GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado women's basketball enters Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action Thursday on a four-game win streak and – for the first time since Feb. 17, 2020 – in the D2CSC South Central Region rankings, showing up at No. 9 in the Week 4 listing.

The host Mountaineers will try to extend their win streak against Colorado Christian University and on Saturday against CSU Pueblo.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2024-25 Stats

• The Mountaineers (4-2) opened the season with a pair of losses, but since then they have won their last four outings. Western  averaged just 53 points in the two defeats, while in its four wins are posting 67 points per game.
• In the most recent two wins the Mountaineers have registered a combined 15-5 edge in 3-pointers and an emphatic 90-46 advantage in rebounding.
• Helping with those rebounding figures is Rachel Cockman, who has put together double-double performances in the recent two victories. She pulled down 11 rebounds while scoring 18 against Northern New Mexico, and came away with 10 boards while adding 15 points against St. Edwards (Texas).
• Though Cockman leads the team in scoring with a 13.0 points per game average, she is not alone in the offensive end of the floor with Ivey Schmidt contributing 9.5 PPG, Jayde Tschritter adding 7.2 PPG, Jayda Maves chipping in a rate of 6.5 per game, and Brooklyn Seymour contributing 6.2 PPG.
• Cockman (8.0 RBG) and Schmidt (6.2 RPG) lead the team in rebounding, and in the offensive end exclusively, Schmidt totals 16 assists and Tschritter has rainbowed in 12 3-pointers.

COLORADO CHRISTIAN HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2024-25 Stats

• The Cougars come to Paul Wright Gym on Thursday carrying a 1-5 record into their RMAC opener against the Mountaineers. The lone victory came in the season's third game, a 79-70 victory over Missouri Western State on Nov. 15.
• CCU also comes into the game, though, with a three-game winning streak over Western.
• Averaging 58 PPG, the Cougars are behind in scoring margin as they surrender 66 PPG. They have not had a lot of success from behind the 3-point arc, hitting just 28 percent of those long-range attempts, but battle for rebounds, equaling opponents with a 34.5 RPG average.
• Three players are averaging double figures, led by Maggie Hutka's 15.5 PPG mark. Also in double digits are Victoria Perez (10.2) and Maggie Phipps (10.0).
• Perez and Phipps, with 12 and 10 3-pointers are the long-distance shooters for the Cougars, while Hutka and Dasiya Jones, with 39 and 48 total rebounds, respectively, take care of the close-in work.

COLORADO STATE PUEBLO HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2024-25 Stats

• The ThunderWolves are 4-3 heading into their RMAC opener Thursday at Westminster (Utah) University. Following a non-conference loss to Colorado Mesa, CSU Pueblo defeated Haskell Indian National University (57-23) and Northern New Mexico (75-46) in their most recent games.
• Pueblo averages 57 PPG, with a narrow minus-3 scoring margin average, with the offense led by 2023-24 RMAC Defensive Player of the Year Alisha Little's 22.6 PPG.
• Little also lead the team in rebounding with 63 on the year for an average of 9.0 RPG.
• The ThunderWolves are hitting just 21 percent of their 3-pointers, with Landri Hudson's 12 treys accounting for more than third of the team's total (34).
• Off the glass, and despite Little's rebounding numbers, Pueblo is being out rebounded by an average of 42 to 36 per game.
• Similar to CCU, the ThunderWolves have defeated Western Colorado in each of the past three meetings.

UP NEXT
Western hits the road for its next two RMAC matchups, traveling to the Front Range to take on host MSU Denver on Dec. 12 followed by a trip across town to battle Regis University on its home court on Dec. 14.