COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team will go south for its first road game in more than a month in a 7 p.m., game on Friday against New Mexico Highlands. The Mountain Lions (5-9, 4-5 RMAC) and Cowboys (6-8, 4-5 RMAC) will meet to break a tie in the conference standings at the John A. Wilson Complex in Las Vegas, N.M.
Friday's game will be the only meeting this season between the two teams, and the winner will maintain an advantage in the tiebreakers if the teams remain tied at the end of the regular season. The teams are tied for ninth in the standings, but would move into a tie for eighth after Westminster is removed from the standings. Westminster is ineligible for the conference postseason because of its transition to NCAA Division II.
UCCS and New Mexico Highlands are 2-1 in their last three games. The Mountain Lions' loss since the winter break came to RMAC leader and then-No. 20 Fort Lewis on Saturday night, and trailed by only two points with 1:22 to play. UCCS averaged 50.7 percent shooting and cut more than two turnovers per game in the five-game home stretch since Dec. 16.
Justin Smith averaged 15.2 points per game in the last five games and scored a season-high 26 last Friday against Adams State. He is a combined five rebounds away from brining three straight double-doubles into the road trip, with eight rebounds against Western State, nine against Adams and eight against Fort Lewis. He is shooting 61 percent from the field in the last six games since Dec. 10, and has started six of the last seven games since the Chadron State game on Dec. 9.
The Mountain Lions have won their last six games against New Mexico Highlands since Feb. 2, 2013, and has averaged 94.8 points per game in those wins.
Alex Welsh scored 41 points against the Cowboys in the meeting last season and
Tim Haas is the top returning scorer from that game with 10 points. UCCS made 54 percent of its shots in that game against Highlands.
Marlon Johnson is leading the RMAC with 9.6 rebounds per game, and is second for the Cowboys with 13.6 points per game. Ron Lawton is pacing New Mexico Highlands with 14 points per game. The Cowboys have held a rebounding advantage in four of their last five games and are fifth in the conference in rebounding margin, two spots behind the Mountain Lions.
Charlie Botnick will call the action and Charlie Botnick will provide the color analysis on the UCCS Athletic Network. The broadcast can be heard for free on the team's Facebook and Twitter pages.
