By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The second weekend of Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women’s basketball action is on tap this Thursday and Saturday after an exciting opening week of play.
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs and CSU Pueblo, picked second and third in the preseason coaches poll, started 2-0. They are joined at 2-0 by Regis and Black Hills State, picked sixth and ninth in the poll, respectively. Preseason favorite Colorado Mesa and preseason No. 4 Adams State are 1-1 after the opening weekend.
Colorado Christian and UCCS each have home games this week after long stints on the road. The Cougars open their home slate this weekend with conference games against South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State part of a five-game home stand. UCCS opened the season at home on Nov. 8 but has been on the road since. The Mountain Lions open their four-game homestand against Black Hills State and Chadron State.
Lead Stories
Tracking the Returning Awardees
- Returning RMAC Player of the Year Olivia Reed (Colorado Mesa) is out to a solid start in 2024, leading the league in rebounding (11.4 per game, 7th in Division II) and ranking third in the league in scoring (18.3 per game, 33rd nationally). Reed ranks second in the league in field-goal percentage
- Meanwhile, CSU Pueblo’s Alisha Little, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, leads the league in scoring (22.4, 5th in Division II) and blocked shots (3.2, 2nd). She also is ranked third in rebounding (9.6 rpg) and steals (2.8 spg). Little also leads Division II with six double-doubles this season.
Keep an Eye On
- Regis guard Erin Fry is the RMAC second-leading scorer (22.4 ppg, 7th nationally) and assists (7.4 apg, 3rd nationally) after five weeks and leads Division II with her 39.1 minutes per game. She also leads the league in free throws made (60) and attempted (76).
- Colorado Mesa guard Kylie Kravig is second nationally with an RMAC leading 7.6 assists per game and owns a league-best 88.9 free-throw percentage.
- Regis guard Athena Saragoza and Colorado Mesa guard Riley Hayes are the nation’s top two three-point shooters. Saragoza has a Division II best 3.86 three-pointers made per game, while Hays is second with 3.71 three-pointers made per game.
- CSU Pueblo guard Mikylah Espinosa leads the RMAC with 4.1 steals per game, ranking fifth nationally.
- UCCS forward Maison White is No. 7 nationally in rebounding, averaging 11.4 per game. That includes 4.9 offensive rebounds per game, leading the RMAC and seventh nationally.
Win Streaks of Note
| Streak |
Team |
Strk |
Last Loss |
| Overall |
CSU Pueblo |
W4 |
11/20 at Colorado Mesa |
| RMAC |
Regis |
W8 |
2/9 vs. Colorado Mesa |
| Home |
UCCS |
W13 |
11/25/23 vs. Eastern New Mexico |
| Road |
Colorado Mesa |
W4 |
2/10 at UCCS |
| Road |
Regis |
W4 |
11/9 at St. Mary’s (Texas) |
Three RMAC Schools in D2CSC South Central Rankings
Black Hills State enters the second week of RMAC play ranked No. 6 in the latest D2CSC Women’s Basketball South Central Region Poll. Colorado Mesa fell to No. 8 in the poll, while CSU Pueblo rejoined the poll’s Top 10 at No. 9.
Colorado Mesa Tabbed as RMAC Preseason Favorite
- After posting one of Division II’s top turnarounds, Colorado Mesa enters the 2024-25 as the preseason favorite in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Preseason Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll. Colorado Mesa, which made the sixth-largest year-to-year improvement in Division II last season (10.5 games), was the top pick of seven of the league’s 15 coaches and scored 187 of a maximum of 196 points.
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs, which enjoyed Division II’s third-best year-to-year improvement last season (11.5 games), nabbed three first-place votes and 170 points to finish second in the poll. CSU Pueblo received three first-place votes and 160 points to finish third.
- Adams State was fourth behind that trio of teams, receiving a first-place vote and 153 points. The other top eight teams included Colorado School of Mines (152 points), Regis (150), MSU Denver (107), and Colorado Christian (103).
About the RMAC
The RMAC is a premier NCAA Division II conference located in Colorado Springs, Colo., with 15 member institutions. The RMAC sponsors 22 varsity NCAA sports and has produced 65 NCAA Division II national champions and 54 national runners-up since 1992.
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