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Feb 8, 2019; Colorado Springs, CO, USA; UCCS Mountain Lions guard Blend Avdili (15) comes off the floor in the second half against the MSU Roadrunners at Gallogly Events Center. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing

PREVIEW | Men's Basketball Back in Gallogly to host Mesa and Western State

12/3/2019 3:00:00 PM

By: Jake Wise - Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
This Week's Games
  • The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team returns home to the Gallogly Events Center this weekend for a pair of RMAC matchups.
  • On Friday, December 6, UCCS will host Colorado Mesa University (CMU) at 7:30 p.m. for Black Out Night. The first 700 UCCS students to arrive at Friday's game will receive a free Black Out T-Shirt!
  • On Saturday, December 7, UCCS will play host to Western State Colorado University (Western State) at 7:30 p.m.
Game Coverage Last Time Out
  • The Mountain Lions started off conference play on a high note with five-point victory over Colorado School of Mines this past Saturday, 82-77. That brings their record this season to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the RMAC.
  • After trailing by two to end the first half (44-42), UCCS went on to outscore Mines 40-33 in the second half to take home the win. The Mountain Lions shot 53 percent (26-of-49) from the field overall, including 40 percent from long range (8-of-20) and 71 percent from the free-throw line (22-of-31).
  • DaRaun Clark led all scorers with 30 points off the bench for UCCS, which was a season high for the sophomore. Clark shot 53 percent from the field (9-of-17), 50 percent from beyond the arc (4-of-8) and 80 percent from the free-throw line (8-of-10).
  • Padiet Wang and Blend Avdili were the next top scorers for UCCS with 18 and 11 points, respectively. Wang also added four rebounds and a game high 10 free-throws, while Avdili tallied two assists and one steal in his 28 minutes.  
  • William Becker had a game-high seven rebounds off the bench for UCCS, while Ed Bourke and Parker Gaddis tied for the team high in assists with four each.
The Series
  • Against CMU, UCCS has an all-time record of 10-37. However, the Mountain Lions have won four of the last six matchups and averaged 82 points per game during that span.
  • Against Western State, UCCS has an all-time record of 23-18, which includes a 9-1 record in their last 10 matchups. In the most recent matchup between the teams, UCCS won by a score of 103-94.
Scouting Report
  • CMU currently owns a 4-2 overall record this season. After losing their first two games of the season to St. Edward's University (6-1, #18 in the nation) and Dallas Baptist University (5-0, #22 in the nation), the Mavericks have won four straight games to end their non-conference schedule. CMU blew out the University of Montana Western by 31 points in their most recent matchup, 95-64.
  • The Mavericks are averaging 88 points per game and allowing 73 this season. They are shooting 53.7 percent from the field, 44.1 percent from three-point range and 71.6 percent from the free-throw line.
  • CMU is also averaging 39.3 rebounds per game, 16.7 assists per game and 6.2 steals per game.
  • Individually, Tommy Nuno, Michael Skinner and Georgie Dancer are the leading scorers for CMU this season. Nuno is averaging a team high 16.3 points per game this season, while Skinner and Dancer rank second and third in scoring at 15.3 points per game and 14.2 points per game, respectively.
  • Skinner is also the team's leading rebounder with 40 (6.7 per game) and Dancer is the leading distributor with 29 assists (4.8 per game). Kolton Peterson leads the team in three-pointers with 17.
  • Western State has a 3-3 record to start the season. The Mountaineers dropped their first two games of the season to the University of Texas – Permian Basin and (85-96) and #5 West Texas A&M University (58-114) but have bounced back to win three of their last four. Their most recent matchup was a four-point win over Missouri Western State University, 86-82.
  • As a team, Western State is averaging 75.8 points per game this season while allowing 81.3 points per game. The Mountaineers are shooting 43.9 percent from the field overall, 35 percent from long range and 75.5 percent from the free-throw line. They are also averaging 39.7 rebounds, 13.8 assists and 16.2 turnovers per game this year.
  • Individually, Western State has four players averaging at least 10 points per game to start this season. The top three scorers are Josh Tomasi (14.3 PPG), Cole Sienknecht (13.3 PPG) and Jackson Ehrlin (12.8 PPG). Sienknecht leads the team in three-pointers with 10 while Tomasi leads the team in total rebounds (41) and Ehrlin leads the team in rebounds per game (7.6).
Hot Takes
  • Through five games this season, UCCS is averaging 77 points per game and allowing only 69 points per game. The Mountain Lions are shooting 47.4 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from beyond the arc. They are also averaging 37.8 rebounds, 13.2 assists 5.4 steals and 7.6 blocks per game this season.
  • As a team, UCCS is leading the nation (Division II) in blocked shots per game and is tied for third in all Divisions in blocked shots per game .
  • The team's big win against Mines last Saturday was their first against the Orediggers since the 2017-2018 season, and it marks the first time the Mountain Lions have beaten Mines on the road under head coach Jeff Culver.
  • Their 4-1 record is the best start to a season since the 2014-2015 season.
  • Senior Padiet Wang is the leading scorer for UCCS at 19 points per game, with sophomore DaRaun Clark close behind him averaging 18.8 points per game. Wang is also leading the team in steals (11) and ranks second in blocks (seven). Clark leads the team in three-pointers (14) and has the third most blocks on the team (six).
  • Clark's 30-point performance against Mines last weekend marked a career high in his two years at UCCS. He managed to score his 30 points in only 23 minutes off the bench.
  • Redshirt freshman William Becker is the Mountain Lions' leading rebounder with 34 (8.5 per game) and shot blocker with eight this season.
  • Junior Parker Gaddis leads the team in assists with 20 (four per game), while redshirt senior Ed Bourke ranks second on the team in assists from the forward position with 14.
UCCS Under Head Coach Jeff Culver
  • UCCS is now 118-92 under coach Culver, which is a win percentage of 56 percent and far and away the best win percentage by a coach in UCCS history. Coach Culver has a record of 4-5 against Colorado Mesa and 8-1 against Western State in his tenure at UCCS. He will look to improve both those records this weekend.
Upcoming Games
  • Next weekend UCCS will be on the road for a pair of RMAC matchups.
  • On Friday, December 13, UCCS takes on Regis University at 7 p.m. at the Regis Fieldhouse in Denver, Colo.
  • On Saturday, December 14, UCCS will be in Lakewood, Colo. taking on Colorado Christian University. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. inside the CCU Event Center.
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