PUEBLO, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo men's basketball will conclude the 2022-23 regular season here this weekend (Feb. 24-25) as they host back-to-back Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference games against UCCS and Regis University at Massari Arena.

The ThunderWolves will open the weekend with a 7:30 p.m. game on Friday, Feb. 24 against UCCS, before hosting Regis University for a 7:30 p.m. contest on Saturday, Feb. 25. Prior to Saturday's game, the Pack will honors its two seniors – forwards Elijah Moleon (Killeen, Texas/Angelo State) and Meekness Payne (Phoenix, Ariz./University of New Hampshire) in a pregame ceremony.

Along with Saturday's game being Senior Night, the Pack will also honor some of its history this weekend as they will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the school's final JUCO team in 1962-63 on Friday evening and then honor the school's 1973 NCAA Tournament Team on Saturday.

The Pack come into play this weekend currently sitting on the outside of one of the eight spots in the RMAC Tournament, but with two wins this weekend and some help from some of the teams above them, the Pack could propel themselves into a spot in the RMAC Tournament for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

CSU Pueblo enters this weekend's action having dropped three straight games and seven of its last eight games overall with the lone win being a 77-58 home win nearly two weeks ago against Colorado Christian. The current losing skid started with an 89-85 overtime home loss to Chadron State and continued last weekend with road losses at Westminster (87-49) and then 17th-ranked Colorado Mesa (76-61). The Pack are sporting an 11-15 overall record and are in 12th place in the RMAC standings with a 7-13 record.

The Pack are one game behind a logjam of four teams that are each 8-12 in the league standings. The Pack play two of those four teams this weekend – UCCS and Regis, while the other teams are New Mexico Highlands and MSU Denver. South Dakota Mines is a half-game in front of the Pack with an 8-13 record. CSU Pueblo, New Mexico Highlands, UCCS and Regis all play each other this weekend to conclude the regular season, while MSU Denver plays at Fort Lewis and Adams State and South Dakota Mines plays at Colorado Christian. The top eight teams in the league standings qualify for the RMAC Tournament, which begins with quarterfinal round games on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
CSU Pueblo has been strong at home this season as they have posted a 9-6 record at home, but have lost two of its last three home contests with the lone win being that victory over Colorado Christian on Feb. 10. In RMAC play, the Pack are 5-4 at home.

ABOUT CSU PUEBLO
The ThunderWolves, who have lost eight of its 15 games by seven or fewer points, have four players averaging in double figures on the season led by sophomore guard Lian Ramiro (Aurora, Colo./Grandview). Ramiro is averaging a team-best 13.4 points per game and is also averaging 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and is shooting 38 percent from the field, 31 percent from the 3-point line and 85 percent from the free throw line. He leads the team in made treys with 44 and is second in steals with 22 and is currently 24th in the school's all-time scoring chart with 1,036 points.  

In addition to Ramiro, sophomore forward Isaiah Thompson (Colorado Springs, Colo./Fountain-Fort Carson) is averaging 11.4 points and an RMAC-leading 9.4 rebounds per game and has posted double-doubles in five of his last six games and is second in the league in that category with 10. Thompson, who was the RMAC Defensive Player of the Week last week, is averaging 13.2 points and 11.2 rebounds per game over his last five games.

The other two double-digit scorers for the Pack are junior guard Makiah Morris (San Diego, Calif./San Diego City College) and Payne. Morris is averaging 10.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game and is shooting 41 percent from the field, 36 percent from the 3-point line and 81 percent from the free throw line, while Payne is averaging 10.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and is shooting 44 percent from the field, 35 percent from the 3-point line and leads the team in blocks with 23.

As a team, CSU Pueblo continues to be on the better scoring defensive teams in the RMAC as they are third in scoring defense at 69.3 points per game. In addition, the Pack is second in the RMAC in 3-point field goal defense as their opponents are shooting 33 percent from long distance and are fifth in the league in opponents field goal percentage defense (44 percent).

Another strength this season for the Pack is shot blocking as they are fourth in the RMAC in blocked shots as they are averaging 3.3 blocks per game. Four players have had 10 or more blocks on the year as along with Payne's 23, Moleon is second with 18 blocks, while sophomore forward De'Shaun Cooper (Poway, Calif./Balboa School) is third with 14 blocks and Thompson has recorded 10 blocks.

CSU Pueblo is coached by Matt Hammer, who is in his fourth season as the Pack's men's basketball coach. In his three-plus seasons leading the Pack, Hammer has compiled a 37-63 record and is 28-54 in RMAC games. He has led the Pack to at least 12 wins in two of his first three seasons and is one win shy of achieving the feat for the third time in four seasons in Pueblo.

ABOUT UCCS
UCCS comes into Friday's action with CSU Pueblo sporting a 14-13 overall record and are tied for seventh in the league with an 8-12 record. The Mountain Lions have struggled in the second half of the league schedule as they have nine of its last 10 games with the lone win coming last time out at home against Western Colorado as they picked up a 90-66 win. The win over Western snapped a nine-game losing skid for the Mountain Lions. Since the beginning of the 2023 calendar year, UCCS has posted a 5-9 record with the wins coming against Chadron State (91-63), Adams State (91-79) and MSU Denver (80-73). UCCS has posted a 7-7 record away from home this season, including 3-6 mark on the road in RMAC play. The Mountain Lions have lost four straight on the road since earning a 91-79 win at Adams State on Jan. 7.

As a team, UCCS is one of the top rebounding and 3-point shooting teams in the league as the Mountain Lions are second in the league in rebounds per game as they are averaging 37.3 per contest and lead the league in three-pointers shot per game (27.1) and are second in made 3-pointers per game (9.9). UCCS is also fifth in the league in scoring as they average 77.7 points per game and are second in the RMAC in assists per game as they average 14.7 per game. Defensively, UCCS is allowing 76.2 points per game and their foes are shooting 44 percent from the field, 37 percent from downtown and 71 percent from the free throw line.

Leading the way offensively for UCCS is senior guard Jon'il Fugett, who is averaging 15.5 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and is third in the RMAC in assists per game at 3.8. He is shooting 44 percent from the field, 43 percent from the 3-point line and 75 percent from the free throw line and is averaging 2.2 made treys per game and his 1.32 assist/turnover ratio is seventh-best in the RMAC.

In addition to Fugett, sophomore forward Mac Stodart is averaging 10.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 40 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free throw line and has blocked 13 shots and is third on the team in made treys with 41.

Two other Mountain Lions – redshirt junior guard Beni Fungula and sophomore guard Jezza McKenzie are averaging just under 10 points per game this season as Fungula is averaging 9.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percent from the floor and 37 percent from the 3-point line, while McKenzie is averaging 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and is shooting 43 percent from the field, 37 percent from the 3-point line and 73 percent from the line.

UCCS is coached by Jeff Culver, who is in his 11th season with the Mountain Lions and has compiled a 173-133 record. Culver has led the program to eight RMAC Tournament appearances, one RMAC Tournament Championship and two NCAA Tournament appearances, including advancing to the second round in 2015.

Friday's game marks the first and only meeting between the two schools that are about 40 miles apart on I-25. CSU Pueblo leads the all-time series, 18-14, including picking up a 72-67 win last season in Colorado Springs. The Pack hold a 10-6 edge in the series at home and the series is tied 8-8 at UCCS.

ABOUT REGIS
Regis enters the final week of the regular season reeling as they have dropped five of its last six games with the lone win being an 89-67 victory at UCCS on Feb. 14. The Rangers, though, lost their most recent game at home last Saturday to Western Colorado as the Mountaineers collected a 77-72 win in overtime. In fact, since picking up a 70-69 win at home over the Pack on Jan. 27, Regis has posted a 2-5 record.

The Rangers, who play Friday at New Mexico Highlands before traveling to Pueblo on Saturday, are sporting an 11-15 overall record and are 8-12 in the RMAC. Regis has struggled on the road this season as they are 4-7 away from home, including being 3-6 on the road in RMAC play. The Rangers have lost four of its last five games with the lone win being that 22-point victory at UCCS on Valentine's Day.

As a team, Regis makes it a habit of getting to the free throw line as the Rangers are fourth in the league in both free attempts per game (21.3) and free throws made per game (15.5). On the season, Regis is 403-for-554 from the free throw line. In addition, they are fifth in both in turnover margin (+0.3) and turnovers per game (12.1).

Regis is averaging 72.1 points per game and is allowing 76.2 points per game. The Rangers are shooting 45 percent from the field, 34 percent from the 3-point line and 73 percent at the free throw line, while their opponents are shooting 49 percent from the field, 35 percent from the 3-point line and 76 percent at the free throw line.

Leading the way offensively for Regis is former CSU Pueblo and Nebraska-Kearney transfer guard David Simental. Simental, who played for the Pack from 2019-21 and was the Colorado Prep Player of the Year as a senior at Pueblo West High School in 2016, is averaging 15.7 points per game and is shooting 45 percent from the field, 45 percent from the 3-point line and leads the RMAC in free throwing shooting at 89 percent. He is 88-for-99 at the line on the season.

In addition to Simental, who is playing for his fifth school in six season, sophomore forward Brayden Carter is averaging 11.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 52 percent from the field and leads the team in blocked shots with 16.

Two other Rangers are averaging in double figures on the season – senior guard Aaron Bokol and redshirt junior guard Eddy Egun. Bokol is averaging 10.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 47 percent from the field, 42 percent from the 3-point line and 67 percent at the line, while Egun is averaging 10.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free throw line.

Regis is coached by Brady Bergeson, who is in his eighth season as Regis' coach in 2022-23. Bergeson was an assistant at MSU Denver for six seasons when the Roadrunners compiled an overall record of 157-58 and an RMAC record of 93-21. In his eight seasons with the Rangers, Bergeson has compiled a 130-91 overall record and his 130 wins are second-most in school history.

Saturday's game marks the second-meeting this season against the two teams as Regis picked up a 70-69 win in Denver on Jan. 27. In that game, the Rangers sealed its win with two free throws from Simental with three seconds left in the game and Regis trailing by a point. Despite Regis' win earlier this season, CSU Pueblo still holds a 15-9 edge in the all-time series. The Pack leads 7-4 at home and is 8-5 in the series at Regis.