GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa University Men's Basketball Team takes to the front range this coming weekend as they look to begin their first week of action against conference opponents.
The Mavericks will take on the likes of both University of Colorado Colorado Springs and Colorado Christian University this week with the games taking place at each school's respective home sites in Colorado Springs and Lakewood.
Thursday's game against UCCS will take place at 7 p.m. at Gallogly Events Center with Saturday's game against CCU then being a 3 p.m. start at CCU Events Center.
The Mavs play just three conference games this first semester with them then playing the final 17 conference games between January and February of the second semester.
LAST WEEK'S GAMES
The Mavericks won both of their home games during the Maverick Thanksgiving Classic over the weekend in Brownson Arena improving to 3-3 overall.
On Friday, the Mavs had four players score in double figures as they defeated Texas A&M-International, 72-62. Wes Ball led the way with 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting while the Mavs shot 50.0 percent (25-50) from the field and led throughout the entire game.
The Mavs then came from as many as 18 points down to defeat Montana State-Billings, 87-84 on Saturday night. The Mavs scored 52 second half points in that game after trailing 50-35 at the half.
Cohenj Gonzales scored a career-high 27 points on 10-for-16 shooting and hit five treys. Harvey White added 17 points with Ty Allred and Clayton Jewell also having 16 points and nine rebounds apiece.
CMU once again shot 50.0 percent from the field in the win while hitting a season-high 12 three-pointers.
Friday's win against the Dustdevils was also the eighth straight year that the Mavs have won their home-opener.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
The Mavs improved almost all of their statistical categories coming into this week after both wins featured strong offensive performances.
They currently are averaging 74.0 points per game while allowing just 75.0 points to opponents in return.
Despite being outscored by an average of one point, they are dominating the shooting categories, with them owning a 45.9 percentage from the field, 40.2 percentage from three-point range and 79.7 percentage from the free throw line.
Their 40.2 percent from the three-point line ranks them second in the conference and in the top 25 of the nation
In addition, the Mavs are grabbing 35.0 rebounds per game while holding opponents to just 30.2 boards per game, the third best mark in the conference.
Their defense sits top three in blocks, averaging 4.0 a game.
Individually, four different players are averaging scoring in double figures this season with Cohenj Gonzales (16.5 ppg) and Ty Allred (14.7 ppg) leading the way. Both Harvey White and Mason Honeyman each add 10.5 points per game.
Gonzales is shooting 54.8 percent from three-point range as well which ranks him second in the conference.
In total there have been three different players to own 20-point games with seven owning at least one 10-point or more game.
Allred serves as the team rebounding leader averaging 8.8 boards per game to rank in the top five of the conference. Wes Ball (5.3 rbg) and Clayton Jewell (4.8 rbg) join Allred as the other top rebounders.
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 after finishing in the same position 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 UCCS
The Mountain Lions have the same record as the Mavs this season, going 3-3 so far while going 2-2 in their last four games.
This past weekend they took on both Western Washington and Simon Fraser from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with them beating Western Washington 85-81 before falling to Simon Fraser 87-84.
As an offense the Mountain Lions have scored over 80 points every game this season, while taking on one ranked opponent in then No. 12, Cal State Dominguez Hills.
They average 86.3 points per game while giving up half a point more to opponents in 86.8. Their scoring offense ranks as the second highest in the conference.
Despite their high ranking offensive abilities, they are being outshot in the major three categories of field goal percentage, three-point percentage and free throw percentage.
Four different players all average scoring in double figures with that group being led by Xavier Martinez at 13.2 points per game. Martinez is also a top assist leader in the RMAC with him averaging 6.2 per game for third best in the conference.
Following Thursday's game the Mountain Lions will host Westminster University on Saturday.
ABOUT COLORADO CHRISTIAN
Sitting as another 3-3 team, the Cougars have faced three common opponents with the Mavs, losing to each St. Edward's, Dallas Baptist and Western New Mexico.
This last week they went 1-1 with them losing to Western New Mexico in that time and then beating Chadron State in a non-conference matchup.
Their two other wins came against a pair of NAIA schools.
As an offense they are averaging 69.3 points per game while opponents are scoring 74.0 against them. Their defense ranks in the top five of the conference with that mark.
Pierce Bazil is the team's scoring leader at 14.8 points per game while being joined by Porter Bazil (13.0 ppg) and Joshue Reid (11.7 ppg) as the other top offensive threats.
Andrew Reichart is the rebounding leader for the squad, grabbing six boards a game to rank 15th in the conference.
Prior to Saturday's game against Colorado Mesa the Cougars will host Western Colorado on Thursday for their RMAC opener.
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
Playing one more RMAC game this semester, the Mavs will host Colorado School of Mines this next week on Dec. 13 for their final home game of the fall. Tickets can be purchased online at
cmumavericks.com/tickets.
