GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado will have a tough stretch of road games this weekend, as they take on second place Westminster College (Jan. 28) and fifth place Colorado Mesa University (Jan. 29).
 
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In accordance with regulations established by Western Colorado University COVID Policies and Procedures, all spectators for Western Colorado University indoor sporting events, including Paul Wright Gym and Mountaineer Field house, must wear masks regardless of vaccination status. Thank you for complying so we can continue to host events for our Mountaineer student-athletes and loyal fans.
 
MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | SEASON STATS

• Coming off an up and down weekend where Western fell to eighth place Adams State 64-47 (Jan.21), then responded in a big way defeating third place CSU-Pueblo 65-58 (Jan. 22). The Mountaineers got off to a strong start against the Thunderwolves – scoring 25 points in the first quarter – which propelled them to the victory.
• Western currently is in seventh place (6-4) in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings with only 11 games left in the season.
• The Mountaineers are led by Grace Kirscher, Katie Dalton and Samantha Coleman who have been the go to players offensively when Western needs a basket. Kirscher averages 12.3 points per game (No. 13 RMAC), with Dalton and Coleman right behind her with 11.5 (No. 17 RMAC) and 11.1-points (No. 18 RMAC).
• Additionally, Coleman has been consistent from behind the arc, knocking down 38.6 percent of her threes (No. 4 RMAC).
• Western has the eighth ranked offense in the RMAC scoring 62.7-points per game and the ninth ranked defense giving up 63.3-points. As a team the Mountaineers shoot 42.9 percent from the field (No. 2 RMAC), 31.3 from the three (No. 6 RMAC) and 73.6 percent from the free throw line (No. 5 RMAC).

GRIFFINS HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | SEASON STATS

• Westminster nearly hand first place Colorado School of Mines their first loss in conference play. However, the Orediggers escaped with a 68-66 victory (Jan. 22). The Griffins responded after that defeating Chadron State 71-59 (Jan. 24).
• It won't be easy defeating Westminster as they have two dominant offensive scorers, Ashley Greenwood and Sarah McGinley who average 19.5 (No. 4 RMAC) and 15.8-points per game (No. 5 RMAC). McGinley is ranked No. 1 in field goal percentage 62.2- and three-point percentage 56.1, while Greenwood is No. 2 in field goal percentage 50.9.
• Defensively, the Griffins are led by Hunter Krebs and Aby Mangum who average 1.8 (No. 5 RMAC) and 1.6 (No. 6 RMAC) blocks per game. Mangum also has active hands as a defender averaging 2.1 steals per game (No. 8 RMAC).
• Westminster has the fourth ranked offense scoring 66.7-points per game and the fourth ranked defense giving up 57.6-points. As a whole they shoot 47.9 percent from the field (No. 1 RMAC), 40 percent from three (No. 1 RMAC) and 76.6 percent from the free throw line (No. 2 RMAC).

MAVERICKS HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | SEASON STATS

• Colorado Mesa has had a rough stretch of games recently, falling to Colorado School of Mines 59-51 (Jan. 21) and Black Hills State 68-62 (Jan. 24). But, defeated Regis University 75-61 (Jan. 22).
• Despite going 1-2 recently, the Mavericks have been a dangerous team when they play in front of their fans – currently 5-1 in RMAC conference games at home. At the moment Colorado Mesa sits in fifth place with a 7-4 conference record.
• Similar to the Griffins, the Mavericks have two of the top scorers in the RMAC. Mariah Martin leads the way with 20.4-points (No. 2 RMAC) and Daniella Turner is right behind her with 20.3-points (No. 3 RMAC) and makes 48.7 percent of her shots from the field (No. 4 RMAC). The duo is also lethal from the free throw line, Turner making 96.7 percent (No. 1 RMAC) and Martin making 90.1 percent (No. 2 RMAC). 
• On the boards, Kelsey Siemons has been one of the best in the RMAC grabbing 8.2 rebounds per game (No. 2 RMAC).
• Colorado Mesa has the fifth ranked offense scoring 66.1-points per game and sixth ranked defense limiting opponents to 60.5-points. The Mavericks shoot 40.2 percent from the field (No. 5 RMAC), 30.1 percent from the three-point line (No. 8 RMAC) and has the best free throw percentage making 83.4 percent.

ON THE COURT NEXT
The Mountaineers will be back on the road Tuesday, Feb. 1, taking on Colorado Christian University at 5 p.m.

RMAC Standings
1. Colorado School of Mines, 10-0                               
2. Westminster, 8-2                                                                       
3. CSU Pueblo, 10-3                                                                
4. MSU Denver, 8-3                                                                            
5. Colorado Mesa, 7-4                                                      
6. Black Hills State, 7-3
7. Western, 6-4 
8. Adams State, 6-6 
9. Regis, 5-6    
10. Chadron State, 5-7 
11. UCCS, 4-7
12. Colorado Christian, 2-8
13. New Mexico Highlands, 1-9
14. Fort Lewis, 1-9
15. South Dakota Mines, 1-11