CHADRON, Neb. -- January 24, 2018 -- Things won't get much easier for the Chadron State basketball teams this weekend.

The Eagles will visit CSU-Pueblo on Friday night and New Mexico Highlands on Saturday night for Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference clashes.

The Pueblo women lead the RMAC with an 11-2 record. They are the conference's defending champions and feature both of the preseason players of the year, Molly Rohrer (offense) and Katie Cunningham (defense). 

Rohrer is averaging 14.5 points and has blocked 35 shots. Cunningham is averaging 9.5 rebounds a game.

The ThunderWolves' men don't have as lofty a record.  They are 6-7 in the RMAC, but are coming off a huge victory.  Last Saturday night, they trailed Colorado Mines 41-24 at halftime in Golden, but sank 13 of 17 treys in the second half and won 83-79.

Pueblo's leader is point guard Will Newman, who is averaging 16.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists.  In addition, 6-foot-8 sophomore center Jason Anderson has missed 10 games this season, but has tallied 71 points in the last three games, all victories. 

The Highlands men also can be potent, particularly when 6-7 Nmamdi Okoro, a native of Nigeria, is "on."  He tallied 36 points on 16-of-19 from the field and grabbed 14 rebounds Saturday night when the Cowboys clobbered Colorado Christian 96-61 in Littleton.

The Cowboys are 6-6 in conference play and the Cowgirls are 2-11.  

Both Chadron State teams are 3-16 overall and 1-12 in the conference. But both had some sparkling performances last weekend.

Freshman guard Taryn Foxen scored 17 points, had six rebounds and three steals against Adams State and then broke loose for 25 points, 10 rebounds and five steals against Fort Lewis. The 5-10 graduate of Cherokee Trail High in Aurora, Colo., was 17 of 30 from the field in the two breakout performances.

Senior Kalli Feddersen also continued to be aggressive and productive.  She scored 23 points, including 13 of 16 from the free throw line, and had eight rebounds and four assists against Adams State.  The next night she finished with 16 points, including six-of-six on free throws and had five assists and three steals.

For the season, Feddersen is 126 of 153 (82.4 percent) from the charity stripe while no other RMAC female player has gone to the free throw line more than 94 times. She's averaging 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and four assists, all team highs, and each stat ranks among the top five in the RMAC this winter.

Two young players who had been relatively quiet recently led the Chadron State men against Fort Lewis last Saturday night.

Sophomore Jordan Mills of Alliance scored 19 points and freshman Eric Jamerman of Douglas, Wyo., 17.  Both shot 50 percent from the field.  Mills was 8-of-16 and Jamerman 6-of-12, including four of eight from long range.

In addition, junior Jeremy Ruffin, a 6-5 transfer from Western Nebraska Community College, grabbed 17 rebounds, the most for a CSC player since the late Fernando Bonfim had 18 in the final game of his career in 2007.

The doubleheaders begin at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and 5 o'clock on Saturday.