GUNNISON, Colo. – After coming up just short in overtime of their previous game, the Western Colorado University Mountaineer men's basketball team is looking forward to returning to the Paul Wright Gym court this weekend. Western will be looking to avenge the loss this Friday against Colorado Christian University and on Saturday against Regis University.
 
Western (3-16, 0-13 RMAC) will face CCU (5-14, 3-10 RMAC) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and RU (13-6, 10-3 RMAC) on Saturday at 7 p.m.
 
Friday's game against CCU is Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night. All Western faculty and staff members receive free admission to both the men's and women's basketball games Friday night in Paul Wright Gym.
 
The Mountaineer men enter the weekend 16^th in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings.
 
Western leads the conference in made three-pointers. As a team, the Mountaineers have made 202 threes this season and are averaging 10.6 made per game.
 
Cole Sienknecht and Brady Subart are leading the scoring attack for Western. Both are averaging 45.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc, which leads the conference and ranks 24^th best in Division II.
 
Subart is averaging 15.2 points per game, scoring 20 or more points in each of the last three games.
 
Sienknecht is averaging 13.7 points per game, also scoring 20 or more points in each of the last three games. Sienknecht has reached the double figure scoring mark in all eight games played this January.
 
CCU enters the weekend having picked up an 89-77 win at home against Fort Lewis College last Saturday. The Cougars are tied for 14^th in the conference standings.
 
Friday will be the 39^th game played between the two schools. Western leads the series 23-15 and have won the last four games against the Cougars.
 
 Colorado Christian has the third highest shooting percentage in the conference, averaging 46.4 percent per game.
 
Jeremiah Hanson is the Cougars' leading scorer, averaging 14.2 points per game. Teammate Braxton Tucker is shooting 56.7 percent on average from the floor, which ranks second best in the RMAC.
 
Regis won both games last weekend and have won seven of their last eight. The Rangers sit second in the conference standings.
 
Against Regis, Western is 42-76 all-time. The last win for the Mountaineers against RU came on Jan. 28, 2012. Western defeated the Rangers 70-50 in Paul Wright Gym.
 
The Rangers have grabbed 703 rebounds this season, which is second only to Colorado School of Mines' 704 in the conference.
 
Jarrett Brodbeck leads RU in scoring, averaging 18.4 points per game.