UCCS (12-5, 9-2 RMAC) at Chadron State College (9-8, 7-4 RMAC) | Friday, Jan. 25 | 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
UCCS at MSU Denver (7-8, 5-6 RMAC) | Saturday, Jan. 26 | 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
 

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THIS WEEK
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team will take on Chadron State College on Friday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m., and MSU Denver the following evening at 7 p.m. Both games are the start of a four-game road trip for the Mountain Lions.
 

ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
UCCS extended their winning streak to 10 games, the second longest current streak in the RMAC this season behind Colorado School of Mines (13).  The 10-game winning streak is the longest for UCCS since the 2014-15 season when UCCS won their first 14 games.
 
UCCS has won their last four games by a total of six points, and an average of 5.0 points during their 10-game winning streak.  The Mountain Lions are 12-5 on the season and have the second-best record in the league at 9-2.
 
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 82.6 points per game, and the fifth best scoring margin (+3.0 points per game).  The program is one of the top ball-handling teams in the RMAC, registering a +1.6 turnover margin and a 1.2 assist-to-turnover margin.  The Mountain Lions have nabbed 129 steals in 17 games and are dishing out 16.1 dimes per game, the second highest assist average in the RMAC.
 
Blend Avdili has started 14-of-17 games this season and leads the team in scoring (13.4 points), assists (51), free throw percentage (86.5 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (47.4 percent).  His 14.2 points per game are the 20^th most in the league.  He ranks fifth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage and 13^th in field goal percentage.
 
Padiet Wang, who is one of two Mountain Lions to start all 17 games this season (Brandon Malone), leads the RMAC in steals with 2.2 takes per game.  The second leading scorer on the team with 12.5 points per game, Wang ranks 10^th in the league in blocks (0.9 per game).
 
Wang and Malone lead the team in minutes played this season, averaging 26.6 minutes per game.  Malone has added 30 treys, 37 assists and 16 steals while averaging 11.1 points per game.

 
LAST TIME OUT
The Mountain Lions defeated both opponents this past weekend at home, edging Black Hills State University and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology by one point each night.
 
On Friday against the YellowJackets, Ian MacDonald and Elijah Ross led UCCS to their ninth straight win.  MacDonald pulled down three offensive rebounds in the final two minutes of regulation that led to five points, while Ross sealed the win at the free line, hitting the front end of bonus free throws to propel the Mountain Lions to a 73-72 win. 
 
MacDonald finished the night with four rebounds (three offensive), six points, two assists and two blocked shots.  Three of Ross' five points came from the free throw line (3-of-6) and he added a team high five assists.  DaRaun Clark led the Mountain Lions in scoring with 14 points.  He made 3-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-4 from long range and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.  Wang tabbed a double-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds (nine defensive) and added two blocks, two steals and an assist.
 
UCCS posted a 42-35 rebound advantage and scored 13 second chance points. 
 
Saturday's win again came down to the free throw line.  With four seconds remaining, Wang was sent to the charity stripe where he missed the front end but made the second attempt for the 79-78 win.   


UCCS finished the game missing only four free throws, 18-of-22, while shooting 46.6 percent from the floor (27-of-58).  The Hardrockers finished the game shooting 66.7 percent from the line, missing six free throws on 18 attempts.
 
Dalton Walker was perfect from the line, hitting 9-of-9 as part of his 14 points.  Walker made 2-fo-5 field goals and pulled down three rebounds.  Clark led UCCS with 19 points.  Clark made three 7-of-14 field goals, 3-of-7 from long range and both free throws.  He chipped in four rebounds, three steals, an assist and a blocked shot.  Wang tallied 11 points, four assists and three rebounds.   Avdili led both teams with four steals and six assists.  He hit 4-of-7 field goals as part of his nine points and added a team high six rebounds.
 
SCOUTING CHADRON STATE COLLEGE
Chadron State College enters their weekend at home with a 9-8 overall record and the fifth best RMAC record (7-4). CSC is on a three-game winning streak after defeating Dixie State University, New Mexico Highlands University and CSU-Pueblo.
 
Three Eagles are averaging double digits in scoring behind Diontae Champion's 12.3 points per game.  Senior forward Jeremy Ruffin is this week's RMAC Defensive Player of the Week.  Ruffin and the Eagles held the league's highest scoring team (NMHU) to 69 points.  He averaged 10.5 rebounds per game as the Eagles recorded their first sweep since 2014. 
 
As a team, the Eagles are netting 73.1 points per game and shooting the ball at a 43.8 percent clip.  CSC has the best three-point field goal defense in the league, holding their opponents to a 29.8 shooting percentage from long range.  On the opposite end of the floor, the Eagles are making 37.4 percent of their shots from downtown.


SCOUTING MSU DENVER
The Roadrunners are currently tied for eighth place in the league standings with a 5-6 record (7-8).  MSU Denver split this past weekend at home, defeating CSU-Pubelo before falling to New Mexico Highlands University.  The Roadrunners are 6-4 at home this season and 1-4 in their last five games.
 
The Roadrunners' Druce Asah has the ninth highest scoring average in the league (16.9 points) while teammate Kendall McIntosh leads all players in blocked shots.  McIntosh has blocked 26 shots this season, an average of 1.7 per game.  Asha has hit 47 three-pointers and a rate of 38.2 percent.
 
MSU Denver has the third lowest scoring output in the RMAC, scoring 71.3 points per game while allowing 73.1 points.  However, the Roadrunners are out-rebounding their opponent by three rebounds per game and have blocked the second most shots this season (4.2 per game).
  
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 continue their road trip Feb. 1-2 when they head south to take on New Mexico Highlands University on Friday, and CSU-Pueblo on Saturday.