GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa men's basketball team will head out on the road for their final three games of the regular season starting this weekend with a trip to Fort Lewis (13-12, 7-12 RMAC) on Friday followed by a matchup in Alamosa on Saturday with Adams State (7-18, 5-14 RMAC) in two important matchups.
 
ON THE ROAD
Much has been made about the road woes of Colorado Mesa but they aren't the only ones that have had problems on the road. Fort Lewis is just 2-9 on the road while Adams State is 0-15 away from Plachy Hall.
 
Even the top schools in the conference have had their struggles. Three of Dixie State's four losses have come on the road and Black Hills has lost three of their six losses away from the Young Center.
 
Late in the year and in the postseason, the teams that usually survive have to find ways to win on the road. The Mavericks won their last road game and need to win two of their final three on the road to have a chance at a home RMAC tournament game.
 
FROM THREE
Colorado Mesa moved from No. 6 to No. 2 in NCAA Division II in three-point field goal percentage after shooting 51.7 percent (15-for-29) from beyond the arc in the two home games last weekend. For the season, they are at 42.5 percent while Northwest Missouri State leads the country at 46.4 percent.
 
Jared Small has taken control as the top three-point shooter on the team at 51.7 percent (46-for-89) with Kolten Peterson just behind him at 48.4 percent (59-for-120) from beyond the arc.
 
Peterson's 59 threes rank 10^th most in a season in program history and will slowly climb with every make. He has already ascended to No. 5 on the all-time three-pointers made chart with 125 and is just one behind Dwayne Horn for the No. 4 slot.
 
STANDINGS WATCH
The standings in the conference are starting to take shape but a lot can happen in the final three games. For Colorado Mesa, one win will clinch them a spot in the RMAC Tournament which begins on March 3. The Mavericks are currently tied with South Dakota Mines for the fourth and final home game spot in the conference standings. If the two teams remain tied in the final standings, the Hardrockers would get the nod with a head-to-head win over Colorado Mesa back in January.
 
Dixie State and Black Hills State are tied atop the standings with Dixie State holding the head-to-head advantage.
 
Colorado School of Mines sits in third, two games back of Black Hills State and Dixie State and two games ahead of South Dakota Mines and the Mavericks.
 
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS
Colorado Mesa and Fort Lewis have had a long standing rivalry and it has continued to heat up after the most recent matchup in Grand Junction. The Mavericks made a school record 18 three-pointers and shot 78.3 percent from beyond the arc, also a program best, in a 105-91 win.
 
The Skyhawks have lost six straight games and are 2-8 on the road but, this game is in Durango where they are 11-4 in Whalen Gymnasium this season. They dropped their last two at home back on January 31 and February 1 to Dixie State and Westminster.
 
Riley Faris continues to be one of the top scorers in the RMAC, averaging 23.9 points per game, good enough for third in the conference. He scored a season-high 36 against UCCS earlier this year and poured in 30 points against the Mavericks in their previous meeting.
 
Last Five Matchups
January 18, 2020 – @ Colorado Mesa 105, Fort Lewis 91
February 1, 2020 – Colorado Mesa 90, @ Colorado Christian 70
February 15, 2019 – Colorado Mesa 69, @ Colorado Christian 58
February 2, 2019 – @ Colorado Mesa 94, Colorado Christian 63
January 13, 2018 – @ Colorado Mesa 85,  Colorado Christian 70
 
FUN FACT: UFC women's fighter Nicco Montano is an alum of Fort Lewis. She was the inaugural UFC women's flyweight champion and won The Ultimate Fighter 26 Women's Flyweight Tournament. Montano is the first UFC Champion of Navajo decent.
 
SCOUTING ADAMS STATE
Adams State fell to the Mavericks 88-76 in their previous matchup back on January 17 and have struggled for most of the season with a 7-18 mark but have a 6-3 record in home games. The Grizzlies do hold a home win over the conference's top team in Dixie State, an 82-75 win on February 1.
 
Kaelin Crane leads the Grizzlies in scoring at 14.6 points per game. He finished with a season-high 32 points in an early season win over Embry Riddle and has five straight games where he has had double-digit points.
 
Last Five Matchups
January 17, 2020 – @ Colorado Mesa 88, Adams State 76
February 23, 2019 – @ Colorado Mesa 96, Adams State 82
January 18, 2019 – Colorado Mesa 79, @ Adams State 74
February 9, 2018 – Adams State 96, @ Colorado Mesa 83
December 9, 2017 – Colorado Mesa 90, @ Adams State 87

FUN FACT: One of Adams State's notable alumni is Dr. Joe Vigil, noted distance and altitude running coach and author. He was named as a 'Legend Coach' in 2015 by USA Track & Field. Vigil led the Grizzlies to numerous NCAA National Championships in both cross country and track and field.
 
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 for their final game of the regular season on Friday February 28 when they travel to Gunnison to take on the Western Colorado Mountaineers.