2019-20 #RMACmbb Weekly Release - Week 2

2019-20 #RMACmbb Weekly Release - Week 2

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Garrett Chapman

FULL RELEASE

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) has six unbeaten men’s basketball teams through two weeks of nonconference play.
 
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
  • Fort Lewis College (4-0, 0-0 RMAC) remains undefeated after wins over Northern New Mexico College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the Fort Lewis Classic. The Skyhawks scored 40-plus points in all four halves over the weekend. They shot 54.7 percent, including 54.5 percent from three-point range, and scored 48 points in the first half to roll past Northern New Mexico 92-69. Fort Lewis created 14 turnovers in the game. Against NAIA opponent, Embry-Riddle, Fort Lewis led 72-68 with 1:59 remaining but outscored their opponent 9-4 to claim the 81-72 victory.
  • New Mexico Highlands (4-0, 0-0 RMAC) matched up against Western New Mexico for the second time in four days, this time playing a much closer game but still pulling out the win 74-71. The Cowboys trailed 37-38 at halftime before taking the lead on their first possession of the second half. They extended their advantage to as many as 12, 61-49, with 10 minutes left on the clock. The Cowboys scored just four points in the final 7:21 as they held the Mustangs behind. The Cowboys defeated Northern New Mexico 95-63 behind 50 percent shooting from the field.
  • Westminster (4-0, 0-0 RMAC) recorded a pair of three-point victories at the Dixie State Classic. The Griffins downed Saint Martin’s University 80-77 while taking care of the University of Providence 73-30. Against Saint Martins, the score was tied on seven occasions and the lead changed six times. With the score tied at 77 and just three seconds left in the game, the Griffins called a timeout. The timeout allowed them to draw up a play and nail a game-winning three-pointer on an inbound pass. Against the University of Providence, it was the fourth-straight game that the Griffins had four players score in double-digits. The Griffins, who led throughout the second half, knocked down two free throws to ice the game 73-30.
  • Adams State (2-2) earned their first two wins of the 2019 season at the Fort Lewis Classic. The Grizzlies first defeated Embry-Riddle 79-73 before claiming a 74-71 win over Northern New Mexico College. Against Embry-Riddle, the Grizzlies shot 44.4 percent from the field, 25 percent from distance and 52.9 percent from the charity stripe. They turned the ball over 12 times while forcing 25 turnovers by way of 16 steals. Adams State trailed by one at halftime against Northern New Mexico but were able to outscore their opponent 31-27 in the final 20 minutes.
  • Dixie State (3-0, 0-0 RMAC) edged Saint Martin’s 75-71 at the 2019 Dixie State Classic. The Trailblazers trailed 4-2 before putting together a 9-0 run to claim an 11-4 advantage. They would never trail again in the contest. Dixie State led 40-33 at halftime. The Trailblazers shot 39.4 percent from the field while holding Saint Martin to a 36.1 percent clip. 25 of the Trailblazers 28 made field goals were attributed to assists, a season high for Dixie State. They tallied another season high in the game, making 73.7 percent of their free-throws.   
  • The University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) (3-1, 0-0 RMAC) picked up a six-point victory over Nebraska-Kearney, 76-70. The game was close throughout as neither team held a double-digit lead until the Mountain Lions stretched their advantage to 10 with five minutes remaining in the game. UCCS shot 52.2 percent from the field including 46.2 percent from three-point range and 66.7 percent from the foul line. They outrebounded the Lopers 33-29.
  • Colorado School of Mines (2-2, 0-0 RMAC) claimed the programs’ eighth win against Fort Hays State University on Saturday while handing the Tigers their first loss of the season. The Orediggers shot 56.4 percent on their way to a 91-72 victory. Colorado School of Mines held an 11-point edge at halftime, 43-32, before adding 48 to their total in the second half. The Orediggers dominated the glass, outrebounding Fort Hays 37-17. The 37 boards led to 17 second-chance points for Colorado School of Mines while the Tigers 17 rebounds converted to just two second-chance points.
  • South Dakota Mines (2-2, 0-0 RMAC) earned another weekend split, going 1-1 with a 76-71 win over Augustana University in the East-West Challenge. The Hardrockers converted on 50 percent of their shots from the field, 48.3 percent from downtown and 72.7 percent from the foul line. They also won the turnover battle 12-14. The game saw nine ties and 12 lead changes in the closely contested game. The Hardrockers outscored the Vikings 46-41 in the opening half and both teams dropped 30 in the final 20 minutes. South Dakota Mines gave No. 15 Northern State University all they could handle before eventually coming up short, 63-69.
 
RMAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
  • Riley Farris of Fort Lewis has been named RMAC Offensive Player of the Week. He has gotten off to a monster start in 2019-2020, posting four-straight games with 21 or more points. He averaged 7.5 rebounds, highlighted by a 23-point, 11-rebound effort in a 92-69 win over Northern New Mexico College.
  • Padiet Wang of UCCS has been named RMAC Defensive Player of the Week. He led UCCS in a home split this past weekend against Nebraska-Kearney (W) and Fort Hays State (L). Wang blocked four shots and stole the ball five times. Four of his five steals came Saturday against the Lopers while all four blocks came Sunday against the Tigers. He finished the weekend with eight rebounds (6 defensive) and 41 points. He netted 18 points on Saturday against the Lopers after sinking 5-7 FG's and 7-10 FT's. The next day against the Tigers, Wang chipped in 23 points after making 8-10 from the floor and 6-7 from the FT line. In two games, he averaged 20.5 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting a solid 76.5 % from the floor (13-17) and 76.5% from the FT line (13-17).
 

INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
  • Josh Newbold of Dixie poured in a career-high 22 points on 10-of-17 shooting off the bench to help lead DSU to a 75-71 victory over Saint Martin's Saturday night. The sophomore also pulled down four rebounds and dished out two assists in 19 reserve minutes.
  • Sammy Barnes-Thompkins of New Mexico Highlands University led the Cowboys to a 95-63 victory on Monday night over Northern NM. He scored 30 points while shooting 50% (11-22) from the field, including 6-10 from the 3-point line after missing his first two three-point attempts. Thompkins also recorded three rebounds and three steals on the game.
  • Frank Staine of Dixie State picked off a career-high three steals and pulled down seven rebounds, six on the defensive end, in DSU's 75-71 win over Saint Martin's on Saturday night. He also tallied 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting with a career-best six assists.