Finally, they stand alone at the top.
The Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team took care of business on Saturday night as the No. 20 ranked Mavericks emphasized why they are the best in the RMAC after defeating Westminster College 57-49.
Both schools came into this anticipated matchup undefeated in the conference while also riding a hefty winning streak. The Griffins were winners of 13-straight games while the Mavericks had 14-straight dubs under their belt. It was the first meeting of the season between the two programs so a lot of eyes were on this specific contest.
“We just gotta keep it going, we can’t rest on one game.” Head Coach Taylor Wagner said about the mindset of the matchup. “This is the grind for every team. This is make or break so we just gotta stay focused and keep going.”
The start of the night was slow and steady as CMU had to rely on different tactics to keep themselves in it. Leading scorer for CMU, Jaylyn Duran, was held to only two points in the first half despite the fact she averages 20.6 points per game.
Sophomore Kylyn Rigsby led the team in scoring on Saturday as the guard from DeBeque racked up 18 points with seven of them coming in the first half. Rigbsy also ended the night with six assists and two steals.
CMU would go into halftime still within breathing distance down 26-23 despite shooting only 27.6 percent from the field and 18.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Griffins shot 37.5 percent from the field at the halfway mark and appeared to carry the momentum going into the second half.
“I feel like we just know that we were okay,” Sydni Brandon said. “It’s okay…just keep shooting.”
The third quarter came around and both teams started to find more of a rhythm. It was a back-and-forth third quarter as both schools racked up 14 points so the Griffins still had the 40-37 lead heading into the fourth.
Jaylyn Duran still had yet to make a three-pointer in the game but the big momentum shifter came when Duran made a crucial shot from beyond the arc and Karina Brandon followed it up with a steal in which allowed Kylyn Rigsby to finish the play with a layup.
“I told [Jaylyn] in the second half it’s gonna go in so just keep shooting it,” Head Coach Taylor Wagner said. “So she did and stepped up and hit those three’s for us and it was big.”
This gave the Mavericks the first lead since the first quarter.
Sydni Brandon would make crucial hustle plays throughout the second half in which allowed her to score 15 points and grab six boards and two steals. Brandon played a big part in the two games over the weekend as she provided much-needed sparks in those crucial and heated moments.
CMU and WC would trade leads back and forth for the remainder of the fourth, however, Jaylyn Duran would score some key three-pointers to allow the Mavericks to take a small but comfortable lead with short time on the game clock.
Duran would finish the day with ten points and a steal.
CMU would hold onto to eventually win 57-49 and claim their spot alone at the top of the RMAC conference and continuing their 15-game winning streak. The Mavericks have not lost since Nov. 17 when they played Western Oregon in the second game of the year.
Taylor Wagner and his team will prepare for another set of home games when CMU faces off against Regis and Colorado Christian University from Feb. 1-2.
