GUNNISON, Colo. --- The Western Colorado men's basketball team begins a stretch of seven home games over its next eight games as the Mountaineers host Westminster on Friday and No. 6 Colorado Mesa on Saturday at Paul Wright Gym

Both games were moved up to 6 p.m. after the Western women's games were postponed due to COVID-19 protocol.

MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO THE WEEK | SEASON STATS
Western is coming off a 79-53 loss last Friday at Black Hills State in South Dakota. Grant Wilkinson and Avery Rembao led the Mountaineers with 12 points apiece while Jackson Ehrlin just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.

The Mountaineers are 10th in the RMAC in scoring at 70.8 points per game while they are 12th in points allowed at 79 points per contest. Western is second in the RMAC in 3-pointers made per game at 9.3 while it is fourth in turnover margin at plus-1.38 and third in assist-to-turnover ratio (plus 1.02). 

Matthew Ragsdale leads the Mountaineers in scoring at 15.3 points per game while Rembao is averaging 11.5 points and 5.4 rebounds, Cole Sienknecht is averaging 11.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists (ninth in the RMAC) and 1.1 steals and Ehrlin is averaging 10.8 points, 8.1 rebounds (second in the RMAC) and 1.0 blocks. Jaelan McCloud - averaging 7.0 points per game - leads the team in 3-point percentage at 44.1 percent (15-for-34) and is only behind Ragsdale in 3-pointers made with 15. Grant Wilkinson leads the team in assists (3.4 - sixth in the RMAC) while Elijah Davidson leads the team in blocked shots per game at 1.3 (tied for second in the RMAC).

WESTMINSTER HEADING INTO THE WEEK | SEASON STATS
The Griffins dropped its second game in a row last week, falling at home to Regis 80-74 on Saturday. Westminster led by a point at the half and led by 11 points at 66-55 with 8:08 remaining before the Rangers outscored the Griffins 25-8 to come away with the win. Isaiah Banks led the Griffins with 17 points while Joey Andrews had 16 points and seven rebounds while Reme Torbert had 10 points.

Westminster is 11th in the RMAC in scoring at 68.6 points per game while it is third in the conference in points allowed at 67.9 points per game. The Griffins are third in field goal percentage defense (44.1 percent) and rebounding margin (plus-4.7). 

Banks (12.3) and Andrews (12.2) lead the team in scoring with Banks averaging a team-best 3.2 assists per game and Andrews averaging a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game (fifth in the RMAC). Banks and Taylor MIller lead the team at 1.4 steals per contest.

#6 COLORADO MESA HEADING INTO THE WEEK | SEASON STATS
The sixth-ranked Mavericks, who play Fort Lewis on Friday, stayed undefeated last weekend by defeating Region 81-80 in overtime thanks to a Jared Small layup with four seconds remaining in the extra period. Ethan Menzies had a double-double to lead CMU with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Small had 16 points, Blaise Threatt had 12 points and Mac Riniker added 10 points and seven rebounds.

It was the Mavs' second overtime victory of the season fourth win by five points or less.

CMU is third in the RMAC in scoring (78.2) and fourth in points allowed (69.1). The Mavs also rank in the top four in field goal percentage (50.3 - fourth), field goal percentage defense (40.7 - second), 3-point percentage (37.1 - third), 3-point percentage defense (29.0 percent - third), free throw percentage (75.0 percent - third), rebounding margin (plus 1.9), blocks (3.7 - third), assists (13.5 - third) and steals (7.2 - third).

Menzies leads the team in scoring at 16.7 points per game to go along with 7.0 rebounds and just under a block per game. Georgie Dancer averages 12.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists ,Reece Johnson is at 11.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, Christopher Speller is at 9.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, a team-best 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game while Riniker averages 9.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and a team-best 1.5 steals.

LAST SEASON VERSUS WESTMINSTER, COLORADO MESA
Western split with both Westminster and Colorado Mesa last season - winning both games at home while dropping both games on the road. The Mountaineers lost to the Griffins 78-62 on the road on Jan. 24, 2020, before beating them at home 74-67 on Feb. 8 thanks to 18 points from Cole Sienknecht. Against CMU, the Mountaineers lost on teh road 71-49 on Dec. 20, 2019, before winning their season finale 87-76 on Feb. 28, 2020 - the last time Colorado Mesa has lost a game (a span of 13 games).

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 3-pointers made 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 64 career games (12.9 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