DENVER  Mountaineer women's basketball heads out this weekend for its first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference road trip, taking on host Metropolitan State University Denver on Thursday night and Regis University on Saturday afternoon.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2024-25 Stats

• The Mountaineers carry a 5-3 overall record and 1-1 conference mark into the games on the Front Range. A five-game win streak was halted in their last outing, a narrow loss to visiting CSU Pueblo.
• Western's defense has been the toughest to play against in the RMAC, leading the league allowing just 57.0 points per game.
• Part of that toughness comes from also leading the conference in rebounding, 39.4 per game, which includes an RMAC-best 28.8 defensive rebounds per game. Western's plus-8.8 rebounding margin also tops league statistics.
• In compiling its early-season winning record, the Mountaineers are a plus-3.9 in scoring margin, despite posting a minus-4.6 margin in turnovers.
• Rachel Cockman paces the team in scoring and rebounding. She is the lone player in double figures in scoring, 13.1 PPG, and her 9.3 RPG rank fourth in league stats. A force in the paint not only coming off the rim, but also going up as she is third in the conference in blocks with a total of 12.
• Ivey Schmidt trails only Cockman in scoring and rebounding, averaging 9.0 PPG and 6.1 RPG. She is the dealer in the offensive end, leading the team with 21 assists.
• Brooklyn Seymour helps on the boards with 5.0 RPG, but has been a thief on defense, leading the Mountaineers with 11 steals.
• Jayde Tschritter is the mad bomber from long range, knocking down 17 3-pointers so far this season.

MSU DENVER HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2024-25 Stats

• The Roadrunners have a 2-6 overall mark and a 1-1 record in the RMAC, with the conference win coming in their most recent game at Adams State.
• They have a 14-7 record against Western since the 2007-08 season, but lost at home to the Mountaineers, 70-61, in the most recent meeting on Jan. 27, 2024.
• Reflected in its overall record, MSU Denver averages a minus-9.4 scoring margin, minus-1.8 rebounding margin, and a minus-1.3 turnover margin.
• Mikyla Espinosa paces the Roadrunners in scoring with a 13.8 PPG mark, which includes a team-high seven 3-pointers. She posted the team's season high of 27 points in an early-season non-conference loss to Saint Martin's.
• Espinosa, the league's recent defensive player of the week, leads the RMAC with an average of 4.1 steals per game and has come away with a total of 33 on the season. However, she has also turned the ball over 30 times.
• Jackie Pippett is the team's leading rebounder, with a total of 43 and an average of 5.4 per game.

REGIS HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2024-25 Stats

• The Rangers host Colorado Mesa on Thursday before welcoming Western to the Regis Field House on Saturday. Going into the game against the Mavericks, Regis is 4-4 overall and 2-0 in the league with a seven-point win over New Mexico Highlands and a 10-point victory over Fort Lewis to open its RMAC slate.
• The Rangers have won the last three games against Western, and have a 13-9 overall record against the Mountaineers since the 2007-08 season.
• Something's got to give in the game against Western. The Rangers lead the RMAC with a 73.8 PPG mark while Western leads the league defensively at 57.0 PPG allowed.
• Though Regis is putting together offensive numbers, its average scoring margin this season is at just plus-1.3 points per game. It is behind in rebounding, a minus-2.3 margin, but ahead in turnover margin at plus-3.5.
• Erin Fry makes the Rangers attack go, posting a 21.8 PPG mark while also leading the team with 56 assists. She is the most recent RMAC offensive player of the week, earning the award for a second time this season.
• Teammate Athena Saragoza is also scoring in double figures, posting a 17.6 PPG mark, a figure that includes a team-leading 28 made 3-pointers.
• Fiona Snashall works hard off the glass for Regis, leading the team's rebounders with a total of 52 and an average of 7.4 per game.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers take a break from their conference schedule in their next outing, heading back to the Front Range for an exhibition game on Dec. 18 at Division I University of Denver.