UCCS (10-5, 7-2 RMAC) vs. Black Hills State University (7-6, 6-3 RMAC) | Friday, Jan. 18 | 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
UCCS vs. South Dakota School of Mines & Technology (7-10, 4-5 RMAC) | Saturday, Jan. 19 | 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
 
THIS WEEK
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team returns home to play host to Black Hills State University on Friday, Jan. 25, and South Dakota School of Mines and Technology on Saturday.  Both games will follow the women's games and are scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
 

ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
The Mountain Lions are on an eight-game winning streak after earning two wins by a total of four points this past weekend at Fort Lewis College and Adams State University.  The eight-game win streak is the second longest in the league.
 
Elijah Ross made program history on Saturday at Adams State University, becoming the all-time assists leader at UCCS.  Ross found Blend Avdili with 6:26 left in regulation to surpass Derrick White's career mark of 343 assists.
 
UCCS is tied for second in the league standings with New Mexico Highlands University and Regis University.  All three teams are 7-2 in the league with the Mountain Lions owning a 10-5 overall record.
 
The Mountain Lions are 3-0 this season when scoring 100 or more points.
 
The Mountains have the fourth highest scoring offense in the league behind 83.5 points per game, and the fifth best scoring margin (+3.3 points per game).  The program is one of the top ball-handling teams in the RMAC, registering a +2.2 turnover margin and a 1.2 assist-to-turnover margin.  The Mountain Lions have nabbed 117 steals in 15 games and are dishing out 15.9 dimes per game, the second highest assist average in the RMAC.
 
Avdili has started 12-of-15 games this season and leads the team in scoring, assists (34), free throw percentage and three-point field goal percentage.  His 14.2 points per game are the 17^th most in the league.  He ranks third in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (49.2 percent, 30-of-61) and ninth in free throw percentage (86.1 percent, 31-of-36).
 
Padiet Wang, who is one of two Mountain Lions to start all 15 games this season (Brandon Malone), leads the RMAC in steals with 2.3 takes per game.  The second leading scorer on the team with 12.7 points per game, Wang ranks 11^th in the league in blocks (0.9 per game).
 
Malone leads the team in minutes played this season, averaging 26.7 minutes per game.  He has added 27 treys, 33 assists and 16 steals while averaging 10.8 points per game.

 
LAST TIME OUT
On Friday at Fort Lewis College, UCCS overcame a double-digit deficit, handing the Skyhawks a 100-99 loss at home.
 
Despite shooting 50 percent from the floor in the first half, the Mountain Lions trailed by as many as 20 points and were down by 16 points at halftime, 55-39. Trailing by 17 points with 10:44 remaining in regulation, UCCS chipped away at the Skyhawks lead and tied the game, 86-86, after outscoring FLC 31-15 over eight minutes.

Sixty-four fouls were called between the two teams with 34 fouls being called against the Mountain Lions. UCCS netted 30-of-41 free throws for 73.2 percent and finished the game making 29-of-54 from the floor (53.7 percent) and 12-of-25 from behind the arc (48 percent).  The Mountain Lions 30 made free throws, 41 attempted free throws, 12 made treys and 48 three-point field goal percentage are all season highs.
 
Wang sank a three-pointer to boost UCCS' lead to two-points, 99-97, with only 25 seconds left.  FLC was sent to the line again and made both free throws to knot the game at 99.  With only two seconds remaining, Ross hit the front-end of two free throws to give UCCS a 100-99 lead and the win. 
 
Wang led UCCS with 19 points after sinking all three three-pointers, 6-of-8 field goals and 4-of-7 free throws.  Malone added 18 points, nine of which came from long range, while Avdili chipped in 16 points, six dimes and two steals.  
 
The following night in Alamosa, Colo., UCCS earned a three-point victory over the Grizzlies, 83-80.  Both teams entered halftime tied at 44-44.  UCCS shot 44.4 percent in the first half, sinking 12-of-27 field goals, and 6-of-13 from three-point range.  Eighteen of the Mountain Lions 23 free throws were attempted in the first half; UCCS netted 14-of-18 from the charity stripe before halftime.
 
The Mountain Lions largest lead of the game was recorded with 14:21 left in the game after DaRaun Clark stole the ball and finished with a jumper to give UCCS a 61-55 lead.  Leading by five points with 1:56 remaining, both teams possessed the ball three times over the next one minute and 49 seconds without scoring a point.  During that span, the Mountain Lions made the Grizzlies miss four field goal attempts and forced them to foul three times.
 
Ross came off the bench to lead UCCS with 19 points, four rebounds and two assists.  All three of his three-pointers came in the second half.  Malone was a catalyst for the Mountain Lions in the second half as he scored all 10 of points in the final 20 minutes.  Malone made all four of his field goal attempts in the second half, two of which came from long range.  Nine of Avdili's 17 points were from behind the arc (3-of-4), and he added a game high four assists.  Wang led the defense with seven rebounds (all defensive), two blocked shots and two steals, and he netted 12 points. Dalton Walker came off the bench to score nine points.  Both of his field goals were three pointers and he made 3-of-4 free throws.
 
UCCS shot 47.4 percent from the floor (27-of-57), 52.2 percent from long range (12-of-23) and 73.9 percent from the free throw line (17-of-23).
 
SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE UNIVERSITY
Black Hills State University started the conference season winning their first six league games, but have since lost three straight and are 6-3 in the league for the fifth best conference record.    BHSU is 7-6 overall and 4-2 on the road.
 
BHSU is scoring an average of 72.2 points per game and shooting the ball at a 43.6 percent clip.  The YellowJackets have scored at least 80 points in four games this season and held to 70 points or fewer in seven games.
 
Fraser Malcolm leads the offense with 15.7 points per game behind a team high 76 made field goals.  He is hitting 76-of-146 of his field goals (52.1 percent).  Tyler Oliver has attempted a team high 63 free throws and made a team high 47.  Dez Stoudamire and Malcolm have combined to make 56 three-pointers, while Tyler Oliver is the second leading scorer (10.8) and has grabbed a team-high 81 rebounds.


SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA SCHOOL OF MINES & TECHNOLOGY
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology are in a four-way tie for eighth place in the conference standings.  The Hardrockers are 7-10 overall and 4-5 in conference games.  SDSMT has split their games in all four conference weekends.  They are 2-6 on the road, earning wins at Fort Lewis College and at Western State Colorado University. 
 
As a team, the Hardrockers are scoring 66.6 points per game, just 2.3 points shy of their opponents (68.9).  They are shooting the ball at a 45.6 percent clip, and 71.8 percent from the free throw line.
 
Three Hardorckers are averaging double digits behind Mitchell Sueker's 12.4 points per game.  Allec Williams is netting 12.3 points and has handed out a team high 61 assists.  Logan Elers is adding 11.4 points per game.  Troy Brady is a threat from long distance, shooting 41.5 percent and sinking 34 treys.  He has also grabbed a team high 25 steals.

  
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 play seven of their final 11 regular season home games on the road, beginning with a four-game road swing Jan. 25-26.  The Mountain Lions will play at Chadron State College on Jan. 25 and at MSU Denver on Jan. 26.  The following weekend, UCCS will travel to New Mexico Highlands University and Colorado State-Pueblo.