RAPID CITY, S.D. --- The South Dakota School of Mines women's basketball team is one of the hottest teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference as the Hardrockers are riding a five-game winning streak as they prepare for two more RMAC contests this weekend.

Add in the favorable part of the schedule, where the next four game will be featured in Goodell Gymnasium at the King Center, and SD Mines could make some significant moves in the league standings.

The Hardrockers head into the weekend tied for eighth place in the RMAC rankings and are just one game removed from sixth place. SD Mines and MSU Denver both have 8-7 conference marks, while Black Hills State and Dixie State both have a share of sixth place with a 9-6 RMAC record.

The 'Rockers play host to New Mexico Highlands and CSU-Pueblo in Rapid City this weekend --- two teams SD Mines beat on the road two weeks ago --- defeating CSU-Pueblo by 24 points (71-41) and dispatching New Mexico Highlands by 24 markers as well (83-59).

Last week, the Hardrockers grinded out a win over MSU Denver, 58-52, in Denver, Colorado, and then rubbed out Chadron State, 77-59, in Nebraska, to cap off an unbeaten road trip.

Anna Haugen was named RMAC Defensive Player of the Week. She had a great all-around outing, scoring a double-double both nights. She tallied double-digit rebounds in each game, hauling in 12 on Friday followed by 13 in Saturday's win.

For the weekend, Haugen added 10 steals and two blocked shots. She is second in the conference in rebounds per game (9.7) and also tallied 28 points on the weekend, scoring 16 Friday night and added 12 on Saturday. The senior from Fort Collins, Colorado, is second on the team in scoring, averaging 10.9 ppg.

Ryan Weis continues to lead the Hardrockers in scoring and is fourth in the conference, averaging 16.4 ppg. She leads the RMCA in three-pointers per game ( 3.6).  Sami Steffeck, who breached the 1,000-point mark this past weekend, is third on the team, averaging 9.2 ppg and is seventh in the conference for three-pointers per game (2.3). Steffeck holds the record for three-pointers in a career with 228….and counting.  

As a team, the Hardrockers' offense is posting 67.8 ppg (ranked third in the RMAC) and the defense is allowing 60.2 (ranked eighth in the conference). SD Mines is fourth in the league for offensive rebounding (12.2 rpg) and second in defensive rebounds (29.4 rpg).

First up this weekend will be New Mexico Highlands University (1-19). The Cowgirls are struggling this season and are 0-15 in conference play. They are led by Jordyn Lewis, averaging 14.6 ppg and Ashley Antone with 12.4 ppg. Maiah Rivas and Brianna Stewart lead the team in assists, averaging three per game. SD Mines is 8-0 in the series.

Friday's game is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff and the matchup will be streamed live on the RMAC Network by logging onto https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sdsmt/ and livestats will be available at: https://gorockers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary .

Saturday's opponent will be the Thunderwolves. CSU Pueblo enters the weekend coming off two losses to Colorado School of Mines and University of Colorado- Colorado Springs. They are led by JaNaiya Davis who averages 16.5 ppg and is shooting 47 percent from the field, which sits third in the conference. Sydni Williams also averages double-digits, with 10.9 ppg as well as 8.5 rebounds per game. CSUP leads the series 2-8, but the Hardrockers earned the last win in convincing fashion in Pueblo.

Saturday's bout is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start and the game will be streamed live on the RMAC Network by logging onto https://portal.stretchinternet.com/sdsmt/ and livestats will be available at: https://gorockers.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary .