GUNNISON, Colo. – Western State Colorado University men's basketball hosts the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs this Saturday in the final game of 2017. As a sign of gratitude for all the fan support through the 2017 year for Western Athletics, Saturday's game will be free of charge for all attendees as a Fan Appreciation Night. The Student Athlete Advisory Committee will also be holding a canned-food drive during the game, so be sure to bring canned goods that can be donated to Paul Wright Gym.
 
Western (3-9, 1-5 RMAC) and UCCS (4-8, 1-5 RMAC) will get underway at 7 p.m. in Paul Wright Gym in this Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference contest.
 
The Mountaineers and Mountain Lions are tied for 13^th place in the RMAC standings.
 
After a brief holiday break, each will be looking to snap a losing streak. Western enters the game having lost to Colorado State University Pueblo in their last matchup, while UCCS lost to the Colorado School of Mines in their previous game.
 
Both teams are very similar on paper. UCCS is scoring 81.7 points per game, while Western is averaging 81.5. Defensively, the Mountaineers are limiting opponents to 86.6 points per game, while the Mountain Lions have allowed 81.2 points per game on average.
 
Leading Western's offensive charge is Ben Beauchamp. The senior guard is averaging 15.8 points per game, which ranks 10^th best in the conference.
 
For the Mountain Lions, Elijah Ross leads the team in scoring. Ross, a junior guard, is averaging 13.8 points per game and leads the team with 4.7 assists per game.
 
For those unable to attend Saturday's Fan Appreciation Game, fans can follow online by clicking the links provided above.