RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota School of Mines women's basketball team returns to action this weekend fresh off a dominating win and a two-week holiday break.
 
The Hardrockers will play host to Colorado Mesa University and Western Colorado University this weekend at the King Center in Rapid City, South Dakota, for a pair of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference matchups.
 
The Hardrockers entered the break winning two-in-a-row after splitting its RMAC games on Dec. 13 (61-54 loss to Fort Lewis) and Dec. 14 (75-46 win to Adams State) followed by a non-conference contest at home against Presentation College on Dec. 19.
 
In that last outing, SD Mines destroyed the Presentation College Lady Saints, 90-41. The win pushed the 'Rockers to 4-5 on the season. In the RMAC standings, the 'Rockers have a 2-3 mark and ranked 10^th.
 
The Hardrockers are currently averaging 66.1 ppg while allowing opponents to score 58.8 ppg. They are shooting .410 as a team including a .335 percentage from three-point range.
 
Ryan Weiss, who is ranked sixth in the RMAC for scoring, is averaging 15.6 ppg to lead the 'Rockers. She also leads the conference and is third in NCAA Div. II in 3-point shooting at 50 percent (25-for-30). Anna Haugen is averaging a double-double for SD Mines at 10.6 points and an RMAC-best 10.9 rebounds.
 
CMU is 9-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the RMAC and come into the game on a seven-game winning streak. They are currently second in the RMAC standings and are ranked fifth in the South Central Regional Rankings. The Mavs are averaging 64.7 ppg while allowing just 45.8. Danniella Turner lead the offensive attack with 16.1 ppg while Kelsey Siemons contributes with 10.6 ppg. Sydni Brandon leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.0 rpg while Sierra McNicol provides 5.90 ppg. 
 
Friday's matchup begins at 5:30 p.m. (MDT) and the game will be streamed live on the RMAC Network at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sdsmt/#ondemandtab and livestats will be provided at: https://gorockers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary . Friday night's will also serve as Native Youth Basketball Night. 
 
Things don't get much easier for the Hardrockers on Saturday against the Western Colorado Mountaineers who head into the weekend with a 6-3 overall record and 4-1 mark in the conference. They enter the weekend fourth in the standings and are ninth in the South Central Regional rankings.
 
WCU is coming off its first loss in RMAC play as the Mountaineers fell at Colorado Mesa, 44-36, on Dec. 20 in Grand Junction, Colorado,  snapping their six-game win streak (the longest for the program since 2007-08). WCU led, 27-26, in the third quarter before an 11-0 run by CMU gave control of the game to the Mavericks - which they didn't give up.

Samantha Cooper continues to lead the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game while adding 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists per contest. Hannah Cooper is averaging 8.1 points, 3.2 assists (first on the team), 2.9 rebounds and 1.2 steals (second on the team), Katie Dalton is averaging 8.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 steals and a team-high 0.7 blocks and Gabie Doud is averaging 7.6 points, a team-high 5.6 rebounds.

The Mountaineers continue to be led by their defense as they are second in the RMAC and 13th in NCAA Div. II in points allowed per game (52.4) - and first in the conference in RMAC-only contests at 44.2 points per game (WCU hasn't allowed an RMAC opponent to score more than 48 points). This is thanks to holding opponents to 32.8 percent shooting from the field - third in the RMAC and eighth in the nation.
 
Saturday's tipoff is at 4 p.m. (MDT) and the game will be streamed live on the RMAC Network at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sdsmt/#ondemandtab and livestats will be provided at: https://gorockers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary .