GUNNISON, Colo. --- The Western Colorado men's basketball team heads to Denver to take on MSU Denver 4 p.m. Saturday at the Auraria Event Center.

No spectators will be allowed at the game, but it will be available on the RMAC Network at GoMountaineers.com/live. 

Both teams will be looking for their first win of the season.

MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO SATURDAY | SEASON STATS
Western is coming off of an 87-65 loss Tuesday to Fort Lewis at home in each teams' RMAC opener (the teams played a non-conference game three days prior - an 89-69 loss for Western - after Black Hills State and Chadron State had to postpone due to COVID-19 concerns). A slow start hurt the Mountaineers and they never recovered - though at one point they did cut the Skyhawk lead to seven points midway through the second half. Matthew Ragsdale and Jaelan McCloud led the team with 13 points apiece while Cole Sienknecht had 12 points.

Sienknecht (13.5), Jackson Ehrlin (13.0), Ragsdale (11.0) and Avery Rembao (10.0) are averaging double figures for the Mountaineers early in the season with Ehrlin earning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors last week after averaging 11.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

MSU DENVER HEADING INTO SATURDAY | SEASON STATS
The Roadrunners dropped a pair of RMAC games on the road last week, falling at Westminster 56-55 on Friday and to Colorado Mesa 83-68 on Saturday. In the loss at Westminster, MSU Denver had three chances to take the lead in the final 40 seconds - but couldn't get a shot to fall as Tyrei Randall led the team with 17 points.

On the season, MSU Denver is averaging 57 points per game while allowing 73.7. The team is shooting 29.6 percent from the field, 22.4 percent from 3-opint range and 67.9 percent from the free throw line. 

Randall leads the team in scoring at 10.3 points per game to go along with 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game. Mavrick Gildyard is second on the team in scoring at 9.0 per game to go along with 6.7 boards per game while Tonje Durham and Laolu Oke are averaging 8.3 points per game with Oke leading the team at 9.3 rebounds per contest.

LAST SEASON VERSUS MSU DENVER
The Mountaineers defeated MSU Denver 64-63 on Dec. 14, 2019, thanks to a Will Willis putback at the buzzer. Sienknecht led the team with 14 points while Monroe Porter and Will Willis had 10 points apiece in a contest Western led 35-25 at the half.

WESTERN COLORADO NOTES

- EHRLIN NAMED RMAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (DEC. 9, 2020) (FULL STORY)
Western Colorado forward Jackson Ehrlin was named RMAC Defensive Player after the 6-foot-9 senior averaged 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game for the Mountaineers in their two games - grabbing 11 rebounds in each contest while setting a career high with four blocks against Fort Lewis. Ehrlin also averaged 13 points and 2.5 assists per game. It is Ehrlin's first RMAC Player of the Week Honor and the third time in the last two seasons a Western player has earned RMAC Defensive Player of the Week with Monroe Porter earning the honor twice during the 2019-20 campaign.

- MOUNTAINEERS PICKED TO FINISH 10TH IN THE RMAC (FULL STORY)
The Western Colorado men's basketball team was selected tied for 10th in the RMAC's Preseason Men's Basketball Coaches poll. The Mountaineers are tied with Westminster for the 10th spot with 91 points, seven points behind No. 9 CSU Pueblo and 37 points ahead of No. 12 South Dakota Mines. Colorado School of Mines was picked to win the conference with 13 of the 15 first-place votes and 195 points while Black Hills State was picked second with two first-place votes and 172 points followed by UCCS, Colorado Mesa and Fort Lewis in the top five.

- SIENKNECHT CHASING ALL-TIME 3-POINT TOP-7 AT WESTERN
While just a junior, Cole Sienknecht has a chance to reach the top seven in Western history - even in this COVID-shortened season. The Colorado Springs product has 127 career 3-pointers up to this point, 30 behind the No. 7 spot on the Western all-time list by Mike Legg (157 from 1994-99). The all-time mark is 307 set by Wil Pierce from 1992-96. The No. 2 spot you ask? Current Western assistant coach Ben Beauchamp with 209 (2015-18).

- ELEVATED RECORD AT THE HIGHEST COLLEGIATE GYM IN THE WORLD IN 2019-20
The Mountaineers last season went 10-3 at Paul Wright Gym - the highest collegiate gym in the world at 7,723 feet. 

- WESTERN IN SEASON OPENERS SINCE 2009
The Mountaineers are now 2-10 in season openers since 2009.

• 2020-21 - L, 89-69 at Fort Lewis
• 2019-20 - L, 96-85 at UTPB
• 2018-19 - W, 77-72 vs. #4 West Texas A&M
• 2017-18 - L, 84-77 at #11 UTPB
• 2016-17 - L, 89-78 vs. Wayland Baptist
• 2015-16 - L, 92-68 at Arkansas-Fort Smith
• 2014-15 - L, 77-63 vs. Midwestern State (in Pueblo, Colo.)
• 2013-14 - L, 75-65 at Hawaii Pacific
• 2012-13 - L, 62-42 at Wyoming
• 2011-12 - L, 78-39 at Wyoming
• 2010-11 - L, 78-52 at Boise State
• 2009-10 - W, 94-79 vs. Northern New Mexico