COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team will put a five-game winning streak to the test this weekend when the Mountain Lions (13-9, 10-5 RMAC) take on Colorado State-Pueblo (12-9, 8-7 RMAC) on Friday and Western State (4-17, 3-12 RMAC) on Saturday. The trip is the first two road weekends for the Mountain Lions.
UCCS senior
Alex Welsh needs three rebounds to tie, and four the break, the career scoring record for the Mountain Lions held by Jack Bain's 800. Welsh is second in the conference with 9.3 rebounds per game and is averaging 11 rebounds per game during the last six games. He earned RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after he averaged 33 points in two games last weekend.
The Mountain Lions are on their longest winning streak of the season, and a win on Friday against the ThunderWolves would be the longest winning streak since the season-opening 14-game streak at the start of the 2014-15 season. CSU-Pueblo has won four of its last five home games, but will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak on Friday night.
UCCS has used the winning streak to move into a three-way tie for fourth in the conference standings with seven games left in the regular season. The Mountain Lions are two games behind conference leader Fort Lewis and one game behind New Mexico Highlands and Colorado Mines. If UCCS and Highlands are tied at the end of the regular season, the Mountain Lions would hold the tiebreaker after a win last Saturday in the only game between the two teams this season.
Dalton Patten is No. 10 in UCCS career scoring records with 918 and is moving closer to becoming the 10th Mountain Lion in program history with 1,000 career points. He is also eighth with 392 career rebounds and needs seven to tie for seventh in UCCS record books. Patten has the second-best field goal percentage in the RMAC with 63.2 percent.
The ThunderWolves are seventh in the RMAC standings and two games behind the fourth place teams. CSU-Pueblo beat back-to-back nationally-ranked teams in November, including an 87-84 win against then-No. 1 Tarleton State on Nov. 24. CSU-Pueblo has a balanced offense with five student-athletes averaging 10 or more points, led by Chris Golden's 16.9 per game. Odessa Lear is the top rebounded for CSU-Pueblo with seven per game.
Friday's game will also include four points for the winner in the annual Steel & Silver Series. UCCS currently has a 20-4 lead in the all-sport competition between the two schools after the fall season, and the winner will win four points in the competition. The first school with 31 points will clinch the trophy.
Comcast Entertainment Television will carry the game live regionally for xfinity subscribers on channel 900. Josh Howe and Joe Cervi will call the game for CET.
Western State won its last home game 75-65 against South Dakota Mines on Jan. 16 and has been on the road the last two weekends. Danny Hopkins is averaging 13.5 points and shooting 40 percent for the Mountaineers this season.
