GUNNISON - Western State Colorado University men's basketball team is on the road this weekend to take on New Mexico Highlands University and CSU-Pueblo. The Mountaineers will be in Las Vegas, New Mexico Friday at 7 p.m., then head to Pueblo Saturday to take on the Thunderwolves at 7:30 p.m.

The Mountaineers are coming off of a heartbreaking overtime loss to No.20-ranked Fort Lewis College. Despite the loss, Western has hope as guard Ben Beauchamp is coming off of a weekend performance that named him the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week. Beauchamp combined for 59 points in two games, including a double-double against Adams State. He leads the team with 17.9 points per game. He is shooting 49 percent from the field and 39 percent from deep. Beauchamp has also made it to the foul line a team-high 33 times. In addition he is tied for second on the team with 42 total boards.

Also for Western, Collin Smith and Will Duggan are averaging 12.5 and 11.5 points per game, respectfully. Duggan leads the team with 30 assists, while Smith is shooting a team-high 49 percent from the field.

Defensively, Branden Cosby-Lee has a team-high 45 boards, leading Beauchamp and Patrick Sniff by three boards.

The Mountaineers as a team have pushed into the paint, balancing out the offense to pressure teams from all over the court. Western has also lived by the deep ball in key moments, with nearly half their shot attempts coming from beyond the arc. The team is shooting 37 percent from deep.

Western has shot phenomenally from the foul line this season. The team is averaging 78 percent from the line so far this season, with six Mountaineers shooting greater than 80 percent. Sniff leads all, having converted on all 18 of his attempts this season.