GUNNISON, Colo. --- The Western Colorado women's basketball team is eager to bounce back as the Mountaineers take part in the Holiday Inn - Airport Thanksgiving Classic on Friday and Saturday - hosted by Colorado Mesa in Grand Junction. WCU takes on Montana Western noon Friday and University of the Southwest noon Saturday.

MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO THE WEEK | SEASON STATS
WCU is coming off a season-opening road trip to the Northwest and Canada where the Mountaineers lost at Western Washington 69-66 and at Simon Fraser 77-58. 

Freshman Hannah Cooper leads the Mountaineers in scoring (11.5 ppg) and is followed by Samantha Coleman (9.5), Taytem Coleman (8.5) and Gabie Doud (8.5). Samantha Coleman is off to a hot start from beyond the arc at 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) while Taytem Coleman is leading the team in steals at 2.5 per game.

WCU is looking to take better care of the ball this weekend after averaging 19 turnovers per contest during the first two games, though the Mountaineers are forcing 17 per game.

MONTANA WESTERN HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | SEASON STATS
The Bulldogs, an NAIA school, enter this weekend on a three-game win streak after beating the College of Idaho (71-67) and William Jessup (68-55) at the College of Idaho Shootout in Caldwell, Idaho.

Montana Western has four players averaging 9.8 points or more per game: Shannon Worster (11.0), Jenni Weber (11.0), Paige Holmes (10.9) and Brynley Fitzgerald (9.8). Worster leads the team in rebounding (5.0) and is second in assists (4.1) while Holmes leads the team in assits (4.8) and steals).

As a team, the Bulldogs are averaging more than 10 3-pointers per game and are shooting 38.1 percent from beyond the arc.

UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTHWEST HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | SEASON STATS
The Mustangs, an NAIA school out of Hobbs, New Mexico, are coming off an 87-35 exhibition loss at Fort Lewis on Tuesday. Elisa Gonzalez led USW with eight points while Mykal Thomas added six points and four rebounds. The team struggled shooting from the field (18.2 percent), including going 3-for-22 (13.6 percent) from 3-point range.

On the season, Thomas and Gonzales lead the team in scoring at 10.1 per game while Cherlee Collins leads the team in assists (3.6) and Kenedi Tanks and Isabel Rodriguez lead the team in reboundings (5.0).
  MOUNTAINEERS UPEND D-I WEBER STATE IN EXHIBITION
The Western Colorado women's basketball team got key performances from veteran Samantha Coleman and newcomer Hannah Cooper and combined it with a strong defensive showing as the Mountaineers defeated Division-I Weber State 58-49 on Wednesday night at Dee Events Center.

Coleman, an All-RMAC performer last season for WCU, scored a game-high 22 points, went 5-for-12 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds while Cooper, a freshman from El Paso, Texas, displayed her all-around game with 12 points, seven rebounds, seven steals and six assists to lead the Mountaineers. Combine that with a defensive effort that saw WCU force Weber State into 20 turnovers while holding them to 39.1 percent shooting.

MOUNTAINEERS PICKED TO FINISH SIXTH IN THE RMAC
Coming off its postseason appearance in seven years, the Western Colorado women's basketball team was picked to finish sixth in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll released Tuesday.

The Mountaineers are coming off a 16-11 season (12-10 in the RMAC) that saw them reach the RMAC Tournament for the first time since 2012. WCU has nine players returning from that roster. In the poll, Western Colorado finished behind Colorado Mesa (215 points - nine first-place votes), Westminster (209 - five first-place votes), Colorad School of Mines (192 - one first-place vote), MSU Denver (180) and a single point behind Black Hills State (151) while finishing nine points ahead of seventh-place Regis.