UCCS (2-4, 0-1 RMAC) at Colorado Mesa University (6-1, 1-0) | Friday, Dec. 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
 
UCCS (2-4, 0-1 RMAC) at Western State Colorado University (3-4, 0-1) | Saturday, Dec. 8 | 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
 
THIS WEEK
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team will take to the road this weekend when they head West to Colorado Mesa University on Dec. 7, and Western State Colorado University the following night.

ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
UCCS enters the weekend with a 2-4 overall record and a 1-0 mark in league games.  UCCS went 1-1 at home last weekend, defeating Colorado College on Monday (106-64), before suffering an 87-82 loss to Colorado School of Mines in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference season opener.
 
Three Mountain Lions are averaging double-digits in scoring, led by Elijah Ross' 15 points per game.  Padiet Wang is second on the team in scoring with 12.5 points, followed by Blend Avdili's 12.0 scoring average.
 
Wang, along with Brandon Malone, have started all six games for UCCS.  Wang has a team high 19 steals and 20 made free throws.   His 19 steals and 3.17 average lead the RMAC this season.  Malone has hit a team high 11 three-point field goals and is shooting at a 39.3 percent clip from long range.
 
Avdili is shooting a hot 58.0 percent from the floor, striking on 29-of-50 attempts. 
 
Ed Bourke, who has started three games and played in all six this season, has blocked seven shots, the sixth most in the RMAC. He has added 22 points and 12 rebounds.
 
LAST TIME OUT
In the Mountain Lions home opener against the CC Tigers, UCCS took charge quickly as they jumped to a 12-0 lead in the first four minutes of action with five different Mountain Lions scoring points.  Leading 14-5, UCCS went on a 19-0 run in the first half, forcing nine turnovers during that span and scoring 13 points from the turnovers.   The Mountain Lions headed into halftime with a comfortable 29-point lead, 52-23, after netting 57.1 percent from the floor (20-of-35) and 83.3 percent from the charity stripe (10-of-12). 
 
UCCS continued their hot shooting in the second half, hitting 22-of-36 field goals for 61.1 percent.  The Mountain Lions 42 made field goals and 59.2 field goal shooting percent are season highs.
 
Wang led UCCS with 18 points, seven rebounds and five dimes.  He stole the ball seven times from the Tigers, helping the Mountain Lions force 29 CC turnovers. Malone and Isaiah Wilson each netted 13 points.  Wilson added five steals and three assists. Avdili chipped in 12 points, three rebounds four assists, two steals and a blocked shot.  Ian MacDonald was near perfect from the floor, sinking 5-of-6 field goals, including 1-of-2 from long range.
 
UCCS edged the Tigers in rebounding, 33-32, but scored 16 second chance points to CC's seven.  Thirty-two of the Mountain Lions points came from the fast break, while over half of their points (64) came from inside the paint.
 
Against the Orediggers, UCCS trailed Mines for most of the first half, including a nine-point deficit at halftime, 47-38.  The Orediggers took a 17-point lead in the second half, 59-42, at 16:45, but the Mountain Lions rallied a comeback over the next 10 minutes to tie the game after outscoring CSM, 33-16.  
 
With 4:39 left in regulation, Malone hit one of his three three-point field goals to give the Mountain Lions a 78-76 lead. After a Mines free throw, Malone hit the first of two free throws to give UCCS a two-point lead. Mines used a 6-0 run to retake the lead, 83-79 before Malone struck again from long range, cutting the deficit down to one point for UCCS, 83-82, with 23 ticks left in the game.  The Orediggers closed the game making four straight free throws.
 
Between the two teams, 67 free throws were attempted Saturday night.  UCCS made 18-of-26 for 69.2 percent, while the Orediggers nailed 23-of-35 for 65.7 percent.
 
Avdili scored a team high 18 points and added four rebounds and five assists.  Wang chipped in 17 points with two assists, two steals, a blocked shot and seven rebounds.  All three made field goals for Malone came from long distance as he finished with 12 points, including 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.  DaRaun Clark made 4-of-5 free throws as part of his 12 points and dished out two assists.  Bourke came off the bench to tie for team high honors in rebounds with seven.  He made 4-of-6 from the floor for eight points and blocked two shots.
 
UCCS finished the game shooting 48.3 percent from the floor (28-of-58) and 47.1 percent from long range (8-of-17). 

SCOUTING COLORADO MESA UNIVERSITY
Colorado Mesa's 6-1 overall record is the best in the RMAC.  The Mavericks have won five straight games, including the conference opener at Western State last weekend, 97-90.
 
CMU leads the RMAC in numerous categories, including assists per game (19.0), field goal percentage (57.1), rebounding margin (5.3), scoring margin (11.0), three-point field percentage (45.1 percent) and total assists (114).
 
The Mavericks are 2-0 at home this season and are led by Connor Nichols' league-leading 23.0 points per game (138 total points).  He also leads the conference in defensive rebounds per game (7.17).  Teammate Brandon Hoffer is feeding Nichols and the Mavericks, dishing out more than six assists per game.
 
SCOUTING WESTERN STATE COLORADO UNIVERSITY
After defeating then-ranked No. 4 West Texas A&M University in the season opener on their home court, Western State Colorado University lost the next three games.  The Mountaineers are 3-4 on the season and 0-1 in the conference.  WSCU is 1-4 on their home court this season, including four straight losses at Paul Wright Gym. 
 
WSCU's 10.8 made three-point field goals each game is the most in the RMAC.  The Mountaineers, who have attempted nearly 180 three-pointers in seven games, have five players scoring in double figures.  Quincy Harding leads all Mountaineers with 21.3 points per game.  Brady Subart's (14.5 points per game) 3.60 made three-point field goals and 46.2 three-point field goal percentage are the best in the RMAC.
 
The Mountaineers hold a scoring (2.8 points per game) and rebounding (1.5 rebounds per game) advantage.

HEAD COACH JEFF CULVER
Jeff Culver, who led UCCS to its first RMAC championship in program history, is in his seventh season as the Head Coach at UCCS in 2018-19. He's coached the only NBA Draft pick and the only All-Americans in program history in the past six years.

Culver was the only four-year head coach to offer Derrick White a scholarship out of high school, and he would become a two-time All-American and the No. 29 pick by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 NBA Draft. White played with Alex Welsh, the other All-American in program history, and the two hold the top spots in the UCCS career scoring records.

Culver came to UCCS after a seven-year career at Johnson & Wales, where he also doubled as athletic director for the final six years. As athletic director at Johnson & Wales, Culver led a $7 million renovation to campus athletic facilities.
  
UP NEXT
UCCS will begin a five-game home stand Dec. 15-17 when they play host to Regis University, Colorado Christian University and Northern New Mexico College, respectively.