UCCS (0-4) vs. Colorado School of Mines (3-2) | Saturday, Dec. 1 | 5:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
THIS WEEK
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team will open their home season and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season on Saturday at Gallogly Events Center. The Mountain Lions will play host to Colorado School of Mines at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's game at 7:30 p.m.
PROMOTIONS
The first 200 fans to Saturday's doubleheader basketball games will receive a free black beanie that features the Mountain Lion logo on one side, and the Ent Credit Union logo on the other side. The women's game tips-off at 5:30 p.m. against the Orediggers, followed by the men's game.
Ent Credit Union is sponsoring two halftime events Saturday evening. At halftime of the women's game, two lucky fans will be selected to compete in a halftime free throw contest. The fan that makes the most free throws in 30 seconds will receive an Apple watch.
At halftime of the men's game, a UCCS student will be randomly selected to compete in a contest (details cannot be revealed). If the person is successful in completing the challenge, he or she will win $100,000 from Ent Credit Union.
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
UCCS will begin the conference season with a 0-4 record. The Mountain Lions closed out the preseason portion of their schedule last weekend in Kearney, Neb. where they faced Fort Hays State University (L, 80-52) and Nebraska-Kearney (L, 61-45).
The offense is led by
Jae Ferrin who is averaging 11.5 points per game. Ferrin and
Abby Feickert have started all four games for UCCS this season. Ferrin is also shooting a team best 55.6 percent from the floor after sinking 20-of-36 field goals. She has added a team high 18 rebounds.
Feickert has contributed 24 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and three steals through four games. She has accounted for four of the Mountain Lions 13 made three-point field goals.
Kelly O'Flannigan has started three of four games and handed out a team high eight assists. She has netted 17 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.
The Mountain Lions are averaging 52 points per game and hitting nearly 40 percent of their shots (81-of-204). They hold a plus-four rebounding advantage, including 10 more offensive boards than their opponents (45-35).
SCOUTING COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
Saturday will mark the first game for Colorado School of Mines away from their home court. The Orediggers are 3-2 this season and are on a two-game winning streak after defeating Texas A&M-International (88-64) and Texas-Permian Basin (W, 82-58) over Thanksgiving break.
Denali Pinto is averaging 13.0 points per game to lead the Orediggers offensively. Sammy Van Sickle has made a team high 10 three-point field goals, while Raven Herrera has notched four double-doubles through five games. Herrera is tallying 9.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
CSM is outscoring their opponents by more than eight points per game. The Orediggers are averaging 71.6 points while holding the other team to 63 points per game.
HEAD COACH LYNN PLETT
After the first RMAC championship in program history in his first season in 2016-17,
Lynn Plett returns for his third year on the sideline for the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. He guided the Mountain Lions to the RMAC Tournament Championship in 2017 and the third straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
In the 2017-18 season, Plett coached All-RMAC honorable mention
Shanah Leaf as well as five Mountain Lions who received honors on the RMAC All-Academic team. Last season proved to be a rebuilding year for the Mountain Lions as they lost three starting seniors while adding six new players to the roster. UCCS finished the season with an overall 10-17 record with a 10-12 conference record, which placed the Mountain Lions 10th in the RMAC conference.
Plett coached two All-RMAC First Team student-athletes for the 2016-17 season in Brittany Hernandez and Tori Fisher. The Mountain Lions tied for second in the RMAC standings and won the tournament with the best defensive performance in championship game history in a 53-37 victory against Regis. UCCS advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in its furthest postseason run since 2015.
Plett spent four seasons at Northern Kentucky, where the Norse qualified for the Women's Basketball Invitational postseason tournament each season during the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I. Prior to NKU, he spent five seasons as the head coach at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo. Plett served as the head coach at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill. from 2002 through 2007. Plett entered Division II coaching at Saint Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Ind., in 1994, where he also doubled as the athletic director.
UP NEXT
UCCS will play at Colorado Mesa University on Friday, Dec. 7 at 5:30 p.m., and at Western State Colorado University on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 5 p.m.
