LAS VEGAS, N.M. --- The New Mexico Highlands men's basketball team hosts a key RMAC matchup 7 p.m. Friday involving two top-10 D2SIDA South Central Regional teams as the No. 9 Cowboys take on No. 8 Colorado Mesa at Wilson Complex. The Cowboys follow that up with a matchup 7 p.m. Saturday against Western State.

THE COWBOYS COMING INTO THIS WEEK | SEASON STATS
The Cowboys came off the break and split a pair of road games last weekend, losing a heartbreaker to Regis 93-90 (a game NMHU led for nearly 30 minutes of - including the majority of the second half) before bouncing back Saturday to beat Colorado Christian 86-80.

The Cowboys continue to lead the RMAC in scoring at 89.1 points per game - which is 17th in the NCAA. NMHU also leads the RMAC in steals per game (9.2), 3-point field goals per game (10.8 - which is 28th in the country), turnover margin (+5.8 - seventh in the NCAA) and turnovers forced (17.5 per game - 30th in the NCAA).

Individually, the Cowboys have two of the top four scorers in the conference as Gerad Davis is second at 21.2 points per game while Raquan Mitchell is fourth at 18.5 per game. Davis is also averaging 4.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 steals (second in the RMAC) and shooting 54.6 percent from the field, 52 percent from 3-point range and 84.9 percent from the free throw line. Mitchell is averaging 4.3 rebounds, a team-best 3.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.3 3-pointers per game (second in the RMAC). Also averaging double figures is Jordan Jones (13.8) and Nnamdi Okoro (10.8) with Okoro leading the team at 8.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks (both second in the RMAC).

ABOUT COLORADO MESA | SEASON STATS
The Mavericks enter Friday having won three games in a row after dropping back-to-back games to Colorado School of Mines and MSU Denver. This includes sweeping South Dakota Mines (80-71) and Black Hills State (78-74) this past week at home.

CMU is second in the RMAC in scoring at 85.5 points per game while leading the conference in field goal percentage at 53.8 and second in 3-point percentage at 39.6 percent.

The Mavs have the conference's top scorer in 6-foot-6 senior Connor Nichols who is averaging 22.9 points per game to go along with 7.7 rebounds (team best), 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals (team best). He's coming off of a season-best 37-point effort on Saturday against Black Hills State. Damon Dubots (6-9) is second on the team in scoring while averaging 4.8 rebounds while Tommy Nuno (6-5) is averaging 12.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and is second on the team at 3.6 assists per game.

ABOUT WESTERN STATE | SEASON STATS
The Mountaineers enter this weekend having dropped seven games in a row (they play at CSU-Pueblo on Friday) after losing a pair of games at home last weekend to Black Hills State (77-69) and South Dakota Mines (84-79).

Western State is 15th in the RMAC in points allowed per game (84.6) while seventh in scoring (78.4). Expect the 3-pointers to fly as the Mountaineers are second in the conference in 3-pointers per game (9.6) - only trailing the Cowboys (10.8).

Quincy Harding (6-3) leads the team in scoring at 19.6 points per game to go along with 3.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest. Brady Subart (6-3) is second on the team at 13.8 points per game and leads the team with 33 3-pointers (46.5 percent) and 2.7 assists while Jaire Roberts (11.5 ppg) and Cole Sienknecht (11.3 ppg) are averaging double figures with Sienknecht hitting 31 3-pointers and shooting 50.8 percent from 3-point range.