COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team will begin the second round of games in the RMAC schedule tonight when the Mountain Lions (16-3 / 11-2 RMAC) take on Western New Mexico (10-7 / 7-6 RMAC) at 5:30 p.m., in the Gallogly Events Center.
UCCS is 7-1 at home this season and is tied for first in the RMAC standings with nine games left in the regular season. The Mountain Lions can move closer to clinching a spot in the conference tournament this weekend with a win against the Mustangs, who are tied for seventh in the standings with Regis and Fort Lewis. UCCS is tied for first with Colorado Mesa, but holds the tiebreaker against the Mavericks if the teams remained tied at the end of the season.
The Mountain Lions defeated Western New Mexico 74-63 in the first meeting between the two teams on Dec. 20 in Silver City, N.M.
Brittany Hernandez scored 30 points and recorded 16 rebounds in the victory. It was the seventh win for UCCS against the Mustangs in the last eight games dating back to the 2010-11 season.
Hernandez is on pace to break the UCCS rebounding average record with a conference-leading 9.7 rebounds per game. She also leads the league with 53.2 percent shooting from the field and with 2.3 blocked shots per game. She is second in the RMAC with 19.1 points per game, behind teammate
Abby Kirchoff's 21.0 points per game.
Kirchoff is on pace to break her own program record for scoring average and needs 10 points to enter the top 10 UCCS records for points in a season. She already has the UCCS career scoring record at 1,717 points, and is starting to threaten the RMAC career scoring record of 1,996 points set by Diana Lopez of Regis from 2003-07.
Western New Mexico is on a four-game winning streak since Jan. 16, a streak that started in a 56-44 win against Black Hills State at home. The Mustangs lead the RMAC in three-point defense at 21.9 percent and with a 1.09 assist-to-turnover ratio. Ashley Mitchell leads Western New Mexico with 13.6 points per game, and Nalani Hernandez is the top rebounder with 7.3 boards per contest.
Tickets for non-students will be available online only through noon on Friday at UCCSTickets.com. All remaining tickets will be allocated to UCCS students as part of the annual Blackout Weekend activities. Fans unable to secure a ticket can watch the game for free in Berger Hall, or pay for the stream at home through America One Sports. The game will also be carried live for xfinity customers in Colorado Springs on channel 20. Live stats and audio will also be available at no cost.
