ALAMOSA, Colo. (February 18, 2015) – The final regular season home weekend is set to be a festive one for Adams State University as the Grizzlies host Regis University on Friday (Feb. 20) and Metropolitan State University of Denver on Saturday (Feb. 21). Adams State alumnus and current Regis head coach, Lonnie Porter, will be recognized prior to Friday's game with Saturday's pregame scheduled to honor nine ASU seniors as part of senior night for the program. Both games are slated for 7:30 p.m. start times.

Last Time Out
The Grizzlies split their pair of home games last weekend against the No. 15 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and Colorado State University-Pueblo. ASU showed no signs of struggle in an 88-75 win over UCCS. The Grizzlies trailed for less than a minute in the conference tilt and would lead by as much as 15 early in the second half. Defense led the way as ASU collected 20 steals highlighted by six apiece from Shakir Smith and Juwan Buchanan. The Mountain Lions finished the game with a total of 25 turnovers.

A heartbreaking loss to CSU-Pueblo followed on Feb. 14. that saw the Grizzlies cut a nine point deficit down to a one possession contest in a matter of 90 seconds. That stretch began with 2:50 left in the second half.  Initiating the comeback was full court pressure and tight defense by ASU. In the 90 seconds that saw the tides turn, ASU was able to force a pair of CSU-Pueblo turnovers. From the turnovers, and creating difficult shots for the ThunderWolves, senior Justin Kauffman nailed a three-pointer from the corner to cut the deficit to 75-73. After a CSU-Pueblo free throw Mike Hemsley followed with an and-one bucket on the next ASU possession but missed his free throw opportunity.

The ThunderWolves tacked on another free throw but a Marcus Hall layup eventually knotted the game at 77-77 with 19 seconds remaining. However, the ThunderWolves' Bronson Moton hit a game-winning jumper in the final seconds to give CSU-Pueblo a 79-77 win.

About The Rangers
At 5-17 overall and 3-15 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) games, Regis enters Alamosa already out of contention for a RMAC tournament berth. With a six game losing streak, the Rangers were last victorious on Jan. 23 against Western State Colorado University on the road. In their current skid the Rangers have suffered three defeats by three points or less including a pair of one-point losses to Black Hills State University and Chadron State College. Senior Brett Hartshorne is the top offensive threat at 12.1 points per game followed by 9.9 points per game from freshman Dexter Sienko. Regis carries a -11.9 scoring margin.

About The Roadrunners
Metro State enters the weekend with a half-game lead for first place in the RMAC standings over Colorado School of Mines. At 21-3, 16-2 RMAC the Roadrunners are in need of one win this weekend to clinch an RMAC Tournament quarterfinal home game. The program holds onto a conference-best nine game winning streak and are led by a pair of seniors in guard Mitch McCarron and forward Nicholas Kay who average 21.5 and 19.8 points per game, respectively. Despite the noteworthy offensive marks the Roadrunners hang their hat on defense with an RMAC-best 59.6 points per game average. Metro State is under the direction of fifth year head coach Derrick Clark who possesses a 132-23 record with the program entering games this weekend. 

Last We Met
The Grizzlies fell to Metro State, 84-80, in Denver on Jan. 16. Buchanan led the way with a then career-best 32 points as ASU went on an 8-0 run in 56 seconds to cut the Roadrunner lead to two. That's as close as the Grizzlies would get as a missed layup by Smith and ensuing free throws by Metro State sealed the game. 
Against Regis the following night, ASU shot 60 percent (29-48) from the floor en route to a 74-60 win from the Regis Fieldhouse. The Grizzlies never trailed in the RMAC tilt as Travante Williams tallied a game-high 17 points with Buchanan and Michael Middlebrooks netting 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Honoring Lonnie Porter
After 38 seasons at the helm, Regis head coach Lonnie Porter will retire at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season. Porter began his tenure with the Rangers in 1977 and has accumulated over 500 wins; making him the winningest men's basketball coach in the state of Colorado. Through those years Porter's teams have won four conference titles and have made two appearances in the NCAA DII national tournament.

As a men's basketball player with Adams State from 1961-65, Porter was four-time NAIA First Team All-District 7 selection, four-time First Team All-RMAC member, and NCAA Honorable Mention All-American as a senior. He is a 2000 inductee of the Adams State Hall of Fame and holds his bachelor's and master's degrees from Adams State. He is one of only two men's basketball players to have his jersey number retired.  His scoring prowess led him to three conference scoring crowns as he ended his Adams State career with 1,624 points and a single-game high 31 points during a 113-97 win over Arizona State on 12/3/63. He also led Adams State to RMAC titles in 1962-63 and 1963-64. Porter was also a member of the track & field team for three years. 

Senior Night
Prior to Saturday's game with Metro State, nine ASU seniors will be honored for their time with the program. The ceremony will honor the careers of Rodney Nelson, Ozelle Jamestown, Justin Kauffman, Bruno Machado, Mikey Hope, Michael Middlebrooks, Marcus Hall, Mike Hemsley, and Juwan Buchanan.

Stay Connected
For any updates regarding Adams State athletics stay connected with www.asugrizzlies.com! Updates are also available through the Grizzlies official Twitter (@ASUGrizzlies) and Facebook (/TheAsuGrizzlies) accounts.

Team Posters
Fans, team posters are available online at www.asugrizzlies.com . Navigate to the 'Fan Zone' at the top of the ASU home page to find our 'Team Posters' link. Team posters will be updated and added over the course of the year. Hard copies of posters are also available at the ASU athletic office.