GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa men's basketball team (7-3, 3-1 RMAC) will close out the 2019 calendar year with a single matchup with the Western Colorado Mountaineers (5-5, 2-2 RMAC) on Friday December 20 at 7:30pm in Brownson Arena.
 
NATIONAL STATS
The Mavericks remain in the top ten in two categories heading into this weekend's matchup with Western Colorado. They are 10^th nationally in three-point field goal percentage, tied with RMAC foe Colorado School of Mines, at 42.3 percent. Two-time defending national champion Northwest Missouri State leads the category nationally at 44.3 percent.
 
Junior sharpshooter Kolton Peterson ranks sixth nationally in three-point field goal percentage at 52.9 percent. Nick Smith of Nova Southeastern leads the country, hitting on 61.8 percent of his attempts from behind the arc.
 
DIMES
Senior Michael Skinner has been solid taking care of the basketball and the numbers are showing that as well. Skinner ranks 50^th nationally and second in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.69 assists-to-turnovers.
 
The Thornton, Colo. native is tied for second on the team with 35 assists and has just 13 turnovers. Three different times this year he had five assists in a game with the most recent coming last Saturday against Chadron State.
 
STANDINGS WATCH
Dixie State continues to lead the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings with an unblemished mark of 5-0, 10-0 overall. The Trailblazers are up to No. 6 in the NABC Division II national poll and is one spot ahead of fellow NCAA South Central Region foe West Texas A&M.
 
Colorado Mesa sits in third and is just a half a game behind second place Colorado School of Mines, the Mavericks only conference loss this season. The Orediggers and Mavericks are the only two schools with just one loss in conference play.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN COLORADO
The Mountaineers had one of their best weekends in recent memory when they swept MSU Denver and Chadron State last weekend. The win over the Roadrunners was just the second since 1999.
 
Western Colorado and the Mavericks have four common opponents as each played in the others non-conference tournament. The Mountaineers defeated Midland University, Pacific Union, and Missouri Western but fell to Montana Western in the Holiday Inn Airport Thanksgiving Classic.
 
The Mountaineers are led by Australian freshman Josh Tomasi. Tomasi averages 14.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, both lead the Mountaineers. Senior Monroe Porter has played in and started all ten games and averages 8.1 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
 
Last Five Matchups
March 1, 2019 - @ Colorado Mesa 83, Western Colorado 63
December 1, 2018 – Colorado Mesa 97, @ Western Colorado 90
January 30, 2018 – Colorado Mesa 78, @ Western Colorado 76
November 28, 2017 - @ Colorado Mesa 86, Western Colorado 85
January 31, 2017 - @ Colorado Mesa 99, Western Colorado 97
 
FUN FACT: Western Colorado has a few famous alums. Doug Carlson, the co-founder of Fiji Water and Aspen Skiing Company, is among their notable alumni. Los Angeles Chargers star running back Austin Ekeler played for the Mountaineers from 2013-16. Recently he was the first player since 1986 to have a 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 14.
 
COACHING STAFF
Head coach Mike DeGeorge enters his second season at the helm of the Mavericks. DeGeorge led the Mavericks to a 19-10 record in his first season, an eight-win improvement from the previous season, and included a win over nationally-ranked DBU.
 
Kyle Bossier and Dutch Johnson both return to the bench as a part of the coaching staff. Bossier is in his second season while Johnson is in his sixth season as an assistant coach.
 
New to the staff this year is former Maverick Russ Gregory and graduate assistant Sean Lynch.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
The Mavericks will be on the road right after the New Year with their longest road trip of the season. They will take on South Dakota Mines on January 3 before heading up the road to Black Hills State on January 4. The Yellow Jackets ended the Mavericks season a year ago in the RMAC Tournament.