GUNNISON, Colo. – Western State Colorado University men's basketball team enters conference play with a game against CSU-Pueblo Saturday evening at 7 p.m. The Thunderwolves are tabbed to finish second in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, while the Mountaineers are picked to finish 13^th.
 
Western State (1-5, 0-0) have struggled in the second half as of late. The Mountaineers have only trailed once in double-digits in the first half, but have lost five games by twenty or more points this season. The team is averaging exactly 70 points per game, which includes shooting 41 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc. The Mountaineers are distributing the ball well, averaging more than 16 assists per game compared to their opponent's average of 12.
 
Individually, senior Danny Hopkins leads the team with almost 13 points per game. Hopkins has accounted for a sixth of the team's field goals, and is shooting almost 37 percent from downtown. He has also made all 19 free throws he has attempted this year. Hopkins leads the nation in free throw percentage (has the most made), with 16 players with perfect percentages.
 
Also for the Mountaineers, Robert Romero is averaging just under 10 points per game. He leads the team with 5.2 boards per contest and has three blocks as well. At guard, Will Duggan has added speed to the front court with seven steals in six games this season. He also leads the team with 3.7 assists per game and is averaging just under eight points per game.
 
CSU-Pueblo (4-2, 0-0) is led by senior guard Chris Golden. Golden is averaging 21 points per game, doing his damage from all over the court. RMAC Defensive Player of the Week Odessa Lear leads the team with 8.2 boards per game and almost two steals per game.