GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado women's basketball has upped its Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference record to 3-1 with wins in its two most recent league games, and on the upcoming weekend will look to extend that win streak at home in Paul Wright Gym.

The Mountaineers will take on the Skyhawks from Fort Lewis College on Thursday evening before welcoming New Mexico Highlands University to Paul Wright on Saturday afternoon.

THE HISTORY

• Since the 2007-08 season, Western is 7-28 versus Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks have won the past four meetings between the schools, a string that had halted a five-game winning streak by Western.
• Since that same 2007-08 season, the Mountaineers have an overall record of 20-6 against the Cowgirls. A four-game Western win streak was stopped in January 2023 by a Highlands home win, but the Mountaineers responded with a win last season in Gunnison.

WESTERN COLORADO (8-3 overall / 3-1 RMAC) LEADERS AND STATS

• Rachel Cockman and Ivey Schmidt are both averaging in double-figures for Western, Cockman leading with 12.6 points per game with Schmidt adding 10.3 PPG.
• The same duo is also leading the team in rebounding. Cockman has a total of 90 rebounds and averages 8.2 per game, while Schmidt has pulled down 65 and averages 5.9 RPG.
• Jayde Tschritter and Jayda Maves are the leaders from long range. Tschritter's 25 3-pointers are fourth most in the RMAC, and Maves' 18 are 10th most. As a team, the Mountaineers lead the RMAC in 3-point field goal percentage at 33.8 percent.
• Schmidt sets up the Western attack, dishing out a team-leading 34 assists
• The Mountaineers are eighth in scoring in the league (63.4 PPG) but lead the conference in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 57.0 PPG.
• Western leads the conference in rebounding margin, averaging 39.9 per game while allowing opponents to come up with just 29.6 per game.

FORT LEWIS (4-8 / 1-3) LEADERS AND STATS

• The Skyhawks lost four straight before rolling out a 114-33 win over Navajo Technical University in the last game.
• Two players are averaging double digits to lead FLC in scoring. Darla Hernandez averages 10.3 PPG with Kayde Strauss average 10.0.
• Hernandez also leads the team in rebounding, coming down with a total of 103 and averaging 8.6 RPG.
• Katie Lamp, 18 3-pointers, and Livia Knapp, 15, pace Fort Lewis from behind the arc.
• Knapp is the setup player for FLC, doling out a total of 29 assists.
• Before cresting the century mark on the scoreboard in their last outing, the Skyhawks were posting a minus-8.2 scoring margin (65.3-57.1).

N.M. HIGHLANDS (5-5 / 2-2) LEADERS AND STATS

• The Cowgirls had won two RMAC games in a row before suffering a setback to visiting Adams State in their most recent outing. That game against the Grizzlies was on Dec. 14, 2024.
• Juliana Aragon leads the team in scoring with a 15.6 PPG mark, but Kapiolani Anitielu is also in double figures at 14.7 PPG.
• Anitielu is the Cowgirls' leader off the glass with 60 rebounds (6.0 RPG), while Caitlin Turnbow averages 5.8 RPG and Eva Ongoongotau is next at 5.7 RPG.
• Anitielu (14 3-pointers) and Aragon (13) are the long-range sharpshooters for the Cowgirls. The next closest player has dropped in just 6 triples.
• The attack in the offensive end runs through Aragon, who totals 46 assists heading into the weekend.
• Highlands averages a plus-9.8 scoring margin in its five wins, against a minus-5.0 deficit in its five losses.

UP NEXT

• Western hosts Colorado Mesa in an RMAC matchup on Jan. 14, then heads to Salt Lake City for Saturday's league contest against Westminster University.
• A special attraction show presented by Ohiole Dibua -- a finalist on America's Got Talent -- will take place at halftime of the Mesa game.