UCCS (14-9, 11-6 RMAC) vs. CSU-Pueblo (6-17, 4-13 RMAC) | Friday, Feb. 15 | 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
UCCS vs. New Mexico Highlands (16-7, 11-6 RMAC) | Saturday, Feb. 16 | 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Video
 

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THIS WEEK
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team will play host to Colorado State-Pueblo on Friday, Feb. 15, and New Mexico Highlands University on Saturday, Feb. 16.  Both games will tip-off at 7:30 p.m., following the women's games each night.  This weekend marks the final regular season home games for the Mountain Lions.
 
SENIOR NIGHT
UCCS will honor four seniors from the men's basketball program.  Elijah Ross, Dalton Walker, Ian MacDonald and Brandon Malone will be recognized following the women's game against New Mexico Highlands on Feb. 16.

ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN LIONS
The Mountain Lions are tied with New Mexico Highlands and Dixie State University for fourth place in the conference standings with an 11-6 league record (14-9 overall).  UCCS is coming off a home sweep against MSU Denver and Chadron State College.  
 
UCCS has won eight of their nine home conference games.  Five of the eight wins have been by three or fewer points.
 
The Mountain Lions have the fourth highest scoring average in the league, netting 82.3 points per game.  From the floor, they are shooting 45.8 percent and 72.8 percent from the free throw line.  UCCS' has handed out a league high 15.7 dimes per game, while registering a 1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio, marking the third best ratio among the 16 teams.
 
Defensively, UCCS is sixth in the RMAC in blocks, stopping 3.0 shots per game while stealing the ball 6.9 times per game.
 
Padiet Wang and Blend Avdili lead the offense, scoring 12.9 and 12.4 points per game, respectively. 
 
Avdili's 3.2 assists per game ranks 11^th in the league.  He has made the most treys for UCCS, sinking 38-of-84 for a team high 45.2 percent, and 80.4 percent from the free throw line (41-of-51).
 
Wang, who has started all 23 games this season, also leads the team in blocks (17), steals (43), rebounding (5.4) and made free throws (81).
 
Freshman DaRaun Clark has recorded 21 starts in 23 games and is averaging 11.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.  He has added 29 assists, 24 steals and has nailed 36 three-pointers.
 
Dalton Walker, who has started 6-of-21 games, has the highest free throw shooting mark on the team, sinking 81.8 percent (63-of-77).  He is averaging 11 points per game and has drained 31 treys.
 
AWARD WINNERS
Wang and Geoff Kelly received 2018-19 RMAC All-Academic honors last week. Wang was voted to the first team while Kelly earned Honor Roll accolades.

LAST TIME OUT
Last Friday night in Gallogly Events Center, UCCS held off a late run by MSU Denver to snap a four-game losing streak and earn a 71-70 win over the Roadrunners.
 
UCCS jumped out to a 15-0 run to start the game and held the Roadrunners to only six field goals in the first half, including only three made field goals in the first 15 minutes of action. UCCS closed out the game making 43.1 percent from the floor and 21-of-28 free throws. 

Wang posted 12 points and seven rebounds.  Ross and Clark each registered 11 points after making 2-of-6 from the floor.  Ross made six of his eight free throw attempts and Clark found the bottom of the net on five of his six free throws.  Ross tied Avdili for a team high four assists.
 
One night later in a heated game with Chadron State, the Mountain Lions earned their second straight win, 97-87. UCCS shot the ball at a 47.4 percent rate (27-of-57) and 85.7 percent from the free throw line (36-of-42). 
   
UCCS was led by Isaiah Walker's 24 points.  Walker hit three treys and made 11-of-12 from the charity stripe.  Wilson came off the bench to net 21 points on 7-of-12 field goals and 7-of-8 free throws. Thirteen of Wang's 19 points came from the free throw line.  He added seven assists and three rebounds. 
 
Clark led both teams with seven rebounds to go with his 12 points, two blocked shots and two steals.  Both of Clark's blocks came in the last three minutes of action, including a blocked three-point attempt with 14 ticks left. 

SCOUTING CSU-PUEBLO
The ThunderWolves come into the weekend with a 6-17 overall record and are tied for 14^th place in the league standings with a 4-13 mark.  CSU-Pueblo is on a two-game losing streak and have lost eight of their last nine games.  The Pack are 2-8 this season when not playing on their home court.
 
Donovan Oldham is the only Pack player to have started all 23 games.  He leads the team in scoring (13.3 average) and is one of three players to have at least 14 blocks on the season (15).  Gavin Liggett, who has made a team high 46 treys, is shooting the ball at a 41.4 percent rate from downtown.  Jason Anderson leads the team in rebounds, averaging 4.8 per game, and has blocked 14 shots. 
 
CSU-Pueblo is getting outscored by more than seven points per game and are netting 74.7 points per contest.  They are getting outrebounded by more than three caroms per game.

SCOUTING NEW MEXICO HIGHLANDS
The Cowboys, who are tied with UCCS for fourth place in the conference with an 11-6 record, own a 16-7 overall record.  NMHU has won nine of their 11 home games but have dropped four of 10 road games.  NMHU has split their weekend series the last four weekends.
 
The Cowboys have the highest scoring offense in the RMAC, dropping 86.9 points per game.  They own the second largest scoring margin (6.7) and lead the conference in steals (9.3 per game) and turnover margin (+6.5).
 
Four players are averaging at least 10 points per game, including two of the top four scorers in the RMAC.  NMHU is led by Gerad Davis' 20.4 points per game.  He has also grabbed a team high 49 steals and made 105 free throws on 126 attempts (83.3 percent).  Davis is second in the RMAC in scoring, sixth in field goal shooting (50.6), and first in steals.
 
Raquan Mitchell is fourth in the league in scoring at 18.8 points per game, and second in made three-pointers (3.3 per game).  Teammate Nmamdi Okoro is averaging 7.9 rebounds per game, the second most in the RMAC, and has blocked the second most shots in the league (30).
   

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 travel to South Dakota School of Mines on Feb. 22, and Black Hills State University on Feb. 23, before wrapping up the regular season at Colorado School of Mines on March 1.