DENVER – Another game, another challenge.
 
The MSU Denver women's basketball team plays host on Wednesday to Colorado School of Mines, ranked Nos. 19 and 10 in the national polls. Tip-off at the Auraria Event Center is at 5 p.m.
 
"They are as good as anybody we've played this year," MSU Denver coach Tanya Haave said.
 
The Roadrunners, 2-7 overall and 1-3 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, know a thing or two about playing good teams.
 
Five of their losses have come to teams who were ranked when playing MSU Denver, ranked after playing MSU Denver, or both.
 
The other two losses were in true road games last weekend, with one of those by one point.
 
Colorado School of Mines is 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the RMAC. The Orediggers, led by RMAC Player of the Year candidate Ashley Steffeck, have three fifth-year seniors in the starting lineup, one fourth-year senior and a third-year sophomore.
 
"They're very solid at every position," Haave said. "They're shooting the ball well. They defend well. They run well. They've got some depth off the bench.
 
"They've played a good non-conference schedule and challenged themselves against good teams. And they're on a mission."
 
While the Orediggers have 22 years of college basketball experience in their starting lineup, the Roadrunners' likely starting five has 10.
 
While gaining experience, MSU Denver has shown flashes of developing into a team that can still contend for a spot in the league's top eight and a trip to the RMAC Tournament.
 
Last weekend, sophomore guard Brooklynn Jones got on track with a career-high 15 points on 3 of 5 shooting from 3-point range in a loss at Black Hills State. She followed that up with 10 points and four assists in one-point loss at South Dakota Mines.
 
"Brooklynn shot the ball really well Friday and played well again Saturday," Haave said. "For her, and for some of our other players, now it's a matter of getting used to playing as many minutes as we are asking them to play."