UCCS (8-5, 5-2 RMAC) at Fort Lewis College (7-5, 2-5 RMAC) | Friday, Jan. 11 | 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
UCCS at Adams State University (4-8, 4-3 RMAC) | Saturday, Jan. 12 | 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
 
THIS WEEK
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team will look to keep their six-game winning streak alive this weekend when they travel to Durango, Colo. to face Fort Lewis College on Friday, Jan. 11, and to Alamosa, Colo. to take on Adams State University the following night.  Both games are slated to start at 7:30 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
UCCS notched two home wins this past weekend against Dixie State University and Westminster College.  UCCS is in a four-way tie for third place in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings with a 5-2 record (8-5 overall).
 
The Mountains have the fourth highest scoring offense in the league behind 82.3 points per game, and the fifth best scoring margin (+3.5 points per game).  The program is one of the top ball-handling teams in the RMAC, registering a +2.1 turnover margin and a 1.1 assist-to-turnover margin.  The Mountain Lions have nabbed 102 steals in 13 games and are dishing out 15.8 dimes per game.
 
Blend Avdili has started 10-of-13 games this season and leads the team in scoring, assists (34), free throw percentage and three-point field goal percentage.  His 13.8 points per game are the 16^th most in the league.  He ranks fifth in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (47.1 percent, 24-of-51) and seventh in free throw percentage (86.7 percent, 26-of-30).
 
Padiet Wang, who is one of two Mountain Lions to start all 13 games this season (Brandon Malone), leads the RMAC in steals with 2.5 takes per game.  The second leading scorer on the team with 12.2 points per game, Wang ranks 10^th in the league in blocks (0.9 per game).
 
Malone leads the team in minutes played this season, averaging 26.8 minutes per game.  He has added 22 treys, 28 assists and 15 steals while averaging 10.8 points per game.


IT'S A SWEEP
Avdili and Wang swept this week's RMAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week awards.  Avdili was voted the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week, while Wang was voted the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Avdili scored the game-winning three-pointer Friday night with three seconds left in the game against Dixie State University, leading to a 77-74 home win.  In three home wins against Northern New Mexico College (99-82), DSU and Westminster College (82-74), Avdili averaged 25 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists.  He scored at least 24 points in each game, including 27 against the Trailblazers. Avdili shot 58.5 percent from the floor (24-of-41), 56.5 percent from long range (13-of-23) and made all but one of his 15 free throws (93.3 percent).
  
Wang account for seven steals, blocked five shots and pulled down 12 rebounds (11 defensive) in three home wins for UCCS.  Four of his seven steals came Saturday night against the Griffins, while three of his five blocked shots were against the Trailblazers on Friday.  Offensively, Wang contributed 38 points and seven assists in the three wins. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
Before Avdili's game-winner in Friday's three-point win over the Trailblazers, UCCS trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half.  After a timeout with less than a minute remaining, Ian MacDonald secured his third rebound within a 41-second span.  UCCS kept control of the ball on their end of the court as Avdili hit the game-winning trey.
 
Avdili scored a game high 27 points.  He made 9-of-15 field goals, 5-of-9 from three-point range and 4-of-5 free throws.  He added five rebounds, an assist and a steal. DaRaun Clark netted 19 points on 8-of-15 field goals.
 
UCCS shot 46.4 percent from the floor on 26-of-56 field goals, but only 62.5 percent from the charity stripe (15-of-24).
 
The following night in an 82-74 win over Westminster College, UCCS led WC for more than 27 minutes in the game, including the final 10 minutes of regulation.
  
Avdili led all scorers with 24 points on 7-of-15 field goals (4-of-9 from long range) and all six free throw attempts.  He also dished out a game high five assists and grabbed three rebounds.  Malone scored nine of his 22 points from long range and was perfect from the charity stripe on all seven attempts.  Wang made 5-of-8 field goals for 12 points and chipped in four steals, three rebounds and blocked one shot.
 
UCCS finished the game making 42.6 percent from the floor (23-of-54), 12-of-28 from beyond the arc (42.9 percent) and a solid 24-of-29 free throws for 82.8 percent.  The 24 made free throws are the most this season.
 
SCOUTING FORT LEWIS COLLEGE
Fort Lewis College enters the weekend tied for 11^th place with Westminster, Dixie State and CSU-Pueblo in the league standings with a 2-5 league record.  The Skyhawks are 7-6 overall (3-6 vs. NCAA Division II schools) and 4-2 at home (0-2 vs. NCAA Division II schools).
 
FLC is ranked sixth in the RMAC in scoring margin (+2.6), fourth in blocked shots (3.5) and steals (6.9), and last in field goal shooting (42.2 percent) and three-point field goal shooting (33.1 percent).
 
Marquel Beasley leads the offense with 17.4 points per game, while Alex Semadeni is averaging 12.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game

SCOUTING ADAMS STATE UNIVERSITY
Adams State University is one game behind the Mountain Lions in the conference standings, owning a 4-8 overall record and 4-3 league mark. 
 
ASU has the fifth most potent offense in the RMAC with 82.1 points per game, and the fourth best free throw shooting mark (74.9 percent).   The Grizzlies are shooting the ball at a 45.7 percent clip from the floor, and 33.5 percent from long range.
 
Two of the top 15 scorers in the league are from ASU.  John Dewey is ranked fifth in the RMAC (18.0 average) and Davere Creighton's 15.3 points per game are the 13^th highest.  Creighton is also the fourth best rebounder in the RMAC, pulling down 7.5 rebounds 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 return to Gallogly Events Center Jan. 18-19 when they host Black Hills State University and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.  Games will tip-off each night at approximately 7:30 p.m., following the women's games.