GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Coming off their first 2-0 week in conference play, the Colorado Mesa University Men's Basketball Team will look to have a quick turnaround in the upcoming days as they continue RMAC action with games on Tuesday and Saturday this week against Western Colorado University and Westminster University.
Colorado Mesa is set to play Western Colorado on Tuesday, Jan. 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Gunnison, Colo. at Paul Wright Gymnasium. They will then get a few days off before hosting Westminster on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 3 p.m. at Brownson Arena.
Like the Mavericks, the Mountaineers have a short turnaround this week as well as this is the first time both schools have played a Tuesday, Saturday RMAC scheduled week.
Despite the fast return to play, CMU is excited to return to action as they are currently riding a four-game winning streak and are 2-0 to start the 2025 half of the season. This past weekend was also Head Coach Mike Dunlap's first win in conference play since returning to the RMAC.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
While riding this current four-game winning streak, the main factor that can be attributed to this success is the Mavs overwhelming defensive presence.
In the last two games CMU faced off with two of the conference's top three offenses, while holding both of them to under 80 points. The Mavs have risen to being ranked the seventh defense in conference from their play.
In addition, CMU is now the conference leader in blocked shots (53, 3.79 per game) and are fifth in steals (7.00 per game). The team is averaging 36.2 rebounds per game, while only giving up 32.9 in return. They are ranked as the sixth best rebounding team in conference out of the 15 total teams.
On the offensive side, the Mavs are scoring 71.8 points per game while shooting 46% from the field. The team scored 89 points against both New Mexico Highlands and Adams State to match their season high point total.
Furthermore, in the team's last three games they have had five different players score in double figures in each of them.
Four players are now averaging double figure scoring for CMU, with the leader still being Ty Allred, who is averaging 14.7 points per game. Harvey White is averaging 11.3 ppg with Will Mortimore averaging 11.0 ppg. Mason Honeyman breaks into the double figure scoring average as well as he is now at 10.1 ppg. Honeyman would score a career-high 19 points in the team's victory over Adams State.
Rebounding leaders are still Mortimore and Allred with Mortimore grabbing 7.3 boards per game and Allred getting 6.5 per game himself.
Yaak Yaak, who's the conference leader in blocks, has totaled a staggering 23 blocks this season to average 1.6 per game. He is currently the only Maverick to be a conference leader in any statistic.
ABOUT WESTERN COLORADO
Facing the Mavs first this week, and doing so in short recovery time as well, are the Mountaineers of Western Colorado who are 5-8 this season with a 3-3 record in RMAC play.
This past weekend they would go 1-1 with a loss to Fort Lewis College before bouncing back to defeat New Mexico Highlands for their first win of the new year. In their last five games the team has gone 3-2. This will also be the team's fifth straight home game, and third straight RMAC game at home.
The Mountaineers are led by three players offensively who all average scoring in double figures. Kade Juelfs leads the team by scoring 12.8 points per game with Amar Rivers (11.0 ppg) and Tyler Halligan (10.0 ppg) helping lead the attack. Jamal Hollins is the team leader in rebounds averaging 7.2 boards per game which ranks him seventh in the conference leaders.
Lifetime the Mavs have had much success against Western Colorado as they hold a 65-26 record and have won the last seven times against them.
Following Tuesday's game Western Colorado will face off with Westminster on Thursday before the Mavs do on Saturday.
ABOUT WESTMINSTER
Four days after the Mavs' first game this week, they will close it out by facing off with Westminster University on Saturday.
The Griffins enter this week sporting a 9-5 record while also holding a 3-3 record in RMAC play. In their first two games of 2025 they are 2-0 with wins over both Adams State University and Fort Lewis College this past weekend scoring 100-plus points in each of the contests.
Similar to how last week's opponents were, Westminster is a high scoring offense that in return gives up lots of points. Currently the team is marked with having the fourth best offense in the conference at 81.1 points per game, but in contrast give up 74.6 points per game for the 12th ranked defense.
Chase Potter is the team's leading scorer averaging 16.7 points per game which is third best in the RMAC. Simon Akena (14.8 ppg), Donaval Avila (11.2 ppg) and Parker Christensen (10.4 ppg) all average double figure scoring as well.
The Griffins have a normal RMAC schedule this week as they first take on Western Colorado on Thursday before closing the weekend in Grand Junction against CMU.
HOW TO WATCH
Streaming for all of this week's games will occur on the RMAC Network free of charge with live stats to follow along with. Radio broadcasting will also be available for Saturday's game through 1100 AM KNZZ. Tickets for Saturday's game can be purchased at cmumavericks.com/tickets or in person at the entrance.
