UCCS (12-7, 9-4 RMAC) at New Mexico Highlands University (14-5, 9-4 RMAC) | Friday, Feb. 1 | 7 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
UCCS at Colorado State-Pueblo (5-14, 3-10 RMAC) | Saturday, Feb. 2 | 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
 
THIS WEEK
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team travels to Las Vegas, N.M. and Pueblo, Colo. for two conference contests against New Mexico Highlands University on Friday, Feb. 1, and Colorado State University-Pueblo the following evening.

ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
The Mountain Lions 10-game winning streak was snapped on the road this past weekend when they fell to Chadron State College (L, 90-75) and MSU Denver (L, 93-81).  The losses moved the Mountain Lions down one to spot to third place in the Rocky Mountain Athletics Conference.  UCCS is tied with New Mexico Highlands in the league (9-4) and are 12-7 overall.
 
The Mountain Lions are 3-0 this season when scoring 100 or more points.
 
UCCS has the fourth highest scoring offense in the league behind 82.2 points per game, and the seventh best scoring margin (+1.3 points per game).  The program is one of the top ball-handling teams in the RMAC, registering a +1.3 turnover margin and a 1.3 assist-to-turnover margin.  The Mountain Lions have nabbed 141 steals in 19 games and are dishing out 15.5 dimes per game, the second highest assists average in the RMAC.
 
Blend Avdili has started 16-of-19 games this season and leads the team in scoring (13.1 points), assists (56), and three-point field goal percentage (49.3  percent).  His 13.1 points per game are the 22^nd most in the league. 
 
Padiet Wang, who is one of two Mountain Lions to start all 19 games this season (Brandon Malone), is second in the RMAC in steals with 2.1 takes per game.  The second leading scorer on the team with 12.3 points per game, Wang ranks 14^th in the league in blocks (0.8 per game).
 
Malone has made a team high 36 treys while averaging 11.3 points per game.


LAST TIME OUT
The Mountain Lions suffered a 90-75 setback Friday night at CSC, closing out a 10-game winning streak.
  
Elijah Ross scored a game high 23 points after making all eight free throw attempts and six field goals, including three from behind the arc.  DaRaun Clark chipped in 16 points, 12 of which came from three-point land.  Dalton Walker came off the bench to net 10 points.  All three of his made field goals and all seven attempted field goals came from downtown.   Avdili added eight points, three steals and five rebounds.
 
The Mountain Lions hit 42.1 percent from the floor (24-of-57) and 12-of-29 from long distance (41.4 percent).  Conversely, the Eagles shot 64.3 percent from long range (9-of-14) and 50.8 percent from the floor (31-of-61).  UCCS was limited to only nine assists and outrebounded by eight, 41-33. 
 
At MSU Denver the following night, UCCS was handed a 93-81 setback.
 
The Mountain Lions shot a solid 46.7 percent from the floor (28-of-60) and 44.1 percent from long range (15-of-34), but the Roadrunners bested UCCS in shooting, hitting 52.6 percent in field goals (30-of-57) and 52 percent from long range (13-of-25).
 
Five Mountain Lions scored in double figures tonight with Malone leading UCCS' offensive attack after netting 21 points.  Malone hit 8-of-15 field goals, including five from downtown.  Clark and Wang each scored 15 points and dished out two assists.  Clark made 5-of-12 field goals and 3-of-8 from behind the arc, while Wang sank 4-of-8 from the floor and all six free throw attempts. Avdili notched 13 points and nine rebounds.  He made 3-of-4 three-pointers and added three dimes and two steals.  Isaiah Wilson came off the bench to sink 10 points, six of which came from behind the arc.


SCOUTING NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS UNIVERSITY
The Cowboys of New Mexico Highlands University currently lead the RMAC in scoring with 86.4 points per game, and they have the third best scoring margin (+5.9).  Conversely, NMHU is averaging nearly four blocks per game (3.7), the third most in the RMAC.  The Cowboys, who are undefeated at home (7-0) but have split their last four games on the road, also lead the RMAC in turnover margin (+6.7) and steals (9.6 per game).
 
Two of the top three individual scorers in the RMAC hail from NMHU.  Gerad Davis and Raquan Mitchell are averaging 20.5 points and 19.5 points per game, respectively. Mitchell has made the most treys in the RMAC (69) while Davis has grabbed the most steals (41). Teammate Nmamdi Okoro is adding 7.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
 

SCOUTING COLORADO STATE-PUEBLO
Colorado State-Pueblo starts the weekend in a tie for 14^th place in the RMAC.  The Pack are 5-14 overall and 3-10 in RMAC games.  The Pack's lone RMAC win at home came against Western State Colorado on Jan. 11.  Since then, CSUP has dropped five straight games.
 
The ThunderWolves are led by Donovan Oldham and Jason Anderson who are both averaging double digits offensively.  Oldham is scoring 14.1 points per game and has made 51 free throws on 60 attempts.  Anderson is shooting the ball at a 60 percent rate from the floor, sinking 81-of-135 field goals while leading the Pack on the boards (5.3 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 returns to Gallogly Events Center for a four-game homestand to close out their home regular season schedule.  The Mountain Lions will play host to MSU Denver on Friday, Feb. 8 during "Black Out" night, and Chadron State College on Saturday, Feb. 9. Prior to Friday's game against the Roadrunners, UCCS will retire alumnus Alex Welsh's No. 25 jersey.