UCCS (8-11, 7-6 RMAC) at New Mexico Highlands University (4-16, 2-11 RMAC) | Friday, Feb. 1 | 5 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
UCCS at Colorado State-Pueblo (11-8, 9-4 RMAC) | Saturday, Feb. 2 | 5:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
 
THIS WEEK
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team will stay on the road this week when they travel south to New Mexico Highlands University and Colorado State University-Pueblo.  Friday's game against the Cowgirls will tip-off at 5 p.m., while Saturday's game at Massari Arena will begin at 5:30 p.m.
 

ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
After a road split last weekend at Chadron State College (W) and MSU Denver (L), the Mountain Lions remain tied for sixth place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with Black Hills State University, Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Christian University.  UCCS begins the final month of the regular season owning an 8-11 over record and a 7-6 league mark.
 
UCCS has remained at or above the .500 mark in conference games this season and have split all six back-to-back RMAC series.
 
The Mountain Lions rank in the top half of the league in several statistical categories, including assists (fourth, 13.6), rebound margin (fifth, +3.2), blocked shots (fifth, 3.3), free throw percentage (fourth, 71.1 percent), rebounding offense (fourth, 38.3), and three-point field goal percentage (fourth, 33.5 percent).
 
Abby Feickert leads the Mountain Lions offense with 7.5 points per game.  Feickert, who has started 17-of-18 games she has played in, has only missed three free throw attempts this season.  She is shooting at a 90.3 percent clip (28-of-31) from the charity stripe.
 
Anna Davern has blocked 16 shots this season and has added 10 steals and 65 rebounds.
 
Jae Ferrin is second on the team in scoring with 7.4 points per game.  Ferrin leads the team in rebounding (4.9 per game) and has chipped in 30 assists, 12 steals and eight blocks.
 
Kelly O'Flannigan, who has started all but one game this season, owns a team best 46.4 field goal shooting mark (45-of-97) while dealing out a team high 46 dimes.
 
Chelsea Pearson, who made the game-winning three-pointer Friday night at Chadron State, leads UCCS with 25 made treys.  She has made at least three three-pointers in a game six times this year.
 

LAST TIME OUT
Pearson scored all 15 of her points from behind the arc, including the game-winning three with six seconds left in regulation to lift UCCS to a 66-64 win at Chadron State College Friday night.  She finished the game making 5-of-9 from long range and added four rebounds.  O'Flannigan added seven points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.  Emily Seifert and Madi Gaibler each posted eight points.   

The Mountain Lions shot 45.8 percent from the floor (27-of-59) and 5-of-8 free throws (62.5 percent).
 
On Saturday at MSU Denver, the Mountain Lions held a 16-point lead but dropped a 60-56 decision after a fourth quarter rally by the Roadrunners.  The Mountain Lions made 4-of-5 free throws through the first three quarters, but missed five attempts in the final quarter, making 6-of-11.
  
All 10 Mountain Lions that saw action on Saturday recorded points for UCCS.  Pearson and Davern paced UCCS with 11 points each.  Pearson finished with three three-pointers and nine rebounds.  Five of Davern's points came from the charity stripe where she made all but one of her six attempts.  O'Flannigan added eight points, three rebounds and three assists.
 
The Mountain Lions were successful on 8-of-16 three-pointers and 19-of-51 from the floor (37.3 percent).
 

SCOUTING NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS UNIVERSITY
New Mexico Highlands University enters their weekend at home tied for 15^th place in the conference standings with a 2-11 conference record.  Both RMAC wins have come against Chadron State College and Adams State University.  The Cowgirls are 4-16 overall.  They are on a three-game skid and have lost nine of their last 10 games.
 
As a team the Cowgirls are getting outscored by nearly 20 points per game.  NMHU is averaging 52.8 points per contest but are allowing 71.9 points per game, while also surrendering nearly 12 more rebounds per game. 
 
Jordyn Lewis leads the team offensively and is eighth in the league in scoring with 14.1 points per game.  Her 87.7 free throw shooting mark (57-of-65) leads all RMAC players.  She has added a team high 28 steals.
 

SCOUTING COLORADO STATE-PUEBLO
Colorado State-Pueblo returns to Massari Arena after playing their last four games on the road.  The ThunderWolves are third in the conference (9-4) and 11-8 overall.  CSU-Pueblo is currently on a three-game winning streak and are 3-3 this season when playing on their home court.
 
The Pack lead all 16 teams in blocked shots, averaging 4.5 stops per game.  They are edging their opponents in scoring by 1.4 points per game (67.9 – 66.6). 
 
Jennah Knafelc has the fifth highest scoring average in the league with 14.5 points per game.  She has also hit 50 three-pointers and leads the Pack in steals (40).  Khiya Adams is second on the team in scoring (12.4) while pulling down a team high 7.2 rebounds per game.  Four ThunderWolves have blocked at least 12 shots behind Sydni Williams' team high 19 blocks. 
   

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 their final four home games of the regular season Feb. 8-9 and Feb. 15-16.  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.  Both games will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. from the Gallogly Events Center.