GUNNISON, Colo.  Visiting South Dakota Mines broke out of the gate to a 9-2 lead Thursday evening against host Western Colorado, but then it began to rain in Paul Wright Gym.

Threes.

Lots of them as the Mountaineers rained down a season high 13 3-pointers during a 73-61 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's basketball win that elevated Western into a fifth-place tie in the RMAC standings.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Western def. South Dakota Mines, 73-61
Records: Western 8-7 overall (6-3 RMAC), SDM 6-11 (4-5)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The 9-2 start for the Hardrockers might have startled an inexperienced squad, but Western's starters are all returners, and players with RMAC tournament experience.
• Ivey Schmidt initiated the 3-point parade, knocking down her first of three that got Western rolling.
• Schmidt corralled a defensive rebound at the other end with the transition down court ending with a Penelope Urquhart triple.
• Back on defense after the 'Rockers scored a jumper for an 11-8 lead, Rori Hoffmeyer blocked a shot, grabbed the rebound, and started Western back the other way, another transition that would end with a 3-pointer, this one from Jayda Maves out on the left wing.
• Not done yet with their sharpshooting, Maves knocked down another triple to lift Western in front, and Alyssa Eckroth got into the act with her own 3-pointer that pushed the Mountaineers' lead to 17-13.
• Schmidt would finish the opening quarter with a pair of free throws that completed a 17-4 run that erased the early deficit and provided a lead that wouldn't be relinquished.
• Western built the advantage to 17 points during the second quarter before settling for a 46-32 lead entering the halftime break.
• The momentum carried over to the start of the third quarter, but after shooting 45 percent and 65 percent in the opening two quarters, the Mountaineers grew a little chilly and a 19-point lead dropped to just nine, 54-45, late in the period.
• The Hardrockers wouldn't go away, despite Western propping the advantage back up to 14 points on several occasions in the fourth, cutting their deficit to 8 twice. But the Mountaineers didn't let them get any closer in what would eventually be a 12-point victory.

COURT NOTES

• Maves and Eckroth led Western with 19 points each, while Schmidt added 17. In all, the five starters, including Urquhart and Chloe Daniels, accounted for 68 of the Mountaineers' 73 points.
• Maves' night from behind the arc would finish 5-of-7.
• Western continues to be one of the best rebounding teams in the RMAC, finishing the night with a 36-21 advantage, led by Schmidt's 8 rebounds and seven more by Daniels. A total of six players had at least four rebounds for Western.
• That gap off the glass resulted in the Mountaineers scoring 20 second-chance points, while SDM added just 1 to their point total.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers welcome Black Hills State to Paul Wright Gym on Saturday, for a 1 p.m. RMAC matchup.