Basketball Mavericks Hit the Road: Weekend Preview

The CMU Mavericks are on the road this weekend and head into the final month of the basketball regular season, and both teams are in the hunt for a first round home playoff game. The top 8 teams in the conference go to the RMAC Shootout with the top 4 teams hosting their opening round game.

The Maverick women, still ranked #4 in the nation are 17-0 overall, and 13-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, with a 3 game lead over CSU-Pueblo, UC-Colorado Springs, and Metro State. The Mavericks received their stiffest test of the season last Friday night when they were able to get past second place Metro State 73-67.

Friday night they will take on Colorado Mines (11-8, 8-5) and on Saturday they will be at Colorado Christian University(10-7, 7-6). In early January the Mavericks beat the Orediggers 68-53, and then defeated the CCU Cougars 68-58. Mines is in a fifth place tie with Fort Lewis in the conference standings, while CCU sits in 7th place, just a game out of 5th. Both of these teams are capable of handing the Mavericks their first loss of the season.

Senior Kelsey Sigl leads the conference in scoring at 17.9 points per game, and in three-point shooting, connecting on 55% of her shots from beyond the arc. The Orediggers will showcase the leading rebounder in the RMAC, Allie Grazulis, averaging 9.9 boards a contest.

Meanwhile, the Maverick men(13-4, 10-3) find themselves in fourth place in the RMAC, one game behind Adams State and Fort Lewis, and three games ahead of Mines(10-7, 7-6).Last weekend the Mavericks beat Regis 77-45, and suffered their first home loss of the season falling to top-ranked Metro State 64-52.

Friday night the Mavericks take on a Colorado Mines team that beat CMU in the championship game of the RMAC Shootout a season ago. Earlier this season the Mavericks beat the Orediggers at Brownson Arena 75-56. The Orediggers  are led by Trevor Wages, leading the conference in rebounding with 10 boards per game to go along with 17 points a game, good for third in the conference.

Mavericks’ sophomore, Landon Vermeer, leads the conference in three-point shooting, making 53.3% of his shots from downtown.

Saturday night the Mavericks take on a CCU team that gave the Mavericks all they could handle at Brownson Arena in early January. The Mavericks rallied from a 3 point halftime deficit to win 61-56. The Cougars (8-13, 3-10) are in 12th place in the conference, three games out of the eighth and final spot in the RMAC tournament.

Other RMAC games on Friday include New Mexico Highlands at CSU-Pueblo; Western New Mexico at UC-Colorado Springs; Regis at Black Hills State; Western State at Colorado Christian; Metro State at Chadron State.

Saturday's schedule features Western State at Colorado Mines; Metro State at Black Hills State; Western New Mexico at CSU-Pueblo; New Mexico Highlands at UC-Colorado Springs; Regis at Chadron State; Fort Lewis at Adams State.

The Mavericks return home next weekend to face Black Hills State and Chadron State at Brownson Arena.

(Mavericks’ basketball can be heard on the radio on AM 1230 KEXO, and on line at www.KEXO1230.com. Broadcast time is 5:45 on Friday and 4:45 on Saturday)