SILVER CITY, N.M. – The Western New Mexico University men’s basketball team will host Western State Colorado University and Colorado Mesa University this weekend. It will also be Shoot For The Cure each night.
The Mustangs will face the Mountaineers first on Friday at 7:30 p.m. The teams went back-and-forth in the earlier meeting this season with WSCU holding on for the 63-59 victory.
The Mountaineers are 3-18 overall and 2-15 in RMAC play and have lost nine straight. Both of their wins came at home against WNMU and Colorado Christian. They are 0-8 away from Gunnison. Mason Biddle, Danny Hopkins and Devin Kastrup all leads the team in scoring averaging in double-figures. Biddle tallies 18.4 per game, adds 4.8 rebounds. Hopkins tallies 12.5 per game and Kastrup chips in 11.4. Hopkins leads in rebounds at 5.0 per contest. They average 69 points per game, while allowing 79.8 per contest. They make 40.6 from the field and opponents hit on 46.4 from the floor.
Last year in Silver City, WNMU rolled to an 81-52 victory.
The next night on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. will be a matchup with the Mavericks. CMU is 16-7 overall and 11-6 in RMAC play. They won both games this past weekend including an overtime tilt against Black Hills State. They are 4-5 away from Grand Junction and 3-0 in neutral site contests.
Ryan Stephan nearly averages a double-double going for 25.1 points and 8.0 rebounds. Julian Vasquez adds 13.9 points and Jerry Duckworth tallies 10.7. CMU averages 75.6 points and allows 69.7. They make around 48.6 from the field and give up a 43.7 opponent shooting percentage.
The Mavericks took the earlier meeting, 82-42.
WNMU is 2-19 overall and 2-15 in the RMAC and will look to snap a five-game slide this weekend. They stayed with Adams State throughout during their game this past Saturday, trailing by just two at halftime before falling, 80-67.
Marcos Castrillo (San Francisco, CA/Pinole Valley) and Terrez Scott (Santa Clarita, CA/Valencia) remain the offensive leaders with Castrillo tallying 12.6 points and Scott at 12.3. Castrillo leads in rebounds (5.4) and blocks (10). Scott leads the way in assists (91) and steals (32). Three other players average near eight points per game in Steven Loucks (Yuma, AZ/Cibola) (8.8), Brandon Tanter (Long Beach, CA/Los Angeles Prep) (8.1) and Gavin Wood (Florence, AZ/Florence ) (7.9). The Mustangs score 64 points a game and allow 83. They make 39.4 percent from the floor and allow 49.9 percent.
When it comes to NCAA national rankings WNMU ranks 58th in fewest turnovers (265) which is also third in the RMAC. Scott ranks 44th in assists per game (4.8), which is third in the RMAC. He is also 88th in total assists, which is sixth-best in the conference. Scott is also third in steals in the RMAC and sixth in minutes played per game (33.3).
WNMU as a team ranks eighth in assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio.
