SALT LAKE CITY – The Adams State University Grizzlies look to return to the left side of the win-loss column this weekend as they are on the road for two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games. The Grizzlies are set to take on the Westminster College Griffins on Friday before traveling to Grand Junction to take on the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks on Saturday. Both games are set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
About Adams State
Adams State enters the weekend with a 5-6 record and are on a three-game losing streak dating back to Jan 30. Their most recent loss came from an 80-92 decision to UCCS at home this past Monday.
When Adams State and Colorado Mesa met the first time this season back on Dec. 18, the Mavericks escaped Alamosa with a 100-98 victory. Rylan O'Brien and Destan Williams each contributed 26-points in the first meeting. On the season, Williams sits fourth in the conference standings, and leads the team, with 20.7 points per game. He also has 56 assists and 28 steals as he is doing a little bit of everything for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies hope to have the big man back at center in Frederick Jackson, the RMAC's Week One RMAC Offensive Player of the Week after he missed most of Monday's game with an injury. Adams State hopes to play just as up-tempo as they did the first time they played the Mavericks.
Adams State is No. 1 in scoring offense in the RMAC as they average 80.8 points per game, however, they are 13th in the conference in defense as they have allowed 81.6 points per game. Also, Adams State is the top shooting free throw team in the conference as they have hit on 79 percent of their shots from the charity stripe.
About Westminster
The Griffons enter Friday's game with a 6-7 overall record as their last time out, a 68-48 win over South Dakota Mines on Feb. 6, snapped a five-game losing streak. The Griffins are 3-1 when playing inside Behnken Field House.
Westminster is third in the conference in defense, allowing 67.8 points per game, and 12th in offense as they score 69.0 points per game.
Joey Andrews, Isaiah Banks, and RemeTorbert lead the team in scoring. Andrews averages 12.5 points per game while Banks and Torbert both average 11.2.
About Colorado Mesa
After grabbing a 63-60 win over Westminster in Tuesday's midweek matchup, for the second time this season, the Mavericks had a double-overtime game at South Dakota Mines where they outlasting the Hardrockers, 82-77. The win brought the Mavs to 13-1 overall, and 4-0 when taken into extra minutes.
Colorado Mesa moved up to No. 8 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll released Tuesday.
For the fifth consecutive week, Colorado School of Mines sits in the No. 1 spot, garnering 13 of the 16 first-place votes with a 10-0 record. Northern State (S.D.) is 12-0 on the season and holds two first-place votes at the No. 2 spot. Northwest Missouri State holds the final first-place votes at No. 3, sporting a 14-1 record.
In the second overtime period, the Mavs used an 11-6 scoring run to secure the final score. BlaiseThreatt set a career-high 24-points on the night, shooting 10-of-17, along with five rebounds, six assists, and a steal.
The CMU bench contributed 51 points in the triumph, holding their opponent's bench to just 13-points.
Reece Johnson may be listed as a freshman, but he plays like a veteran. Averaging the third-most points on the team, just over an 11 per game, the Windsor, Colo. native is a consistent contributor to the Mavs offense. Coming off the bench, he leads the team in three-pointers made with 23, all while setting up his teammates with the second-most assists at 29 for the season.
Fellow freshman, Threatt also poses a threat for opponents. Despite missing a portion of the season early on, at just eight games played he is one of four players averaging double-figures at just over 10-points per game.
Up Next
As the team head into the final stretch, they will have one more road trip before closing out the regular season at home. Next week, Adams State will travel to Durango and Western Colorado to take on Fort Lewis and Western Colorado before returning home to take on Mountaineers, No. 1 Colorado School of Mines and Regis. Adams State still has two home games that they hope to reschedule against Black Hills State University and Chadron State.
