GUNNISON, Colo. – Following a two week lay-off, Western State Colorado University women's basketball returns to action versus University of Colorado at Colorado Springs on Saturday, Dec. 30 at 5 p.m. in Paul Wright Gym. As Western looks to start the new year with a win, Mountaineer Athletics hosts Fan Appreciation Night, offering free admission to the game.

Western (4-8, 1-5 RMAC) returns to the court looking for their first home win of the season against UCCS (2-9, 2-4 RMAC). In their last game, the Mountaineers dropped a well-contested loss to Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference leading CSU-Pueblo.

Western's defense has caused confusion for opponents all season, yielding a 106 steals for an average of 8.83 per game – third best in the RMAC. Leading the way in the defensive front court, Tammarrah Gothard is averaging 2.8 steals per game which is the second highest in the RMAC. Freshman, Jessie Erickson leads Western in rebounding at 5.8 per game.

Offensively, Katie Dalton continues to the lead the Mountaineers with 10.9 points per game.

In a match-up of statistically similar teams, Western will look to gain an edge defensively versus UCCS. While both teams score with similar efficacy, the Mountaineers maintain a much better offense to points allowed margin of -6.7 compared to UCCS at -15.5.  

Against the Mountain Lions, the Mountaineers find a team that struggles scoring early and late. Across the season, UCCS has been outscored by 61 points in the first quarter. UCCS is led by Shanah Leaf who averages 10.5 points and 5 rebounds per game.

If you can't make it to Paul Wright Gym, but want to get your Mountaineer New Year fix, check the live stats or web stream courtesy of GoMountaineers.com.