GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa University men's basketball team continues with another week of action at home this coming Thursday and Saturday when they host No. 21 Black Hills State and Chadron State for their "Welcome Back Week" in opening of the spring semester.
The Mavericks will be at home for this week and next before hitting the road with them having 12 games left in the regular season.
They are currently 10-6 (6-2 RMAC) this season while being tied for second place in the conference standings.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mavs won a pair of mid-week games last week as they defeated Western Colorado 75-61 on the road in Gunnison on Tuesday before coming home to register a 77-60 win over Westminster on Thursday.
Clayton Jewell recorded double-doubles in both victories and now has three straight double-doubles.
He had 16 points and 11 rebounds on Tuesday at Western before scoring 21 points and grabbing ten rebounds in Thursday's win
Ty Allred also scored 20 points in Tuesday's win over the Mountaineers.
Ben Henderson (13) and Cohenj Gonzales (10) were also in double-figures in Tuesday's win as the Mavs shot 52.8 percent (28-53) from the field and 53.3 percent (8-15) from 3-point land.
Harvey White (18), Wes Ball (13) and Allred (11) joined Jewell in double figures in Thursday's home win over Westminster.
The Mavs have won four of their five games in 2026 with them also being 5-0 at home this season.
Following last week's efforts Jewell would also be named the RMAC's Defensive Player of the Week which was released on Monday.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
The Mavs are averaging 77.9 points per game this season while limiting opponents to just 73.7 for a scoring margin of 4.3.
Their defense ranks in the top five of the conference for a fourth week in a row with that mark while just six teams in the RMAC are holding opponents to under 75 points.
From the field the Mavs are shooting 47.7 percent with a 34.9 percent mark from three-point range and 80.1 percent from the free throw line. They continue lead the RMAC and rank third nationally now with their season-long free throw percentage. Their field goal percentage of 47.7 also ranks second in the RMAC.
CMU is grabbing 37.7 boards per game and holding opponents to 30.7 with them also ranking in the top five of the conference for both categories.
Ty Allred maintains himself as the team's top scorer averaging 18 points per game while nearly averaging a double-double this season as he is grabbing 8.7 rebounds per game as well. He has scored in double figures in 15 of the team's 16 games.
Allred also ranks second in the RMAC in rebounding as well and is fifth in scoring per game.
Cohenj Gonzales and Clayton Jewell serve as the team's other main scorers with Gonzales sitting at 11.9 points per game and Jewell at 10.8 points per game. Jewell has raised his average with him scoring in double figures for seven straight games.
In total nine different Mavs have recorded double figure scoring performances this season with six of them having at least one 20-point performance as well.
Beyond Allred's rebounding efforts both Jewell and Wes Ball have been other players to grab significant boards this season with Jewell averaging 6.9 and Ball having 4.6.
Allred and Jewell also rank in the top-10 of the conference in blocks with each of them averaging one per game.
Harvey White serves as the team's assists leader with 46 total to average nearly three per game.
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.
They have also defeated Colorado School of Mines who began the season as the #10 ranked team nationally.
Black Hills State will be the third ranked opponent the Mavs take on this year with them being a part of the NABC rankings for eight consecutive weeks.
ABOUT BLACK HILLS STATE
The No. 21 ranked Yellow Jackets are 13-3 this season while going 6-2 in RMAC play to be tied with the Mavs for second place.
In their two most recent games they went 1-1 against RMAC competition with them beating New Mexico Highlands 79-74 before falling to Fort Lewis 78-76.
They have lost to CMU the last five times the two schools have faced with the Mavs going 2-0 in last year's matchups, including an overtime 79-77 win in Spearfish, S.D.
In the two team's limited meetings since BHSU joined the RMAC, Colorado Mesa has the 15-9 advantage.
They currently have both a top three defense and offense in the RMAC while being one of the nation's best shooting teams, ranking in the top 10 with a 50.6 field goal percentage.
The Yellow Jackets are averaging 84.5 points per game this season while limiting their opponents to just 71.8. They have the best RMAC scoring margin with that mark at 12.8.
Cam Lowe leads the team averaging 18.3 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game with him also being selected to the Small College Basketball Bevo Francis Top 100 Watch List in addition to Allred.
Muyles Johnson and Jaeton Hackley both average scoring in the double figures as well for the Yellow Jackets with each totaling just over 12 points per game. The two rank in the top three for field goal percentage of the conference.
Tristan Hurdle serves as the team's best three-point shooter averaging 45.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Following Thursday's game against the Mavs, the Yellow Jackets will take to Gunnison on Saturday to take on Western Colorado.
ABOUT CHADRON STATE
Fairing a rougher season than the Yellow Jackets, the Eagles are 3-13 this year while having just one win in RMAC play, owning a 1-7 record.
They lost both games played this past week with them falling to both Adams State and New Mexico Highlands by just a combined six points.
Their only win in conference play comes against Regis University with the Eagles winning just one game in their last 10 contests.
Despite their struggles this season the Eagles did best the Mavs in their last meeting with them winning 69-67 in a close affair. Colorado Mesa owns the all-time matchup record though of 41-12.
Chadron State is averaging 72.3 points per game this season while giving up 85.1 points per game to opponents for a negative 12.9 scoring margin. They also own the lowest shooting percentage in the conference at 41.6.
Jadon Cool leads the team averaging 14.8 points per game while the duo of Isaiah Randolph (13.2 ppg) and Mack Keighran (10.7 ppg) join him as the other scoring leaders.
Prior to Saturday's game against the Mavs, the Eagles will face off with Westminster in Salt Lake City on Thursday evening.
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 stay at home again next week as they host CSU Pueblo and UCCS for their final two games of January. Thursday's game against CSUP will be the Mavs' 'Blizzard in Brownson' event with Saturday's game against UCCS being 'Jersey Day' and include a Nikola Jokic Autograph Jersey Prize Drawing. Raffle tickets will be sold at the game for a chance to win the prize.
