GUNNISON, Colo. – The Western Colorado University Men's Basketball team opens the regular season with a pair of home games against teams from the Lone Star State. Friday, Western takes on #4-ranked West Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m. On Saturday, Western doubles back against the University of Texas Permian Basin with a 5:00 p.m. tipoff.
This weekend's games are part of a home-away series with both Texas schools and Western. Last season, Western played both teams on the road. The Mountaineers dropped both contests in games that were tightly contested until the end.
Friday, Western will play its first game of the season following an expectation setting exhibition game win over the Air Force Academy. In the exhibition, Western got up early on Air Force and never relented, walking out of the Cadet Gymnasium with a twenty point win, 84-64.
At Air Force, four Western players scored in double-digits as the Mountaineers rained three-point baskets all night.
Quincy Harding,
Monroe Porter,
Brady Subart, and
Jackson Ehrling all posted at least 10 points while Porter led all players with 10 rebounds.
While the exhibition season proved a test for Western, the early stages of the regular season will be no different.
Against West Texas (3-0), Western sees the #4-ranked team in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Poll. After a season that culminated with an appearance in the NCAA DII Final Four, West Texas started out their season with sweep of the D2CCA Tipoff Classic in Orange, California.
Early in the season, West Texas is averaging 66 points a game while outlasting teams in the second half. Four players average double figures for the Buffs including Ryan Quaid with 12 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
West Texas leads the all-time series with Western 4-0.
Following a stiff test from the Buffs, the Mountaineers turn to the Falcons of University of Texas Permian Basin. The Falcons finished the 2017 season in the NCAA DII South Central Region Final with a loss to West Texas A&M. UTPB posted a 26-7, 14-4 Lone Star record in 2017.
Like Western, UT Permian Basin has only played one exhibition game against NCAA DI competition this season. In that contest, UTPB fell to University of Texas El Paso 63-90.
Kyree Elder led the Falcons with 20 points against UTEP.
Western and UTPB are split 1-1 in the all-time series standings.
For those who cannot make it out to Paul Wright Gym, both games will feature live webcasts and live stats. Links for both can be found above. Be sure to check back to gomountaineers.com for full recaps of the action.
