Grand Junction, Colo. - Following the opening of conference play at home this past weekend the Colorado Mesa University Men's Basketball Team will continue their start in the RMAC this week as they head to Denver and Golden to play their final conference games of the 2024 year.
The Mavericks will take on Regis University on Thursday the 12th in Denver at Regis Fieldhouse before heading to Golden on Saturday the 14th to play #10/11 Colorado School of Mines at Lockridge Arena. Game times are set for 7 p.m. on Thursday and 3 p.m. on Saturday.
Entering this week, CMU is 4-4 on the season while starting 0-2 in conference play. In their past two games they suffered losses to UCCS and Colorado Christian when they opened RMAC competition at home. They are currently one of four teams without a conference victory so far and will look to change that this weekend.
The Mavs only have four more games this calendar year, two this week and two the next, before taking a short break and returning to action in early January at Brownson Arena. Their next home game will take place on January 9th against New Mexico Highlands University.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
Through eight games this season the Mavs' offense has seen improvements in different areas each time they hit the court.
Despite the recent losses, CMU has steadily declined their turnover rate each game and are raising the rate at which they record assists.
Currently they average 69.3 points per game while giving up 73.1 in return for a –3.9 margin.
As a team they are shooting 46.2% from the field and averaging seven three pointers made per game. Their 33.7 shooting percentage from beyond the arc is best for ninth in the conference. They fare even better from the free throw line where they are shooting 73.5%, which is seventh best in the RMAC.
The point of emphasis that has been best for the Mavs is their ability to limit their opponent's rebounds. This season they have limited opponents to just 30.8 rebounds per game which is marked at fourth best in the RMAC.
Looking at individual stats, the team's leading scorer this season has been Ty Allred who is averaging 14.5 points per game. This past weekend, in the team's loss to UCCS, Allred would score a career-high and season-high 27 points to lead the Mavs.
Harvey White is the only other player on the team to average scoring in double figures as he is scoring 11.3 points per game. White is also the team's assists leader as he has racked up 30 assists this season for a 3.8 average.
Two other players in Yaak Yaak and Will Mortimore have also made significant contributions this season as both are on the cusp of double-digit scoring averages as well. Yaak is currently scoring 9.3 points per game with Mortimore sitting at 9.1 points per game. These two, and Allred, are also the team's rebounding leaders with Allred having grabbed 59 boards this year for a 7.4 average and the team lead.
ABOUT REGIS
The Regis University Rangers will enter Thursday with the same record as the Mavs as they are 4-4 this season, but have played hot as of late, winning their last two games to start 2-0 in conference play. Their most recent victory came as a buzzer-beater win over Fort Lewis College.
Given their 2-0 start to conference they are tied for first place in the RMAC.
Leading their team is recent RMAC Offensive Player of the Week recipient, Chase Mayo Harmon, who is averaging 15.8 points per game. He is joined by Jalen Brown and Eddy Egun who are also averaging scoring in the double digits.
The team is averaging 73.9 points per game which is ninth best in the conference, but where they thrive is from the three-point line, as they have accumulated 70 made three-pointers this season and average 8.8 per game. That marks for third in the conference for three-point field goals made.
The Rangers will close their weekend against Western Colorado University on Saturday the 14th after their Thursday matchup with the Mavs.
ABOUT MINES
Colorado School of Mines has been a top team in the nation this season as they are currently 6-1 (2-0 RMAC) on the year, while being ranked in both of the National Polls. In the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) poll they are ranked #10, and in the D2CSC Media Poll they are #11.
The Orediggers enter this weekend on a six-game winning streak as their only loss comes from their first game of the season against Lubbock Christian University. Since then, they have defeated three Lone Star Conference schools and three RMAC Conference schools while starting 2-0 in conference play.
Four different players on the team average double-digit scoring, with one of the conference's top players in Majok Deng leading that group averaging 17 points per game. His 17 ppg is marked for fourth best in the conference.
The offense as a whole averages 88.3 points per game which is ranked first in the conference through seven games this season. Mines is also the conference leader in assists per game, averaging 18.71.
Mines will not play Thursday this week and instead start their weekend against the Mavs before playing their second conference game next Monday on the 16th against Westminster.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
Both games this weekend will be streamed on the RMAC Network free of charge with live stats to be followed along with.
