Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

UCCS Athletics

Dec 11, 2021; Colorado Springs, CO, USA; The UCCS Mountain Lions hosted the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers in men’s basketball at Gallogly Events Center. Credit: Isaiah J. Downing
Isaiah J. Downing

PREVIEW | Mountain Lions Set to Face Familiar Foe BHSU in RMAC Semifinal

3/4/2022 8:00:00 AM

By: Eric Mason - Sports Information Director
This Week's Matchup
After holding off Colorado School of Mines in the RMAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday, UCCS Men's Basketball looks to keep their RMAC Tournament hopes alive on Friday, Mar. 4 as the Mountain Lions travel to Spearfish, S.D. to face Black Hills State University at 7:30 p.m.
 
Game Coverage
Live Stream: https://www.rmacnetwork.com/gomountainlions/
Live Stats: https://bhsuathletics.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary
 
Last Time Out
  • UCCS survived and advanced through the RMAC Quarterfinals with a 74-71 route over the Orediggers on Tuesday night.
  • Three Mountain Lions reached into the double-digits in the win with Bobby Martin tying his career high 17 points in his first start of the season.
  • UCCS led all but 40 seconds in the game and held their biggest lead of 15 points early in the second half after a made three from Martin. The Orediggers would work their way back into the game by maintaining a single-digit deficit in the last five minutes of play before CSM hit a three-pointer with two seconds left to bring it within three. But UCCS was able to ice the clock and come out with the RMAC Tournament win.
 
RMAC Tournament
  • Four teams remain in the RMAC Men's Basketball Tournament with No. 1 seed Black Hills State set to host the RMAC Semifinal games, and RMAC Championship game.
  • As the Mountain Lions prepare to play the Yellow Jackets, No. 2 seed Colorado Mesa University will take on No. 6 seed Regis University inside the Donald E. Young Center at 5 p.m. on Friday.
 
The Series
  • Since Head Coach Jeff Culver's first season at UCCS in 2012-13, the Mountain Lions boast an 11-9 record against the Yellow Jackets with a 1-1 record this season. UCCS had to travel to Spearfish back on Dec. 19 of last year where the Mountain Lions suffered a 78-84 loss to BHSU. Fast forward to Feb. 11, UCCS flipped the script to hand Black Hills State a 19-point loss at a final of 92-63.
 
Scouting Black Hills State
  • The Yellow Jackets (20-7, 18-4 RMAC) have won their last four games, of which includes a 102-76 win over New Mexico Highlands University in the RMAC Quarterfinals.
  • The best shooting team in the RMAC, Black Hills State is currently maintaining a 50.0 field-goal percentage that also ranks 11th in Division II. The Yellow Jackets continue the sharp shooting from beyond the arc as well at a 37.3 percentage, good for third in the RMAC, as they also make on average 9.2 threes per game (second in the RMAC).
  • BHSU has outscored the opposition 79.8 to 75.4 over the course of the season and are also out-rebounding them 34.0 to 33.0.
  • RMAC Player of the Year Joel Scott has been on a tear this season as not only one of the best players in the RMAC, but in Division II. Averaging 22.8 points per game, Scott is shooting 60.5 percent from the field and bringing in 10.6 rebounds per game to average a double-double. The Monument, Colo. native has recorded the fourth most double-doubles in DII (17) and is averaging 8.78 defensive rebounds per game for the highest average in the country.
  • The Yellow Jackets are also supported by double-digit scorers Sindou Cisse and Adam Moussa who score 14.9 PPG and 14.2 PPG, respectively. Cisse sits right behind Scott with the third best field-goal percentage in the RMAC (58.1) as Moussa is taking care of business at the charity stripe with an 85.0 shooting percentage. Moussa also leads the team with 44 steals and has tallied the most assists in the RMAC with 125.
  • Sava Dukic ties Scott for the highest three-point percentage (39.5) on the team as Dukic has net the second most threes on the team (51).
 
Hot Takes
  • In the last meeting between UCCS and BHSU on Feb. 11, the Mountain Lions handed the Yellow Jackets their largest margin of defeat (-29) and held Scott to his second lowest point total of his career (seven points).
  • Bobby Martin made his first start of the season on Tuesday and registered a career and team high 17 points on a stellar 4-of-7 from the long range.
  • Friday's semifinal game with BHSU will be the first time that both teams have matched up in the RMAC Tournament.
  • The Mountain Lions out-rebounded Mines 35-32 and have now out-rebounded their opponents in 26 of their 29 games this season.
  • Alijah Comithier has been the team's leading scorer in 17 games and the leading rebounder in 13 games this season.
  • Tuesday was the Mountain Lions' first RMAC Tournament since 2015 when UCCS went on to win the RMAC Championship.
  • UCCS is 11-4 on the road this season as the Mountain Lions are averaging 75.87 PPG and shooting 47.5 percent from the field.
  • The Mountain Lions registered a 90 percent shooting percentage from the free throw line (9-of-10) in the RMAC Quarterfinals, marking the second time this season they've shot a free throw percentage of 90 percent or better.
  • UCCS has shot over 45 percent from the field for seven straight games, including four games where the Mountain Lions notched a field-goal percentage over 50 percent.
  • UCCS' bench unit have been responsible for 20 or more points in the last three games. Wyatt Dolberry currently paces the bench unit with 6.7 PPG as Mac Stodart leads with a 42.2 three-point percentage.
 
UCCS Under Head Coach Jeff Culver
  • 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 .572 winning percentage with a 159-119 overall record that includes, eight RMAC Tournament appearances, one RMAC Tournament Championship, a 6-6 RMAC Tournament record, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and a 1-2 NCAA Tournament record.
 
Awards
  • UCCS Men's Basketball landed two Mountain Lions on the All-RMAC Team that was announced Wednesday with Alijah Comithier receiving All-RMAC First Team honors and Jon'il Fugett receiving All-RMAC Second Team.
 
Upcoming Games
  • With a win, the Mountain Lions would advance to the RMAC Tournament Championship on Saturday, Mar. 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. 
 
Print Friendly Version