THIS WEEK'S GAMES
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – After playing four of their last five games at home, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team will begin a four-game road trip starting tonight at New Mexico Highlands University, followed by a road game against South Dakota School of Mines on Saturday, Jan. 29. Both games will begin at 5 p.m.
GAME COVERAGE
LAST TIME OUT
- The Mountain Lions started the week with an overtime road win at Regis on Tuesday, Jan. 18, in a makeup game from Jan. 8. Sophie Abela came off the bench to lead UCCS in scoring with 13 points. She was nearly perfect from the floor, making 5-of-6 field goals and 3-of-4 free throws. Ellie Moore, Agar Farres, Maison White and Shelby Megyeri each added eight points as nine of the 11 Mountain Lions that played netted at least four points. Farres led both teams with 10 rebounds and two blocked shots.
- UCCS is coming off a home split this past weekend against MSU Denver (L, 54-47) and Colorado Christian University (W, 68-65). On Friday against the Roadrunners, the Mountain Lions shot 41.3 percent from the floor (19-of-46) and 57.1 percent from the charity stripe (8-of-14). The Mountain Lions defense forced MSU Denver to turn the ball over 20 times which led to 15 points. UCCS out-rebounded the Roadrunners, 38-30. Moore paced UCCS with a game high 12 points to go with six rebounds and a blocked shot.
- The following night against the Cougars, Gracie Haneborg scored a career high 24 points to lead UCCS to their fourth conference win of the season. Ten of Haneborg's 24 points came from the charity stripe as the Mountain Lions hit 25-of-36 free throws (69.4 percent) on the night.
- Haneborg paced the Mountain Lions on the weekend, averaging 15.5 points per game while shooting the ball at a solid clip from the floor (8-of-15, 53.3 percent), including 3-of-6 from behind the arc and 85.7 percent from the free throw line (12-of-14). Moore chipped in 22 points, 12 rebounds and three assists while Agar Farres led all players with 15 rebound.
RMAC RECORD/STANDINGS
- Colorado School of Mines continues to sit on top of the RMAC standings with a perfect 10-0 record (15-1 overall).
- After winning two of their last three games and three of their last five, the Mountain Lions are in 11th place in the league standings with a 4-7 RMAC record (6-11 overall).
- The Cowgirls of New Mexico Highlands are tied for 13th place in the league standings at 1-9 (4-12 overall), while the Hardrockers come in at 15th place, owning a 1-11 RMAC record (1-17 overall).
THE SERIES
- Vs. NMHU: The Cowgirls hold a slight edge over UCCS in the all-time series, 25-23, that dates back to 1990, but the Mountain Lions have won the last nine games against NMHU, and 12 of the last 13 matchups.
- Vs. SDSM: Since their first meeting in 2016, the Mountain Lions have won seven of the 12 games against South Dakota Mines, including a 57-50 win at SDSM in their last meeting on Feb. 26, 2021.
SCOUTING THE COWGIRLS
- New Mexico Highlands recorded their first conference win of the season this past weekend after upending Colorado Christian at home Friday night, 76-55. The win snapped an eight-game losing streak for NMHU.
- Jordyn Lewis leads New Mexico Highlands with the 11th best scoring average in the RMAC as she is netting 12.6 points per game. The graduate student has started all 16 games for NMHU and is shooting the ball at a 31.1 percent clip (56-of-180). Freshman forward Sana'a Baker has blocked 25 shots in 15 games (11 starts) for the second highest block average in the league (1.7 per game), and she is second on the team in scoring with 9.3 points per game.
- The Cowgirls are scoring on average nearly 59 points per game but are allowing 64.6 points per game. NMHU is pulling in 33.6 rebounds per game while stealing the ball over seven times per game and blocking nearly four shots per game.
SCOUTING THE HARDROCKERS
- South Dakota School of Mines enters the weekend on a five-game losing streak. Their lone win of the season came at home on Jan. 4 against Fort Lewis College, 74-72. The Hardrockers are getting outscored by 14.6 points per game. SDSM is averaging 59 points per game and giving up 73.6 points per game.
- One of the top shooters in the league hails from South Dakota Mines. Redshirt-senior Ryan Weiss is netting 12.9 points per game and leads the league with 2.6 made three-point field goals per game while shooting the fourth highest percentage from downtown (37.3 percent). Freshman guard Piper Bauer is right behind Weiss with 2.3 made treys per game for the second highest RMAC average, and ranks seventh in three-point field goal percentage with 33.1 percent. Bauer, who has started 12 games, is the only Hardrocker to have played in all 18 games this season.
HOT TAKES
- Head coach Lynn Plett won his 300th career game Saturday night as UCCS bested CCU, 68-65.
- The 36 attempted free throws Saturday night against the Cougars is a season high, while the 25 made free throws are the second most UCCS has made in 2021-22.
- Gracie Haneborg recorded career highs and individual game highs this season for UCCS on Saturday when she scored 24 points. Her 10 made free throws and 12 free throws attempted are the most by any Mountain Lion this season.
- Alexa Dominguez posted career highs this past week. She started on Tuesday at Regis matching a career high in steals (three) before pulling down a career high eight rebounds and making four field goals against CCU on Saturday.
- Bo Shaffer's eight rebounds against CCU matched a career high mark.
- UCCS has shot .400 or better from the floor in 10 games.
- The Mountain Lions have out-rebounded their opponents 13 times, including the last six games.
- Tuesday's overtime win at Regis snapped a six-game losing streak to the Rangers.
- Maison White's 2.7 offensive rebounds per game is the third highest in the league, while Jasmine Jeffcoat's 2.5 per game is the seventh highest average. Jeffcoat is also 12th in the league in free throw attempts with 58.
- Sophie Abela owns a 1.05 assist turnover ratio and is dishing out 3.0 assists per game, ranking her sixth and seventh in the league, respectively. She stole the ball a career high two times at Regis and made a career high five buckets against the Rangers.
- Agar Farres helped UCCS to a win at Regis on Tuesday with career highs in points (eight), blocks (two) and three-point field goals (two).
- Ellie Moore is one of the top shot blockers in the RMAC, blocking 17 shots (seventh in the RMAC) and 1.00 blocks per game (ninth in the RMAC).
- UCCS leads the RMAC in free throws attempted (351) and rebounds (730). The Mountain Lions are second in offensive rebounds per game (14.2), third in rebounds per game (42.9), fourth in the league in steals (148), and fifth in free throws made (209) and steals per game (8.7).
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 300-348 and a 69-81 record at UCCS.
- UCCS has been named to the WBCA Top 25 Team Academic Honor Roll for four straight years. Plett 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.
- 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 stay on the road next weekend when they travel to Western Colorado University on Feb. 4, and Fort Lewis College on Feb. 5.
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.
