COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team can clinch a spot in the 2016 RMAC Tournament as the Mountain Lions (16-7, 12-5 RMAC) travel for the final time in the regular season for a Friday game at Chadron State and a Saturday game at Regis. UCCS will be looking to avenge loses to both teams from home games in December.
The Mountain Lions have won seven of their last eight games, with the only loss in that span last Friday at Colorado State-Pueblo. The ThunderWolves are tied for first in the RMAC standings with Black Hills State and Colorado Mines, and UCCS has one win against the Yellow Jackets from Jan. 23. UCCS is tied for fifth in the standings and is two games behind the first place teams.
UCCS is tied for sixth in UCCS records with 16 victories this season and can clinch a fifth straight RMAC Tournament appearance this season. The Mountain Lions are leading the conference with 73.2 points per game and 76.4 percent at the free throw line.
Brittany Hernandez is scoring 20.4 points per game to lead the RMAC, more than three points per game than the next closest student-athlete, and
Jen Vigil is averaging a conference-best 2.5 steals per game.
UCCS fell 83-63 to Chadron State in the first meeting between the two teams on Dec. 19, in the last game before the winter break.
Jennah Knafelc scored 14 points and
Jen Vigil added 13 points with six steals in the game. Since the break, the Mountain Lions are 10-2, while Chadron State is 5-7. The Eagles will be playing at home for the final time this season with this weekend's games.
Maka Daysh is leading the RMAC with 9.2 rebounds per game and is fourth in the conference with 15.4 points per game and 53.9 percent from the field. She scored 18 points and recorded 12 rebounds against UCCS in December. Stephanie Knowles and Emma Block are each averaging more than nine points per game for the Eagles.
The Mountain Lions are one game behind Regis in the conference standings and lost the first game of the season against the Rangers 73-59 on Dec. 18. Hernandez scored 33 points and
Shannon Kelly led UCCS with eight rebounds. Caresse Williams scored 20 points and made 16 rebounds to lead the Rangers in both categories.
Regis has won its last nine games, which has included wins against Colorado Mines last Friday night. The Rangers are holding opponents to 32.1 rebounds per game, the best defense in the conference by more than four rebounds per game, and is second in the RMAC with 41.1 percent field goal shooting, 35.5 percent three-point shooting, and a +7.3 rebounding margin. Bay'lee Purdy is third in the conference with 15.4 points per game and Kaylie Rader has the best field goal percentage at 56.5.
Live stats, audio and video will be available for both games at GoMountainLions.com. Updates throughout the game will also be posted through the UCCS Women's Basketball Twitter account, @UCCSWBB.
