COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — For the first time in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference history, two women's basketball teams ranked in the top five in the nation will play each other. Fort Lewis College is ranked No. 4 and Metropolitan State College of Denver is ranked No. 5 in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) USA TODAY ESPN Division II poll.  The WBCA began the NCAA Division II poll in 1996.

The two teams will square off tomorrow (Friday, Jan. 20) at the Auraria Events Center on the campus of Metro State. Tip-off is at 5 p.m.

“First of all, it is quite the accomplishment to have two teams from the same state and the same conference ranked in the top five in the country,” said Skyhawks head coach Mark Kellogg. “We have the upmost respect for Metro State and their women's basketball program. This should be a great college basketball experience for both teams.”

The Skyhawks enter Friday's game with a 14-1 record and an unblemished 11-0 league record. Their lone loss of the season came Nov. 26 to then-ranked No. 8 UC-San Diego. UCSD is now the top ranked team in the nation at 16-0.  Fort Lewis is ranked second in NCAA Division II in field goal percentage (49.4) and assists per game (19.1).

“We're extremely excited and proud to be part of a historic matchup with Fort Lewis,” said Roadrunners head coach Tanya Haave. “Fort Lewis has been the standard bearer in the RMAC in terms of excellence and has put our conference on the national map for women's basketball. This game is a tremendous challenge and opportunity for our program and for any competitor; these are games you live to play for.”

The Roadrunners, who were ranked as high as No. 2 this season, enter Friday's game also with a 14-1 overall record, and a 10-1 mark in conference action. Their lone loss this year came Jan. 7 at Colorado Christian. Metro State is ranked second in the nation in rebound margin (14.3), third in assist turnover ratio (1.2), and turnovers per game (13.3). Senior guard Alyssa Benson is second in the Division II in three-point field goal percentage. Benson is shooting at a 49.2 percent clip from long range (30 of 61). Senior guard Jasmine Cervantes is one of only 10 players in the NCAA Division II to record a triple-double. Cervantes recorded the feat on Dec. 3 in a home win against Western New Mexico.

The two teams have met 31 times since the series began in 1984. Metro State holds an 18-13 advantage; however, the Skyhawks have won five of the past six games, including the last three. Metro State owns an 8-6 lead when playing at home against Fort Lewis.

Following the women's game, the fourth-ranked Metro State men's basketball team will play host to Fort Lewis at 7 p.m. Admission for both games is $1.

If you can't attend the game, live stats, video, and audio are available at:

Live Stats: http://www.gometrostate.com/custompages/mbball/livestats/xlive.htm?
Video: http://b2tv.com/upcoming_events.asp?q=v&value=rmac
Audio: http://www.radiodurango.com/listen_live.asp