GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa University men's basketball team host two of their final three home games this week as they continue to stay in the fight for the heavily contested RMAC Conference Title.
The Mavericks host both Fort Lewis College and New Mexico Highlands this week with the matchup against the Skyhawks being on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and the game against the Cowboys being on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Colorado Mesa moved into a tie for second in the RMAC standings this past week them and Black Hills State each sitting at 11-3 now. Both teams trail Fort Lewis by just one game who is 12-2.
The Mavs could forge a tie for the conference lead on Thursday with a win as they are just one game behind the Skyhawks.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mavs claimed a pair of road wins this past week in Denver as they extended their winning streak to a season-best five games.
They held on for a 74-70 win at MSU Denver on Thursday night as Ty Allred scored a game-high 25 points while grabbing eight rebounds.
Clayton Jewell also had 12 points and eight rebounds while Harvey White had eight assists, helping the Mavs give Head Coach Mike Dunlap a win in his return to MSU Denver, who he coached to a pair of national titles before entering the NBA coaching ranks.
Ben Henderson then matched a season-high with 20 points on 8-for-10 shooting in Saturday afternoon's 95-69 win over Regis.
He was one of seven Mavericks in double figures as the Mavs had their best shooting effort of the season hitting 62.9 percent (39-62) of their field goal attempts and 54.5 percent (12-22) of their 3-pointers.
Tevin Reiehl had a career-high 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting while Jaylen Pitman scored 10 on 5-for-6 shooting.
Colorado Mesa is currently 8-2 in their last 10 games with them having six games left in the regular season.
LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS
Improving on both averages after the two wins they had on the road, CMU is scoring 78.6 points per game this season now while owning a top five defense as they limit opponents to 73.6 points per game. Their five-point margin ranks in the top five of the conference as well with them holding opponents 70 points or less in a game 10 times this season.
Just five teams in the RMAC are holding opponents to under 75 points per game with Colorado Mesa being one of them and allowing the fourth fewest points of any team in the league.
From the field the Mavs are shooting 48.7 percent with a 37.9 percent mark from three-point range and 82.2 percent from the free throw line. All three percentages have continued to improve this week.
In addition, they continue lead the RMAC and rank first nationally now with their season-long free throw percentage. Their three-point percentage also ranks 23rd best in the country.
On the rebounding side, CMU is grabbing 36.6 boards per game and holding opponents to 30.1. They rank sixth in team rebounds and second in the opponent rebounds.
Their 6.5 rebounding margin leads the RMAC as well while also being top-30 in the nation.
On the individual side, Ty Allred leads the team scoring 18.5 points per game while adding eight rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in every game but two this season while leading the team in double doubles (6).
Allred ranks second in the RMAC in both rebounding and scoring per game.
Clayton Jewell, Cohenj Gonzales and Harvey White serve as the team's other top offensive scorers with Jewell and Gonzales sitting at just over 11 points per game and White averaging 10.5 points per game.
In total ten different Mavs have recorded double figure scoring performances this season with six of them having at least one 20-point performance as well. Allred has the two lone 30-point performances.
Beyond Allred's rebounding efforts both Jewell and Wes Ball have been other players to grab significant boards this season with Jewell averaging 7.1 and Ball averaging 4.4. Jewell ranks fifth in the RMAC with that mark as the Mavs have two of the conference's top rebounders.
Jewell and Allred also rank in the top 10 of the conference in blocks. Jewell leads the team with 25 total this season to average 1.1 per game.
Harvey White serves as the team's assists leader with 75 total to average 3.4 per game and rank in the top 10 of 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.
Allred and Harvey White were also named to the 2025-26 Preseason All-RMAC team after both being key contributors in Dunlap's inaugural year with the Mavs.
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 three team's ranked in the NABC poll as well, taking down #3 Dallas Baptist University and falling to #25 Lubbock Christian and #21 Black Hills State.
They have also defeated Colorado School of Mines who began the season as the #10 ranked team nationally.
ABOUT FORT LEWIS COLLEGE
Coming in as the conference's number one team currently, the Skyhawks have a 14-7 record overall while going 12-2 in RMAC play.
They were undefeated in the RMAC until last week when were bested by both Adams State University and New Mexico Highlands on the road.
Before those losses they were on a nine-game winning streak which dated back to December 17.
The last time the Mavs and Skyhawks met was in the RMAC Tournament last season with Fort Lewis earning the upset in a 89-65 decision.
As an offense the Skyhawks are scoring 83.4 points per game which ranks them fourth best offense in the conference.
They give up 80.5 points per game in return but dominate the steals category on defense with them totaling 261 this season for 12.43 per game. That mark leads the RMAC and ranks in the top five of the nation.
Stewart Erhart is the team's leading scorer averaging 17.5 points per game while totaling 67 steals to lead the conference. He is a four-time RMAC player of the week recipient this season.
Jaxon Smith (15 ppg) and Chuol Deng (13.6 ppg) are the team's other top scorers. Deng is also averaging eight rebounds per game to rank third in the RMAC.
Following Thursday's game the Skyhawks will head to Gunnison on Saturday when they take Western Colorado.
ABOUT NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
The Cowboys are 10-15 this season while owning an 8-6 record in RMAC play. They currently sit in seventh place of the conference standings while being just one game back of a tie for third.
Saturday's game will be the second time this season the Cowboys face off with the Mavs as the two already met once back in January when Colorado Mesa collected a 94-84 win in Las Vegas.
In the series history the Mavs have a 61-20 advantage in all-time matchups with Colorado Mesa winning the last nine times.
The Cowboys are averaging 77.7 points per game this season while having a negative margin for points given up with opponents averaging 78.4 points per game against them.
As team they are shooting 48.2 percent from the field while owning a 34.7 percent mark from three-point land. They struggle from the free throw line in contrast with just a 68.8 percent mark there.
Marcus Pierce leads the team averaging 14.3 points per game while being joined by Ramiah Adedigba (11.5 ppg) and Dontae Walker (10.9 ppg) as the team's other top scoring options.
There has been a total of 18 players to see the floor for the Cowboys this season with 12 of them making at least one start each.
Prior to Saturday's game the Cowboys will travel to Salt Lake City on Thursday when they take on Westminster University.
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
Following their two-game home stretch the Mavs will play on a quick turnaround next week when they travel to Westminster University on Tuesday, Feb. 17 before returning to Brownson Arena for their final home game of the regular season on Feb. 21 against Western Colorado. Their game against Western will also serve as the team's Senior Day.
