This Week's Matchup
UCCS Men's Basketball returns home this week to host a pair of conference games on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day inside Gallogly Events Center. The Mavericks of Colorado Mesa University will be the first to take on the Mountain Lions on Dec. 31 with a 5 p.m. game time as Westminster College comes in on Saturday, Jan. 1 for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
 
Game Coverage
Live Stream: https://www.rmacnetwork.com/gomountainlions/
Live Stats:  https://gomountainlions.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary

Last Time Out

• UCCS split their road series on Dec. 17 and 18 after downing Chadron State College and falling to Black Hills State University.
• The Mountain Lions outlasted the Eagles at a final score of 66-60 off their lowest point total of the season and with one of their best defensive games of the year. UCCS forced 16 turnovers in the game where the second most steals recorded on the season (nine) was backed by 10 blocks to tie for the second most team blocks in a game in program history. Individually, William Becker was responsible for a career high five blocks after putting up 10 points as Alijah Comithier scored 26 with an impressive 13-of-14 from the free-throw line.
• In Spearfish, S.D. the Mountain Lions were downed by the Yellow Jackets of Black Hills State University by a final score of 92-77. Five different Mountain Lions scored double digits in the loss with Parker Gaddis registering a season and team high 13 points. UCCS gave the ball up 12 times in the game as BHSU shot 55.9 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc. UCCS struggled to shoot from long range with a 30 percent shooting percentage (6-of-20) with the Mountain Lions finishing at 47.3 percent from the field.

• UCCS is currently tied for fifth in the conference standings at an 8-3 overall record and 3-2 RMAC record.
• Two teams remain undefeated in conference play with Black Hills State sitting atop the standings at an 8-3 overall record and 6-0 RMAC record. Regis University sits right behind the Yellow Jackets at a 5-0 RMAC record and 10-1 overall record.

• Friday's game will be the 51^st all-time matchup against CMU with the Mavericks leading the series 40-10 with a four-game win streak.
• Up against Westminster for the eight all-time game, the Mountain Lions lead the series 4-3 and have won the previous three games, including a 63-53 win in Salt Lake City on Jan. 4, 2020.

• CMU (10-5, 4-2 RMAC) has won three straight games with their most recent win coming against Colorado State University Pueblo at home, 85-75.
• The Mavericks are tied for third in the RMAC Standings and are second behind the Mountain Lions for the highest scoring margin in the conference at 12.4 by averaging 77.6 points per game and allowing 65.2 points per game.
• The CMU defense has pressured opponents to shoot a conference low 39.8 percent from the field and lead the RMAC with 72 blocks and 129 steals while averaging 4.80 blocks per game and 8.60 steals per game.
• Four Mavericks are averaging double-digit points this season with redshirt freshman Blaise Threatt pacing CMU with 12.4 points per game. The guard is shooting 47.3 from the field and has totaled 26 assists and 14 steals.
• Redshirt Freshmen Mac Rinikier, Trevor Baskin, and Owen Koonce all have field-goal percentages north of 50 percent as they each are shooting 67.3 percent, 54.1 percent, and 53.7 percent while averaging 11.9, 11.7, and 10.0 points per game, respectively. Riniker has served as one of the top shooters for the Mavericks by pairing the second highest field-goal percentage in the RMAC with a three-point percentage of 51.9 percent (14-of-27).
• Beyond Baskin's 54.1 percent from the field, the forward is leading CMU with a team high 21 steals and 19 blocks.

• Westminster (5-6, 3-2 RMAC) started conference play 3-0 but has dropped their last two games with losses to Black Hills State and CSU Pueblo at home before winter break to sit tied for fifth in the RMAC Standings.
• The Griffins have slightly outscored the opposition through 11 games this season with a per game average of 70.5 points that holds a positive scoring margin of 0.2 over the 70.3 points per game that Westminster is allowing.
• At a rebounding margin of 6.3, the Griffins are second in the conference with a team average of 35.9 as they are tied for the lowest opponent rebound average at 29.6.
• As a team, the Griffins are shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from long range as they maintain a 72.5 percent from the charity stripe. Senior forward Yusif Mohamed has been the leading scorer at 17.3 points per game by shooting 47.1 percent from three-point (8-of-17) and 57.3 percent from the field. The Seattle, Wash. Native is also the team leader in rebounds with 7.2 per game as he has garnered six steals and six blocks this season.
• Seniors Jarrett Jordan and Brayden Johnson are also averaging double-digits at 12.5 and 10.5, respectively. With the second most field-goal attempts on the team at 49, Johnson is boasting the Griffins' highest field-goal percentage (62 percent) as he's started in all 11 games.

• Leading the conference and second in all of NCAA Division II in rebound margin is the Mountain Lions at 13.6 with UCCS averaging 43.3 rebounds per game compared to an opponent average of 29.6. UCCS has out-rebounded their opponent in all 11 games this season with Jezza McKenzie and William Becker leading the way by averaging 5.9 and 5.8 rebounds per game, respectively.
• Head Coach Jeff Culver is a combined 4-8 against the Mavericks and 4-2 against the Griffins in his career.
• The Mountain Lions are continuing to shoot lights out for the season by tying with Adams State University for the RMAC's top field-goal percentage at 50.1 percent. The RMAC's top shooting percentage from the field has led the Mountain Lions to the
•  third highest scoring offense in the conference by averaging 84.7 points.
• By limiting the opposition to 68.2 points per game, UCCS has posted not only the RMAC's top scoring margin (16.5), but the 14^th best scoring margin in the nation.
• Two Mountain Lions are currently averaging double-digit points this season with Alijah Comithier scoring 22.0 points per game for the third most in the conference as Jon'il Fugett holds a 10.2 scoring average. Comithier's field-goal percentage (55.6, eighth) and free-throw percentage (85.7, fourth) both rank top-10 in the RMAC as the sophomore is also averaging 4.7 rebounds per game and has recorded nine steals. Fugett is leading the Mountain Lions with 14 steals and has registered at least one steal in five straight games.
• After one of their top defensive performances of the season against Chadron State, the Mountain Lions are second in the RMAC in blocked shots per game (4.45) with William Becker posting a monster 20 blocks for the most in the RMAC as he also ranks 15^th in DII with a blocks per game average of 2.22.
• Becker has gotten the job done on both sides of the ball as he is shooting an impressive 67.5 percent from the field and is averaging 8.5 points per game in nine games played and started.
• With an RMAC leading 17.5 assists per game, UCCS is averaging an RMAC best assist turnover ratio of 1.31 as Parker Gaddis has dished out a team high 46 assists.
• Three Mountain Lions have played and started in all 11 games this season including Fugett, McKenzie and Geoff Kelly with Comithier tallying the most minutes at 305.
• From long range for Mountain Lions have made double-digit threes with McKenzie pacing UCCS a three-point percentage of 37.3 percent off 19-of-51. Fugett has drained 15 of his 43 attempts (34.9 percent) from beyond the arc as Kelly (35.5 percent) and Wyatt Dolberry (32.4 percent) have each made 11 three-pointers.

• Jeff Culver, who led UCCS to its first RMAC championship in program history, is in his 10th season as the Head Coach of the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball program in 2021-22. He's coached the only NBA Draft pick and the only All-Americans in program history in the past eight years.
• In 10 seasons as head coach, Culver holds a .561 winning percentage with a 146-114 overall record that includes, seven RMAC Tournament appearances, one RMAC Tournament Championship, a 5-6 RMAC Tournament record, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and a 1-2 NCAA Tournament record.

• Per campus policy, all students, faculty, staff and visitors on the UCCS campus are REQUIRED to wear a face covering while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

• UCCS Men's Basketball will be back on the road for a single game against No. 20 ranked Regis University on Saturday, Jan. 8.

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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.