GUNNISON, Colo. --- The Western Colorado men's basketball team hits the road to take on Black Hills State 5:30 p.m. Friday at the Donald E. Young Center in a game that was postponed earlier this season. 

The Mountaineers were able to make up this game after its scheduled contests at Adams State and CSU Pueblo were postponed this week due to COVID-19 protocol. 

MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO THE WEEK | SEASON STATS
Western fell to Chadron State on the road last week, 85-73. A 26-7 run midway through the first half for the Eagles helped give CSC a 48-36 lead at the half and the Mountaineers couldn't get within single digits the rest of the way. Jackson Ehrlin picked up his third double-double of the season (tied for ninth in the NCAA) with 10 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three assists while Cole Sienknecht and Jaelan McCloud led the way with 11 points apiece. Elijah Davidson had 10 points, four blocks and four rebounds and Matthew Ragsdale had 10 points.

The Mountaineers are averaging 73.3 points per game - eighth in the conference - while allowing 79 points per game - 12th in the RMAC. Western is second in the RMAC in 3-pointers per game (9.9 - 29th in the NCAA) and are third in 3-point percentage (37.3 percent). The Mountaineers are also third in the RMAC in assists per contest (13.9).

Ragsdale leads Western and is eighth in the RMAC in scoring at 16.9 points per game followed by Sienknecht (12.6), Avery Rembao (11.4) and Ehrlin (10.7). Ehrlin leads the team and is tied for third in the RMAC in rebounding at 8.0 per game while Davidson is averaging 6.0 and Rembao is at 5.4. Grant Wilkinson leads the Mountaineers in assists (3.7 - sixth in the RMAC) followed by Sienknecht (3.4 - seventh in the RMAC) and Ehrlin (2.3) while Davidson (1.6 - second) and Ehrlin (1.3) both rank in the conference top 10 in blocks.

BLACK HILLS STATE HEADING INTO THE WEEK | SEASON STATS
The Yellow Jackets have been hit hard with postponements this season, having played only four games - including just two games in the last two months, an 84-74 win over Regis on Jan. 3 and an 85-83 loss to then No. 4 Colorado School of Mines on Jan. 4. Both of BHSU's losses this season have come to ranked, undefeated teams as the Yellow Jackets lost to then-No. 22 Colorado Mesa 75-70 on Dec. 11 in their season opener.

BHSU is third in the RMAC in scoring at 78 points per game while allowing 76 per contest - ninth in the RMAC. The Yellow Jackets lead the conference in field goal percentage (51.5) and is second in the RMAC in steals (9.5).

BHSU in its four games have five players averaging double figures in Joel Scott (17.5 - sixth), Trey Whitley (14.5), Sindou Cisse (14.5 - two games), Kevin Senghore-Peterson (12.0) and Adam Moussa (10.3). Scott leads the team in rebounding (6.5), Moussa in assists (4.0) and Cisse in steals (3.0).

LAST SEASON VERSUS BHSU
Western fell on the road at Black Hills State, 78-74, with Ragsdale leading the Mountaineers with 19 points while Sienknecht had 13 points and Ehrlin had 12. Scott led BHSU with 24 points.
 

WESTERN COLORADO NOTES

- SIENKNECHT CHASING ALL-TIME 3-POINT TOP-7 AT WESTERN, 1,000-POINT MARK
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 136 career 3-pointers up to this point, 21 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).

Sienknecht is also looking to hit the 1,000-point mark in his career as he sits with 825 points in 63 career games (13.1 points per contest). 

- RAGSDALE NAMED RMAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (JAN. 11, 2021) (FULL STORY)
Matthew Ragsdale was named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Jan. 11 after the sophomore averaged 25.5 points and shot 45 percent from 3-point range during the week in helping the Mountaineers win a pair of games. The Monument, Colorado, product scored a career-high 32 points against South Dakota Mines on Tuesday - hitting seven 3-pointers, tied for the second most 3-pointers in a game in Mountaineer history. Ragsdale followed it up by scoring 19 points in a 102-87 win over Colorado Christian - the first time Western hit the 100-point mark since 2018. Overall, Ragsdale went 9-for-20 from 3-point range during the wins over the Hardrockers and Cougars.

This is Ragsdale's first RMAC Player of the Week honor and it's the second time a Mountaineer has won a conference player of the week award this season as Jackson Ehrlin was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Dec. 9. Ragsdale is the first Mountaineer to win RMAC Offensive Player of the Week since current Mountaineer assistant coach Ben Beauchamp won the honor Nov. 20, 2017.

- RAGSDALE'S SEVEN 3-POINTERS VS SOUTH DAKOTA MINES ONE OFF SCHOOL RECORD
Sophomore Matthew Ragsdale just missed tying a school record as he drained seven 3-pointers against South Dakota Mines on Jan. 5 at Paul Wright Gym. It's the second time Ragsdale has drained seven 3-pointers in a game for the Mountaineers, doing it his freshman year against Regis on Feb. 14, 2020. A Mountaineer has hit seven 3-pointers in a game 17 times in program history with five players doing it twice. The record is eight 3-pointers hit by Nate Allen against Fort Lewis during the 1995-96 season.

- ELEVATED RECORD AT THE HIGHEST COLLEGIATE GYM IN THE WORLD IN 2019-20
The Mountaineers since the start of last season are 12-4 at Paul Wright Gym - the highest collegiate gym in the world at 7,723 feet. 

- 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.

- 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