GUNNISON, Colo. --- The Western Colorado women's basketball team has added a game against South Dakota Mines set for 5 p.m. Monday at Paul Wright Gym. The teams will meet again less than 24 hours later 2 p.m. Tuesday as well with both games being RMAC contests.

The Monday contest came about after Mines' game against Fort Lewis set for Sunday afternoon was forfeited late Saturday night due to COVID-19 precautions. With the Hardrockers already having traveled to Colorado, Western and Mines agreed to play Monday - which will be a non-conference contest with Tuesday's game counting in the RMAC standings.

The Mountaineers are looking for their best start in program history as they have equaled the 1980-81's record of 4-0 to start the season.

MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | SEASON STATS
Western will be playing its first contest since defeating Colorado School of Mines on the road 57-51 on Dec. 18 in a matchup of undefeated teams as the Mountaineers used a 19-0 run in the second half to pull away for the victory. Hannah Cooper led the team with 20 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists while Samantha Coleman had 15 points and Mikaela Parker added 11.

The Mountaineers - the lone undefeated team in the conference - lead the RMAC in scoring at 72.3 points per game while defeating teams by an average of 11 points per contest (second in the RMAC). Western is third in the RMAC in points allowed at 61.3 per game. Western is also second in the RMAC in turnovers forced per game at 20.5.

Cooper leads the team in scoring (20.8) and assists (5.0) while also averaging 5.8 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. Coleman is second on the team at 14.5 points per game while she's shooting 44 percent from 3-point range (11-for-25) and Emmery Wagstaff is third on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game and is 10-for-24 from 3-point range (41.7 percent) while grabbing 5.0 rebounds per game.

SOUTH DAKOTA MINES HEADING INTO THIS WEEK | SEASON STATS
The Hardrockers haven't played since dropping a 76-69 contest to Colorado Christian on the road Dec. 19. In fact, all six of the Hardrockers' games this season have been on the road.

Mines' 2-4 record is somewhat deceiving as three of the four losses have been by seven points or less - including a four-point loss at Regis and a two-point loss at MSU Denver. They are allowing 67.2 points per game while scoring 64.2 points per game. Mines crashes the boards as it is fifth in the conference at 12.0 offensive rebounds per game and are third in the RMAC in rebounding margin at plus-3.6.

Ryan Weiss is the Hardrockers' only player averaging more than eight points per game at 18 points per game - including going 21-for-48 (43.8 percent) from 3-point range. She also leads the team in rebounding (7.4), steals (2.4) and blocks (0.4) per game. Mines plays much of its roster as while only threep layers are averaging more than 20 minutes per game, 10 players play more than 10 minutes per game.

LAST SEASON VERSUS COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
The Mountaineers defeated Mines 80-74 on Jan. 4 last season on the road in a game where neither team led by more than five points heading into the fourth quarter. Cooper paced Western as she filled the stat sheet wit h24 points, six assists, six rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Gabie Doud had 21 points and eight rebounds for the Mountaineers while Taytem Coleman added 16 points. Anna Haugen led Mines with 19 points while Weiss had 17 points and three steals.

WESTERN COLORADO NOTES

- WESTERN EQUALS BEST START IN PROGRAM HISTORY
In defeating Colorado School of Mines on the road 57-51 on Dec. 18, the Mountaineers have equaled their best start in program history with the 1980-81 team that started the season 4-0. 

- WESTLING NAMED WHOOPDIRT.COM COACH OF THE WEEK (DEC. 14, 2020) - (RELEASE)
Western Colorado women's basketball coach Lora Westling was honored for her team's performance during the week of Dec. 6-13 by being named the WHoopDirt.com Coach of the Week.

The week for the Mountaineers included an 84-69 win at home against Fort Lewis on Tuesday before defeating MSU Denver 67-51 on Saturday on the road thanks to outscoring the Roadrunners 29-9 in the fourth quarter. With the honor, Westling is now eligible for the WHoopDirt.com National Coach of the Year Award.

- COOPER NAMED RMAC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (DEC. 9, 2020) - (RELEASE)
Western Colorado's Hannah Cooper was named the RMAC Women's Basketball Offensive Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 9, 2020, after averaging 25.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in a pair of wins for the Mountaineers. This includes a career-high 34 points to go along with 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal to help the Mountaineers defeat Black Hills State on Friday. She went 9-for-15 from the field and 15-for-16 from the free throw line. The 34 points is tied for the fourth-most in Western history and the most points a Mountaineer has scored in a game in 23 years while her 15 made free throws tied a school record.

This is Cooper's first career RMAC Player of the Week honor and Western's first since Samantha Coleman earned RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Dec. 2, 2019.

- MOUNTAINEERS IN THE REGIONAL RANKINGS, PICK UP VOTES IN NATIONAL RANKINGS
In the first regional and national rankings by D2SIDA this season, Western finds their name in both polls as the Mountaineers are No. 5 in the D2SIDA South Central Regional Rankings while they picked up votes in the Division II D2SIDA National Rankings.

- ELEVATED SUCCESS FOR MOUNTAINEERS AT HIGHEST COLLEGIATE GYM IN THE WORLD SINCE 2019-20
The Mountaineers are 13-1 at Paul Wright Gym - the highest collegiate gym in the world at 7,723 feet - since the start of the 2019-20 season.

- THAT'S THE WAY TO START THE SEASON ... RECORD NIGHT FOR COOPER
It was quite the start to the 2020-21 season for Hannah Cooper as the sophomore from El Paso, Texas, scored 34 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists in the Mountaineers' win over Black Hills State on Dec. 4 in Paul Wright Gym. The 34 points is tied for the fourth most in Western history - behind Shannon Smart (41 versus Chadron State and 36 against Adams State - both during the 1992-93 season) and Laurie Nickolaus (40 against New Mexico Highlands in 1985-86). It's the most points a Mountaineers has scored in a game since Jen Knight scored 34 against NMHU in 1996-97. Cooper tied the school record for most free throws made in a game as well, going 15-for-16 from the line.

- S. COLEMAN MOVES TO THIRD ON MOUNTAINEER 3-POINT ALL-TIME LIST
Senior Samantha Coleman continues to move up the Western all-time 3-point list as she now has 165 - good for third in program history. Coleman is four behind Jen Knight (169 - 1993-97) for the No. 2 spot and is 16 behind the all-time record of 181 set by Brooke Pendergraft (2008-12). 

Coleman also has a chance to become the ninth player in Western history to reach 1,000 career points as she has 887 points. She can reach the top 10 in all-time scoring if she can surpass Taryn Brennan's 958 points.

- DALTON MOVES TO SIXTH ON WESTERN ALL-TIME BLOCKS LIST
Senior Katie Dalton with  another block on Tuesday moved to fifth place on the Western all-time list with 68 - moving past Val Elliott. Sitting in fifth place is Paula Stumbaugh (1980-84) with 78. Dalton can move up several spots on the list this season, but likely won't reach the school and RMAC record of 319 set by Kris Ellerby (1984-88).

- WESTLING MOVING UP MOUNTAINEER WINS LISTS
As Lora Westling enters her fifth season at the helm of the Mountaineers, she's already cemented herself as one of the winningest coaches in program history. Her 56 career victories is fourth in program history, behind James Hahn (113 - 1982-92), Phile Swille (69 - 1978-82) and Latricia Trammell (65 - 2007-12). Her 46 RMAC wins rank third in program history - behind Hahn (62) and Trammell (48).

Westling currently has led the Mountaineers to back-to-back winning seasons - the first time the program has accomplished that since James Hahn did it in 1985-86 and 1986-87.

- COOPER BECOMES FIRST WESTERN RMAC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR IN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Sophomore Hannah Cooper became the first Western Colorado women's basketball player in program history to earn RMAC Freshman of the Year since the conference started handing out the award in the sport in 1996-97. Cooper led the Mountaineers in assists (3.2) and steals (1.4), was second in scoring (9.7) and third in rebounding (4.3).

- MOUNTAINEERS PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN RMAC (FULL STORY)
The Western Colorado women's basketball team was selected second in the RMAC Preseason Women's Basketball Coaches Poll. The Mountaineers - who picked up three first-place votes - finished behind defending RMAC champion Colorado Mesa in the preseason poll - the Mavericks getting eight first-place votes and 189 points total - while Western finished two points ahead of Westminster, which picked up four first-place votes. Westminster was followed by Colorado School of Mines, Black Hills State and then South Dakota Mines - the same exact order of finish the top six teams finished in the RMAC in 2019-20.

- MOUNTAINEERS IN SEASON OPENERS
The Mountaineers are now 14-29 all-time in season opener after their win over Black Hills State on Dec. 4 at home - their first time starting the season at home since 2006-07 when the Mountaineers beat Chadron State, 80-54. The Mountaineers are 7-5 all-time when starting the season at Paul Wright Gym.