GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Returning from a four-game road stretch, the Colorado Mesa University Men's Basketball Team is set to play at Brownson Arena again this week as they host a pair of top RMAC teams in MSU Denver and Regis University in key conference games heading down the stretch.
The Mavericks will play MSU Denver on Thursday at 7:30 PM before closing the weekend on Saturday against Regis at 3 PM. Both games will follow the conclusion of the women's games and Thursday's game against the Roadrunners is also Retail Appreciation Night.
They are 20 games into the season and have eight more games remaining which will decide their fate before the RMAC Tournament. They are currently 12-8 this year and 6-6 in the conference standings which puts them in a tie for seventh place with Chadron State.
LAST WEEK'S GAMES
Last week the Mavs played to a 1-1 record as they were able to win a close thriller against CSU Pueblo by a score of 64-61 but would end their week in a tough loss to UCCS 71-57.
In the game against the Pack, there was a total of nine lead changes as both teams battled back-and-forth to sustain the lead, but ultimately it was a 5-0 run in the final minute and a half that secured the win for Colorado Mesa. Will Mortimore finished the game with a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double as he was the team's leading scorer. Mortimore has totaled five double doubles this season to lead the team.
Against the Mountain Lions, the Mavs struggled to find their rhythm offensively as they trailed the entire game. They ended up outscoring the Mountain Lions in the second half but couldn't overcome the early deficit they faced. 13 different players saw time in the game with Harvey White and Tevin Riehl leading the Mavs with nine points apiece.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
The Mavs enter this week averaging 70.0 points per game and are shooting 44.5% from the field. While a team that does not thrive from beyond the arc, they make up for it from the free throw line as they are shooting 73.3% which is marked at top-10 in the conference.
The team's ability to rebound has also been a staple this season as they are grabbing 35.6 boards per game which is the fourth highest amount in the conference. Of those rebounds, 12.2 of them are coming offensively which is second best in the conference and giving the team several extra possessions during the game.
Blocks are the team's best statistical category as they lead the RMAC with 4.05 per game. Yaak Yaak helps lead that area for his team with him averaging 1.8 per game and ranking second in conference individually.
Doing the scoring for the Mavs are three players who have all scored in double digits for the majority of the season. Ty Allred is the team leader at 14.5 points per game and is joined by Will Mortimore at 10.8 and Harvey White at 10.7.
Mortimore and Allred lead the rebounding effort as well with both grabbing over six a game.
White leads the team in assists with 60 and ranks top-10 in the conference.
ABOUT MSU DENVER
Serving as a bittersweet game for Head Coach Mike Dunlap, who coached at MSU Denver for nine seasons from 1998-2006, the Mavs open their week by hosting the Roadrunners on Thursday for Retail Appreciation Night.
This season the Roadrunners have played to a 15-5 record while going 9-3 in the RMAC which sits them in third place. In addition, they were selected as the No. 6 team in the South Central Region Poll, released on Monday.
Despite the team being in third place, they have struggled lately as in their last four games they are 1-4 and most recently lost to Fort Lewis 81-74 last Saturday.
They currently own the third ranked offense and defense in the conference averaging 79.1 points per game and in return only allowing 69.6 points per game to opponents.
Carter Brayden sits as the team leader in scoring and rebounding averaging 15 points and grabbing 8.0 rebounds per game. He is second in the conference in rebounds per game. Caleb Mcgill (14.5 ppg) and Quave Propst-Allison (10.1 ppg) are the team's other two scoring leaders.
Following Thursday's game against the Mavs the team will take on Western Colorado in Gunnison on Saturday to close out their week.
ABOUT REGIS
Meeting for the second time this season, but in Brownson this time around, the Mavs take on the Regis Rangers on Saturday for their final game of the week.
Last time the Mavs met the Rangers was on Dec. 12, where Regis closely defeated Colorado Mesa 73-70.
The Rangers are currently 12-8 but have excelled in conference play as they are 10-2 in the RMAC which is second best in the standings. They are on a seven game-winning streak while taking down both Colorado School of Mines and MSU Denver during that stretch in which were both ranked top 15 nationally.
They have been recipients of four player of the week awards this season, with Kobe Sanders earning the conference offensive player of the week award the last two times.
Chase Mayo Harmon leads the team scoring 16.2 points per game and is ranked fourth in the conference, but is joined by three other players who average double digit scoring in Kobe Sanders (12.9 ppg), Jalen Brown (12.6 ppg) and Eddy Egun (12.1 ppg).
Prior to facing off with the Mavs on Saturday, Regis will take on Westminster University on Thursday in Utah.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN
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 be available this week as well with THE TEAM 1340 AM hosting Thursday's and Saturday's games. Tickets for the event can be purchased at cmumavericks.com/tickets or in person at the entrance.
