Western Colorado vs South Dakota Mines 

5:30 PM MT. Friday, Jan. 12| King Center | Rapid City, S.D. 

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Western Colorado vs Black Hills State 

4 PM MT. Saturday, Jan. 13 | Donald E. Young Center | Spearfish, S.D.   

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RAPID CITY, S.D. Western Colorado will face a pair of South Dakota schools on the road this weekend beginning with South Dakota Mines on Friday, January 12 with tip off slated for 5:30 p.m. They will then make the trip to Spearfish, S.D. to take on Black Hills State on Saturday, Jan. 13 at 4 p.m.  

The Mountaineers fell to the Hardrockers, 54-52 in their lone meeting last season. Western also fell to the Yellow Jackets last season 55-52 in another close contest.  

MOUNTAINEERS HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023-24 Stats 

• The Mountaineers (2-9, 0-6 RMAC) have scored 57.3 points per game in their first 11 games of the season while shooting 37% from the field. Western Colorado has recorded 36.6 rebounds per game compared to its opponents 33.1 rebounds per game. The team ranks sixth in the conference in rebounds per game and first in defensive rebounds per game with 29.2.  

• Rachel Cockman leads the Mountaineers' strong rebounding efforts with 8.8 rebounds per game individually, which ranks fifth in the conference. The junior's 70 rebounds on the season include 63 boards in her five double-double games. Cockman has a season-high 15 rebounds that came in the first week of competition against Angelo State.  

• Not only does Cockman lead the team in defensive categories, but she also leads the Mountaineers in points per game (17.6) and field goal percentage (48%). Cockman ranks fourth in the RMAC in points per game, while teammates Jayda Maves ranks 12th with 12.2 points per game. Maves has quickly made a name for herself during her freshman campaign, not only is she scoring 12.2 points per game but is shooting 34% from beyond the arc.  

HARDROCKERS HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023-24 Stats

• The Hardrockers (3-11, 3-5 RMAC) are coming off a 77-73 loss against Fort Lewis and a win over No. 22 Adams State, 67-62. The Hardrockers got off to a strong start in both games last weekend by scoring over 20 points in each of their first quarters. South Dakota Mines also shot over 50% in both of those games in the first quarter.  

• In their first 13 games of the season, they have shot 57.6 points per game which is 14.7 less than their opponents average (72.3). In the last three games, the Hardrockers are shooting 75% from the free throw line with Piper Bauer shooting 80% from the line this season. Savea Masfield and Lauren Herman are also shooting over 80% from the charity stripe.  

• Piper Bauer has dominated the offensive game for the Hardrockers this season by averaging 16.5 points per game, while making 38% of her shots from the field. The junior is also coming off a career-high 30-point game.  

YELLOW JACKETS HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2023-24 Stats

• Black Hills State (7-4, 4-3 RMAC) is coming off a weekend split that saw a 69-60 loss to Adams State and an overtime 77-74 win over Fort Lewis. Morgan Hammerbeck's career-high 23-point performance gave the Yellow Jackets the advantage in overtime against Fort Lewis last weekend.  

• BHSU's defense leads the conference in multiple categories including scoring defense at 58.5 points allowed per game and rebounds per game (40.8). Individually, Hammerbeck paces her team with 5.5 rebounds per game and 60 total rebounds on the season. Kalla Bertram is tied for seventh in the RMAC in steals, collecting 2.4 per game and 26 total.  

• Ellie Moore leads the Yellow Jackets offensively with 9.5 points per game followed closely by Hammerbeck's 9.1 points per game. Moore has a field goal percentage of 47%, which also leads her squad.  

UP NEXT 

The Mountaineers will hit the hardwood in Paul Wright Gym for the first time in the 2024 calendar year when they welcome Colorado State University Pueblo and New Mexico Highlands next weekend. Western Colorado will face off against CSU Pueblo on Friday, Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. before taking on the Cowgirls on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m.