WESTMINSTER at WESTERN COLORADO
SENIOR NIGHT
5:30 p.m., Thu., Feb. 19 | Paul Wright Gym | Gunnison, Colo.
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WESTERN COLORADO at No. 4 COLORADO MESA
1 p.m., Sat., Feb. 21 | Brownson Arena | Grand Junction, Colo.
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GUNNISON, Colo.  As the regular season winds down, Western Colorado finds itself chasing a position of hosting a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference postseason tournament game, a quest that continues Thursday with a visit from Westminster (Utah) University and continues with a challenging road game Saturday at RMAC leader and fourth-ranked Colorado Mesa University.

THE HISTORY

• The Mountaineers have won six in a row against Westminster – including a Jan. 17 62-60 road victory – and are 18-7 all time against the Grizzlies.
• Conversely, Mesa has a six-game winning streak against Western, and own a 61-14 series record against the Mountaineers.

WESTERN COLORADO HEADING INTO THE WEEKEND | 2025-26 Stats

• Western has won four of its last five, two wins each sandwiched around a road loss at MSU Denver, in posting an overall record of 13-9 and an RMAC mark of 11-5, which is tied for fourth place in the conference standings with UC Colorado Springs.
• The Mountaineers have played a lot of close games during the season, evidenced by its +1 scoring margin that still allows for a winning record.
• Western leads the conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.370), a figure lifted by Jayda Maves' 37% from behind the arc, the RMAC's leading percentage and one that ranks fifth in all of Division II women's basketball.
• The Mountaineers continue to be known for rebounding, and their +6 rebounding margin accents that trend, as they rank third in the conference and 40th nationally.
• Ivey Schmidt's 19.8 PPG leads the Western attack and is with 1 PPG of the conference leader's 20.8 PPG.
• Schmidt doesn't stand alone in the scoring department for Western, though, as Maves averages 13.5 PPG and Alyssa Eckroth adds 12.8 PPG.
• Speaking of Eckroth, her 84% from the free throw line is tied for second best in the RMAC.

WESTMINSTER HEADING INTO THE GAME | 2025-26 Stats

• The Grizzlies, 8-15 overall and 5-12 in the RMAC, are coming off a Tuesday night loss to Colorado Mesa, a defeat that closed a three-game Westminster win streak.
• The win streak improved their negative scoring margin, but the Grizzlies still head into Thursday's game with a minus-7 mark in that category.
• They have a +3 rebounding margin but a minus-3 turnover margin that counters that advantage.
• All three Grizzlies that pace the scoring with double-digit averages factor heavily into the offense. Ellie Mitchell leads the team at 13.5 PPG and from the outside with 37 3-pointers, while Madison Anderson (12.0 PPG) is the inside threat, leading the team with a 7.2 RPG mark.
• Teuila Nawahine commands Westminster in the offensive end, dishing out a team-best 76 assists while averaging 12.3 PPG. She is also the team's second-leading rebounder at 6.2 RPG.
• Anderson has pulled down double digit rebounds in five of her last nine games for the Grizzlies.

COLORADO MESA COMING INTO THE GAME | 2025-26 Stats

• At 27-1 overall and 17-0 in league play, the Mavericks enter Saturday's game on a 24-game win streak, their lone loss coming early in the season at now-No. 11 West Texas A&M.
• Mesa leads the RMAC in scoring (74.4 PPG), scoring margin (+23), and made 3-pointers (194), and are second in the conference in rebounding (42.7 RPG) and rebounding margin (+12).
• The inside-outside presence of Olivia Reed Thyne and Mason Rowland are a pick your poison nightmare for teams.
• Reed Thyne leads the Mavs in scoring at 20.6 PPG and rebounding (11.1 RPG), with Rowland second in scoring (17.0) that is buoyed by 55 3-pointers.
• Rowland is also the spark plug in the offensive end, with 109 assists.

MOUNTAINEER SENIORS

• The program on Thursday night will recognize in a pre-game ceremony three seniors – Schmidt, Chloe Daniels, and Darcy Jardine.
• Schmidt surpassed the 1,000-point career plateau during the season and enters the weekend with a career total of 1,304 points. She's started 71 games and played in 78 over her three seasons with the Mountaineers, accumulating 2,381 minutes of court time.
• Daniels joined the program last season and in her two years on the Western Slops has played in 51 games with 23 starts and has pulled down a total of 199 rebounds.
• Since transferring to Western, Jardine has battled back from injury to play in 23 games for the Mountaineers.

UP NEXT
The Mountaineers close out their regular season schedule on the road with a Feb. 26 game at Chadron State (Neb.) followed by the final at South Dakota Mines two days later.