GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa men's basketball has an early start to the week, playing Tuesday and Thursday against geographical rivals.

The Mavericks, who saw their seven-game overall win streak and 11-0 RMAC start both snapped with a home loss to No. 8 Fort Lewis this past Friday, have an opportunity to rebound against Western Colorado and Westminster squads that currently occupy the bottom two spots in the RMAC standings.

The Mavs have a split home-and-road week ahead, travelling to Gunnison on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. before hosting Westminster on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Looking Back
Colorado Mesa came up short in the Coca-Cola Blizzard in Brownson, as the seventh-ranked Mavericks fell to the eighth-ranked Fort Lewis Skyhawks.

RECAP: Fort Lewis

Mac Riniker was stellar in the loss, scoring 28 points while shooting 11-for-12 from the field. Trevor Baskin was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds. The main difference came from deep, as Fort Lewis shot 55 percent from behind the arc while the Mavs shot only 31 percent. The Mavs only forced half as many turnovers as they committed, as Fort Lewis won the turnover battle 22-11.

Streak-Snapper
Last Friday's loss halted a number of impressive win streaks for the CMU men's basketball team.

The Mavericks had won 20 RMAC regular season contests in a row dating back to January 24, 2023 (against this Thursday's opponent, Westminster), eight home matches in a row and seven overall games in a row since a nonconference loss to West Texas A&M on December 18, 2023.

The Mavs are now 1-2 this season against top-10 opponents at the time of competition, losing to then-No. 5 West Texas A&M and Fort Lewis and beating then-No. 8 MSU Denver. The Mavericks also played and lost to Dallas Baptist, which was unranked at the time but is now No. 4 overall, in the first game of the season.

Stat Pack
Colorado Mesa's up-tempo and high-energy style has led to some gaudy statistics, as the Mavs rank in the top 10 in Division II in several categories.

The Mavs shoot the three with more frequency than just about anyone in Division II. Colorado Mesa ranks second in the nation with 33.5 attempted threes per game (trailing only West Liberty) and ranks third in the nation with 11.8 made threes per game. The Mavs use ball movement to create shots, and rank fifth in Division II with 18.8 assists per game. Colorado Mesa ranks sixth in Division II in rebound margin, grabbing 8.3 more rebounds per game on average than its opponents, and the Mavs rank 23^rd in total rebounds per game with 40.17 per contest.

Colorado Mesa also ranks seventh in Division II in effective field goal percentage. Effective field goal percentage is a statistic that weighs made three-pointers higher than made two-pointers, essentially calculating field goal percentage with made threes as 1.5 makes per attempt. With Colorado Mesa's offense favoring threes, the Mavericks' .586 effective field goal percentage is substantially higher than their field goal percentage of .491.

Individually, Mac Riniker's field goal percentage of 66.2 percent shooting from the field leads the RMAC and is the sixth-highest in Division II. Riniker also ranks 18^th in the nation in total steals (41) and 21^st in steals per game (2.28). Trevor Baskin is tied for the RMAC lead and ranks tied for 29^th in Division II with six double-doubles on the season, while also ranking second in the RMAC in total rebounds (152) while leading the conference in defensive boards (6.39 per game).

Second-Half Team
The men's loss to Fort Lewis was also rare in that the Mavericks were outscored in the second half. Trailing by three to the Skyhawks at the break, Fort Lewis outscored CMU 47-42 over the final 20 minutes of game time to secure the 87-79 win.

When tied or trailing at halftime this season, CMU was previously 5-2 this season. The Mavericks were previously 4-0 when trailing by fewer than 10 points at the break. The Mavs have had three additional games in which they led by two points or fewer at the half, and won all three of those, as well.

Those stats are part of a larger pattern where, by and large, CMU has obliterated opponents in the second half of games. The Mavs are outscoring opponents 831-648 in the second half this season, outpacing opponents by an average of over 10 points in the half (46.2 points per game to 36 points per game).

CMU has been outscored in the second half just three times this season, and never by more than five points  – Friday against Fort Lewis (47-42), January 12 against Chadron State (43-40) and December 18 vs. West Texas A&M (36-32). By contrast, CMU has outscored opponents in the second half by 10 points or more nine times this season and four times by 15 points or more. That includes margins of 21 against UCCS (40-19) and 31 against New Mexico Highlands (67-36), both games in which Colorado Mesa trailed at halftime but won.

About Western Colorado
Picked 15^th and last in the RMAC preseason poll with a new coaching staff, the Western Colorado Mountaineers are 6-12 overall and 3-9 in the RMAC. The Mountaineers won their first RMAC game by a point in overtime against Adams State before losing their next seven conference games. They rebounded with a pair of home wins over CSU Pueblo (79-72) and New Mexico Highlands (76-65) on January 19 and 20. Last week, WCU lost by five to No. 14 Colorado School of Mines (77-72) before suffering a 39-point loss to MSU Denver (67-38).

The Mountaineers have been formidable at home, going 4-3 in Paul Wright Gymnasium as opposed to 1-9 on the road. The Mavericks and Mountaineers have three common nonconference opponents – like the Mavs, WCU beat Texas A&M-Kingsville (69-68) and lost to West Texas A&M (71-48) but the Mountaineers also lost to Texas A&M International, 65-62.

Western Colorado has the lowest-ranked offense in the RMAC, only scoring 63.1 points per game while every other RMAC team averages 70 or more. The Mountaineers have been solid defensively, however, allowing the fourth-fewest points per game in the conference (71.9 per game).

Junior guard Kade Juelfs is the only WCU player averaging in double figures, leading the Mountaineers attack with 11.9 points per game. Juelfs had an eight-game streak of scoring in double figures that was snapped in WCU's most recent game at MSU Denver. Senior guard Avery Rembao averages 9.8 points per game and led the Mountaineers in scoring last season. Western shares the ball offensively, with five players (Juelfs, Rembao, junior guard Amar Rivers, sophomore forward Jamel Hollins and freshman guard Xavier Harris) all averaging between 1.2 and 1.7 assists per game. The same five players also average between 0.6 and 0.7 steals per game.

Western Colorado has a new head coach in Zac Claus, who brings Division I experience to Gunnison. Claus spent the last four seasons as the head coach at the University of Idaho in the Big Sky Conference (Division I), compiling a 28-88 record. Claus was a Division I assistant coach from 2015-2019 with Idaho and from 2005-15 with the University of Nevada.

Colorado Mesa is 63-26 all-time against WCU, and the Mavericks have won the previous five matchups. The Mavericks won both matchups in comfortable fashion last year, winning 82-46 in Grand Junction and 83-67 in Gunnison.

About Westminster
Picked ninth in the preseason poll, the Westminster Griffins are currently at the bottom of the RMAC standings with a 1-12 RMAC record and a 5-14 overall mark. Westminster picked up its only conference win in upset fashion over Black Hills State on January 20, defeating the Yellow Jackets 82-69. They went 0-2 at home last weekend, falling 92-81 to Adams State and 85-66 to No. 8 Fort Lewis. The Griffins don't play prior to their Thursday matchup with CMU, as they face the Mavs then travel to Western Colorado on Saturday.

Westminster is still looking for its first win of the season away from home, as the Griffins are 4-8 in Salt Lake City and 0-6 on the road. Aside from the RMAC win over Black Hills, Westminster has defeated Western New Mexico, Justice College and Navajo Tech in Salt Lake City.

The Griffins are struggling to replace the impact of 2023 First Team All-RMAC forward Trey Farrer, who transferred to Lone Star Conference foe Angelo State. Westminster has the second-lowest scoring offense in the RMAC, averaging 70.9 points per game, and are allowing the 12^th-most points per game in the RMAC at 78.6. The Griffins rank middle of the pack in field goal percentage (7^th, 47 percent) but grab the fewest rebounds in the RMAC (29.2 per game).

Westminster has four players averaging in double figures – junior guard Chase Potter (13.2 points per game), senior forward Trey Wood (12.9 ppg), senior guard Rylan O'Brien (12.1) and senior guard Pierce Sterling (10.6). No Westminster player averages more rebounds than junior forward Drake Middleton's 4.1 per game.

Veteran head coach Norm Parrish is in his ninth season at Westminster, winning RMAC Coach of the Year honors in 2017-18. Unfortunately, that team was ineligible for postseason play since Westminster was still in its transition period from NAIA to Division II. The Griffins have not qualified for the RMAC Tournament since becoming fully D-II eligible in 2019-20. Prior to Westminster, Parrish was an assistant coach at Division I Hawaii and Utah and was a decorated head coach at Salt Lake City Community College for two decades.

The Mavericks hold a slim 10-9 lead in the all-time series with Westminster, including a 7-7 stalemate in RMAC contests. The teams split last year, with the Mavericks getting a definitive 92-68 win in Grand Junction after Westminster handed CMU one of its three RMAC losses last year with a 70-63 victory in Salt Lake City.