GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa University men's basketball team will play their final home game of the 2025 calendar year this coming weekend as they host the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers in their lone contest of the week.
Playing their third conference game in a row, the Mavericks will host Mines at 3 P.M. this Saturday with the game also having the event of a toy drive for the local community.
Fans are encouraged to bring along toys to donate. Following this weekend's game, the Mavs won't return to Brownson Arena until January 3.
LAST WEEK'S GAMES
The Mavericks split their first two RMAC games of the season, falling 92-80 at UCCS on Thursday night before claiming a 57-43 win at Colorado Christian on Saturday afternoon in Lakewood.
Ty Allred scored 54 combined points on the weekend, tallying 23 while grabbing ten rebounds to record his third double-double of the year at UCCS.
Five Mavericks were in double figures in that game as Cohenj Gonzales scored 13 while Mason Honeyman added 11. Ben Henderson and Clayton Jewell both had ten.
Allred then scored a career-high 31 points as the Mavs came from as many as 14 points down to win the low-scoring affair.
Allred also had 13 rebounds in that game to tally his second double-double of the weekend and fourth of the season.
Gonzales had 11 points while Jewell added eight points and eight rebounds.
In total, the Mavs outrebounded the Cougars 48-21 while holding them to shooting just 26.7 percent from the field.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
The Mavs are averaging 72.6 points per game this season while holding opponents to 73.1. Their defense ranks in the top five of the conference with that mark while just nine teams in the RMAC are holding opponents to under 80 points.
From the field the Mavs are shooting 44.2 percent with a 34 percent mark from three-point range and 78.8 percent from the free throw line. They lead opponents in each of those categories while being ranked first in the conference in team free throw percentage.
In the rebounding area, the Mavs are grabbing 38 boards per game for fourth best in the conference while ranking as the number three rebounding defense, holding opponents to just 30.6 boards per game.
Individually, Ty Allred remains as the team's top scoring leader with 17.8 points per game while nearly averaging a double-double this season as he is grabbing 9.5 rebounds per game as well.
Cohenj Gonzales is the team's only other player to average double-digit scoring with 15.0 points per game. Conzales is shooting 44.2 percent from three-point range for fifth highest in the conference.
Joining Allred as the other rebounding leaders are Wes Ball and Clayton Jewell with each owning 5.4 boards per game.
Jewell also adds one block per game to rank ninth in the RMAC.
COACH'S CORNER
Head Coach Mike Dunlap enters his second season leading the Mavs this year after going 19-10 in his debut season in 2024-25.
In his first year with the program, Dunlap had three players named to All-RMAC including returner Ty Allred, who was named to the First Team.
Despite being new to CMU, Dunlap is no stranger to the RMAC as he is currently a member of the conference's hall of fame with him having coached at MSU Denver for nine years and collecting two national championships.
He is a two-time NABC Division II National Coach of the Year.
2025-26 marks Dunlap's 45th season in the coaching ranks with him coaching all the way from Division III to serving as an NBA Head Coach of the Charlotte Bobcats (now known as the Hornets).
Dunlap is joined by assistants, Skyler Burgess and Eli Scott, with this being Burgess's second season as a part of the staff and as the head assistant. Scott enters his first season with the team and was hired prior to the start of the year. He reunites with Dunlap after having previously played for him at Loyola Marymount University.
IN THE POLLS
The Mavs were picked to finish third in this year's RMAC Preseason Poll with them being voted as a top-3 conference team after finishing third in 2024-25.
They earned one first place vote in the voting with them garnishing a total of 158 points. Black Hills State University was picked to win the conference with 183 points while Colorado School of Mines was tabbed second with just nine more points than the Mavs at 167.
The Mavs move up two spots from the previous year's Preseason Poll where they were picked to finish fifth.
In addition to being selected third in the conference, the Mavs also began the year receiving votes in the National American Basketball Coaches Association Preseason Poll.
CMU has faced off with two team's ranked in the NABC poll as well, taking down #3 Dallas Baptist University and falling to #25 Lubbock Christian.
ABOUT MINES
The Orediggers are 4-7 this season while enduring an up-and-down start to the year after beginning the year as the No. 10 ranked team in the nation.
This past week went 2-0 in their start to conference play as they defeated both Adams State University and New Mexico Highlands. They then played again on Thursday this week with them falling to Westminster University, 87-70.
The Orediggers share one common opponent with the Mavs this year as they fell to Lubbock Christian University by a score of 63-58.
Prior to winning three out of their last five games, Mines began the year 0-5 while losing to three different Lone Star Conference opponents. They have faced five schools from that conference as well.
Markus Pastorcic-Straun is the team's leading scorer and ranks second in the conference in points per game with him averaging 21.8 on 56.3 percent shooting from the field.
Jonathan Moore (13.6 ppg) and Alex Romack (12.1 ppg) join him as the team's other top offensive threats.
The Mavs and Orediggers met just one time last season with that game occurring in December as well as Mines took home the 65-58 decision. All-time CMU holds the advantage against the Orediggers boasting a 44-28 record.
RMAC NETWORK NEWS
The RMAC Network has moved to a pay-per-view model for the 2025-26 season. This season, all RMAC athletic events broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their programs.
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them with access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours.
Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.
COLORADO MESA TURNS 100
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.
Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.
To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com
UP NEXT
The Mavs will play their final two non-conference games of the regular season this next week as they head to Las Vegas, Nev. to take part in the Las Vegas Viking Classic hosted by Western Washington University. Colorado Mesa will take on Western Washington and Simon Fraser in their stay with both games taking place at Coyote Event Center.
