to the lead with a 19-0 first quarter run and late added another 19-0 string during a dominating 81-50 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's basketball victory Saturday in Paul Wright Gym.

The win was the Mountaineers' season-best sixth straight victory and swept the season series against the Hardrockers.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. S.D. Mines, 81-50
Records: Western 19-6 overall (14-4 RMAC), SDM 6-19 (6-12)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• South Dakota Mines scored the first basket of the game and moments later led 4-2 with a basket at the 8:41 mark of the opening quarter. That would be the Hardrockers' final points of the frame, though, as Western reeled off 19 unanswered points.
• Rachel Cockman tied it up with a short jumper from in the paint and Western was off and running.
• Free throws from Ivey Schmidt gave the Mountaineers their first lead, followed by a layup by Cockman to double up the visitors.
• Schmidt, on her way to a game-high 21 points and a perfect 12-for-12 afternoon from the charity stripe, added another pair from the line that continued the string. By the time Natalie Jojola hit a driving, buzzer-beating layup at the end of the quarter, the Mountaineer lead had grown to 21-4.
• South Dakota Mines dropped in a 3-pointer early in the second quarter to end the string, but not quite five minutes later Western would embark on a game-sealing 19-0 run.
• The Hardrockers hit a trey at the 5:17 mark of the frame only to have Schmidt's long-range answer from the top of the arc steal back momentum.
• Western held SDM scoreless over the remaining minutes of the quarter while scoring 14 more unanswered points.
• Jayda Maves drained a 3-pointer from the left corner to start the third quarter and extend the streak to the Mountaineers' second 19-0 run of the game.
• The score was 66-26 on a Penelope Urquhart triple at the 3:07 mark of the third, Western's largest lead of the game. The Hardrockers hit a couple of 3-pointers over the remaining minutes of the game, but the Mountaineers' long unanswered scoring streak were keys to the win.

COURT NOTES

• Western continued its league-leading rebounding efforts, averaging seven more than its season average and two better than its average rebounding margin, ending the game with a 47-36 advantage off the glass.
• Getting to the free throw line played a big part in the victory. The Mountaineers hit 23 of 25 attempts from the line while not allowing the Hardrockers to earn an attempt across first-half action and limiting them to just a 4-for-4 afternoon at the stripe.
• Along with Schmidt's 21 points, three others reached double digits. Cockman, Maves and Alyssa Eckroth each contributed 11 points during the victory.
• With two games remaining in the regular season, Western – in second place within the league standings – has a two-game lead over both Black Hills State and Adams State with the Mountaineers owning the tie-breaker after wins over both teams earlier this season.

UP NEXT
Western will host Westminster University on Tue., Feb. 25 on the Mountaineers' Senior Night, before closing out the regular season at 21st-ranked Colorado Mesa University on Sat., March 1.