GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa men's basketball team will hit the road for their final regular season game on Friday when they travel to Gunnison for a matchup with rival Western Colorado (13-14, 10-11 RMAC) in Paul Wright Gym.
 
YOUNG BIG
Freshman Ethan Menzies had his best scoring night as a Maverick in the win over Adams State last Saturday. Menzies poured in 25 points on 11-for-13 shooting from the field and pulled down a season-high eight rebounds.
 
Menzies is quick to point to teammate Ethan Richardson for helping him improve his game and the duo will only get better moving into the postseason and next year.
 
STAT STUFFER
Senior Michael Skinner has been the team's Swiss Army Knife this season. Skinner leads the team in steals (50) and total rebounds (166) and is within percentage points of three teammates in scoring at 11.5 points per game.
 
He nearly came away with a triple double against Adams State, finishing with nine points, eight rebounds, and eight assists in the win. In the previous matchup with Adams State, he finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds and six assists leading to his RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
 
MOVIN ON UP
Junior sharpshooter Kolton Peterson continues to ascend the career three-pointers made chart. With four made threes this past weekend, the Lakewood, Colo. native has 129 makes and moved up to fourth on the all-time made three-pointers list just ahead of Dwayne Horn who played from 2001-04.
 
Peterson now has his sights set on the No. 3 position that is occupied by Landon Vermeer who had 134 makes during his four-year career.
 
STANDINGS WATCH
Colorado Mesa has clinched a spot in the RMAC Tournament but can lock themselves into the No. 4 slot with a win over Western Colorado on Friday. That isn't the only way they can earn the four spot though, if Black Hills State defeats South Dakota Mines on Friday that would lock the Mavericks into that spot as well.
 
Dixie State and Black Hills State are still tied atop the standings after both schools dropped both games on the road last weekend. Dixie State will win the top spot with a win against Westminster or a Black Hills State loss to South Dakota Mines.
 
Colorado School of Mines can jump into the equation with a win and both schools lose.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN
The Mountaineers might be one of the hottest teams in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference right now after winning their past five games by an average margin of 12.8 points.
 
Colorado Mesa defeated Western Colorado in Grand Junction back on December 20 by a score of 71-49. Jared Small had a team-high 13 points while Tommy Nuno finished with eight points, seven assists and six rebounds in the win.
 
Senior Monroe Porter was named the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week last week after snaring 20 rebounds in the win against Adams State. Porter is averaging 9.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on the season.
 
Last Five Matchups
December 20, 2019 – @ Colorado Mesa 71, Western Colorado 49
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
 
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 have clinched a spot in the RMAC Tournament and depending on the outcomes outlined earlier, could have a home game against an opponent yet to be determined.