GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— The Colorado Mesa University men's basketball team returns home to begin a 4-game homestand when they host Westminster and Dixie State on Friday and Saturday nights, respectively in Brownson Arena.
 
Both games will tip-off at 7:30 p.m., following the women's contests at 5:30 p.m.
 
HOME, SWEET HOME
 
The Mavericks are a perfect 9-0 at home this season and have won 11 straight home games dating back to last season. 
 
The Mavericks have outscored opponents by 14 points (86.6-72.6) per game at home this season and have five players averaging in double-figures in front of their home crowd.  Tommy Nuno leads that group and is averaging 14.6 points per game.  He has also dished out 7.1 assists and grabbed 6.6 rebounds per game at home this season.
 
Georgie Dancer is just behind with his 14.1 point per game average at home while Jared Small and Michael Skinner are both averaging 12.4 points per game.  Ethan Richardson is averaging 11.7 points per game in his three home games since joining the program in January.
 
WINTER WHITEOUT
 
Throughout Friday's men's and women's doubleheader, fans can enjoy some extra entertainment and a chance to win special prizes and giveaways during the Mavericks' Winter Whiteout Presented by Coca-Cola promotion.
 
The first 700 fans will receive a free Whiteout T-shirt provided by Coca-Cola.  These shirts are made from recycled plastic and will be distributed by the CMU Sustainability Council.
 
Rowdy and the Coca Cola Polar Bear will be providing in-game and halftime entertainment.  Fans are encouraged to wear white throughout the evening.
 
LONG DISTANCE SHOOTER
 
Maverick junior Kolton Peterson scored a career-high 24 points in last Saturday's win over Colorado Christian.  All 24 came from beyond the arc as he made an impressive eight 3-pointer on just ten attempts against the Cougars.
 
Peterson is now 53-for-106 (50 percent) from 3-point land this season and is tied for second in all of NCAA Division II for 3-point field goal percentage. 
 
In his career, Peterson has made 119 3-pointers and is already up to No. 6 on the Mavs' all-time chart in that category.  Peterson is just four away from joining Leif Spencer in the top five. Spencer had 123 in his 2-year (1997-99) Maverick career.
 
HE's NOT ALONE
 
Although Peterson has certainly led the way, he is not the only deadly 3-point shooter on the Maverick squad.  As a team, the Mavericks lead the RMAC with their 42.9 percent success rate from 3-point land.  That mark puts them third in Division II.
 
CMU is 183 of 427 from distance as a team.
 
Jeret Schmelling actually has the team's highest 3-point percentage at 57.1, but is just 4-for-7 this season.  Jared Small has also been a killer 50.7 percent shooter from distance, making 37 of his 73 attempts.  However, he is short of the NCAA statistical minimum requirement of 2.5 made 3-pointers per game to appear in the national rankings.  Michael Skinner is also shooting at 50.0 percent (14-28) from 3-point land while Tommy Nuno has also been efficient, canning 13 of his 27 attempts for a 48.1 percent success rate.
 
BREAKING THE 20-20 ROAD CURSE
 
The Mavericks' 90-70 road win at Colorado Christian on Saturday night in Lakewood was their first road win in 2020 and snapped what was a 6-game road losing streak this season.  The Mavericks, who are 2-6 as the away team and 2-2 on a neutral-court, had won their initial road game on Dec. 6 at UCCS before going into the troubling stretch, which is now behind them.
 
Although they are home for the next four games, the Mavericks then will end the regular season with their final three on the road.
 
STANDINGS WATCH
 
The Mavericks currently sit in a 4-way tie for fourth place in the log-jammed RMAC standings heading into the weekend.  Black Hills State, which has won 13 straight games overall, leads the pack at 13-2 while Dixie State, CMU's Saturday night opponent, is just a game back after falling to Adams State on Saturday.
 
The Colorado School of Mines is in third at 10-5 while the Mavericks are tied with New Mexico Highlands, UCCS and Westminster, making Friday's match-up with the Griffins even more pivotal.
 
South Dakota Mines currently holds the eighth and final RMAC Tournament qualification spot at 8-7 while Fort Lewis, Regis and CSU-Pueblo, who are all 7-8 would miss out on the tournament if the regular season were over.
 
All RMAC teams have seven conference games remaining.
 
SCOUTING WESTMINSTER
 
The Griffins have won five straight games and will enter Brownson Arena sporting a 14-7 overall record.  Like the Mavs, they are 9-6 in conference play.
 
The two teams recently squared off in Salt Lake City with the Griffins coming out on top by a 77-62 score on Jan. 25.  Jake Connor had 20 points in that game while Brandon Warr chipped in 19.  He leads the team and is tied for eighth in the RMAC in scoring average at 16.3 points per game.  Warr is also averaging 8.7 rebounds per game to lead the conference.
 
Last Five Matchups
January 25, 2020 –  @Westminster 77, Colorado Mesa 62
February 8, 2019 – Colorado Mesa 77, @ Westminster 62
January 26, 2019 – @ Colorado Mesa 79, Westminster 59
February 3, 2018 – @ Westminster 83, Colorado Mesa 70
November 30, 2017 – Westminster 74, @ Colorado Mesa 62
 
FUN FACT: Griffin alumni Kaitlyn Farrington won the women's half-pipe gold medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia before retiring from the sport in 2015 at the age of 25 due to a congenital spine condition.
 
SCOUTING DIXIE STATE
 
The Trailblazers come into the weekend, which they will begin with a Friday night clash at Western Colorado in Gunnison, with a 17-4 overall record, including a 12-3 conference mark.  They had won six straight games before falling 82-75 on Saturday at Adams State.
 
The Trailblazers are ranked 22^nd in this week's NABC Division II Coaches' Poll after sitting 19^th a week before.
 
The Trailblazers have three players averaging in double figures this season with Hunter Schofield leading the way with his 16.4 point per game average to rank seventh in the RMAC.  He is also shooting a solid 52.4 percent (132-252) from the field, to stand eighth in the RMAC, and leads the team in rebounding at 6.8 per game, the fifth best mark in the conference.
 
Jack Pagenkopf is averaging 13.6 points per game and has dished out 129 assists, an average of 6.1 per game to lead the conference.  He also leads the team with 43 steals and is second in that category.  Pagenkopf (21) and Schofield (17) scored a combined 38 points in Dixie State's 74-68 win over the Mavericks on Jan. 24 in St. George, Utah.
 
Last Five Matchups
January 24, 2020 – @ Dixie State 74, Colorado Mesa 68
February 9, 2019  – @ Dixie State 80, Colorado Mesa 73
January 25, 2019 – Dixie State 86, @ Colorado Mesa 61
November 8, 2013 – @ Dixie State 85, Colorado Mesa 81
November 24, 2012  – @ Colorado Mesa 80, Dixie State 61
 
FUN FACT: Saturday's visit to Grand Junction, could very well be Dixie State's last for some time.  The Trailblazers will be moving to the NCAA Division I ranks as members of the Western Athletic Conference next year. The move will come just two years after the Trailblazers joined the RMAC after being members of the PacWest Conference.
 
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.
 
In his 19 seasons as a head coach, which included stops at Eureka, Cornell and Rhodes Colleges prior to CMU, DeGeorge has amassed 227 career wins.
 
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 remain at home for their final two home games of the regular season as they will host Colorado Christian and Regis in re-matches of last weekend's games.  Those contests will be on Friday, Feb. 14 and Saturday, Feb. 15.