THIS WEEK'S GAMES
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team will play their first game of the 2021-22 season this Friday and Saturday in Texas and Oklahoma.  The Mountain Lions first game of the season will be in Wichita Falls, Texas at Midwestern State University on Friday, Nov. 12.  The following night, UCCS will head to Lawton, Okla. to take on Cameron University.  Both games will tip-off at 4:30 p.m. (MT). 
MATCH COVERAGE

• Live Stats at MSU: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=mist
• Live Stats at CU: https://cameronaggies.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
• Video: https://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/  

 
SEASON OUTLOOK

• UCCS was selected No. 11 in the 2021-22 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women's basketball preseason coaches' poll.  The Mountain Lions are tied with Adams State University and Fort Lewis College for 11th place with 66 points.
• The Mountain Lions are coming off 2020-21 COVID-shortened season.  All 17 of UCCS' games were league games as they finished the season 12th in the league standings with a 5-12 record.   The Mountain Lions were one of the top defensive teams in the league as they completed the year ranked second in the RMAC in blocks (4.29 blocks per game) and defensive field goal percentage (.290, 104-of-359), and fifth in defensive rebounds, pulling down nearly 27 defensive rebounds per game (26.4). 

 
RMAC RECORD/STANDINGS

• This weekend will mark the first games of the season for all RMAC teams.  The conference season will open at the end of November when Regis and Colorado School of Mines kick off league competition.

 
THE SERIES

• Vs. MSU:  The Mustangs and Mountain Lions have met only once prior to Friday's game.  UCCS won the lone matchup on Nov. 19, 2016, 61-55, in Denton, Texas.
• Vs. Cameron: Saturday's meeting between UCCS and the Aggies will be the first time the two teams have met on the court.

 
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS

• Midwestern State was picked fifth in the 2021 Lone Star Conference Preseason Poll.  The Mustangs return 10 letterwinners off of an 11-7 squad that finished the 2020-21 season in the quarterfinal round of the LSC Postseason Tournament.  Morgan Lenahan led MSU with conference best 15.8 points per game and added 5.4 defensive rebounds per game. The 2020-21 LSC Newcomer of the Year shot better than 40 percent from the field and from beyond the three-point arc.  Sophomore guard Frances Kin, a second-team All-LSC performer, averaged 11.2 points and four assists per game.  Senior Hannah Reynolds gained honorable mention All-LSC averaging 8.8 points per game. The forward picked up a conference fourth best 21 blocked shots.

 
SCOUTING THE AGGIES

• Cameron is one slot ahead of MSU in the LSC preseason poll as they are picked to finish fourth overall.  The Aggies had a breakout 2020-21 campaign, going 11-8 and 10-6 in league games on their way to an appearance in both the LSC Tournament and NCAA Division II South Central Region semifinal games.  
• Cameron brings back one of the best players in the LSC in Maighan Hedge. Last season, the fourth-year guard averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game while leading the Aggies on and off the court. She racked up multiple accolades including LSC Offensive Player of the Week, First Team All-LSC, Academic Player of the Year, and CoSIDA Academic All-American and All-Region. Joining Hedge in the backcourt is All-LSC selection Stephanie Peterson and All-Freshman team member Katie King. CU also brings back forward Whitney Outon, who was All-LSC honorable mention.

 
HOT TAKES

• Five letterwinners return to the program this season: Callie Allen, Emily Doolittle, Ellie Moore, Bo Shaffer and Jessica Nation.
• The Mountain Lions defense was staunch last season as a few of the top RMAC defenders return to the program this season.  Moore blocked 16 shots in 17 games, tying her for the eighth most blocks in the league (0.9 per game) as Nation was right behind with 13 blocks (0.8 blocks per game).  Snipping the ball away last season was graduate student Shaffer who tallied 26 steals, an average of 1.5 steals per game, the 15^th most in the league.
• The Mountain Lions welcome 11 newcomers: Sophie Abela, Talia DePetrillo, Alexa Dominguez, Agar Farres, Gracie Haneborg, Jasmine Jeffcoat, Ines Latapia, Shelby Megyeri, Breelyn Robinson, McClain Walker, and Maison White.

 
 
UCCS UNDER HEAD COACH LYNN PLETT

• Lynn Plett is in his sixth season as head coach of the Mountain Lions in 2021-22, and his 24th season overall.  He owns a career record of 294-337 and a 63-70 record at UCCS.
• UCCS has been named to the WBCA Top 25 Team Academic Honor Roll for four straight years.
• He guided the Mountain Lions to their first RMAC championship title in program history in his first season in 2016-17, and their third NCAA Tournament appearance.  The 2021-22 season is Plett's 24th season as a head coach (294-337).
• Plett has coached at St. Joseph's (1994-95 to 2001-02), Lewis (2002-03 to 2006-07), and Missouri Western State (2007-08 to 2011-12) prior to joining the Mountain Lions.

 
UPCOMING GAMES

• UCCS will return to Colorado Springs to open their home season Nov. 19 against Texas A&M-Kingsville at 5:30 p.m., followed by a non-conference game against Regis on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m.

 
SOCIAL
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
 
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.