This year’s annual Blizzard in Brownson may have been the best one in the game’s history. Playing the Fort Lewis College Skyhawks, the Mavericks women’s team lit up the scoreboard in a 87-71 win, while the men’s team lost 79-87 in the highest ranked game in the country last weekend.
Presented by Coca Cola, the Blizzard in Bronson night is an annual game where all fans are expected to match the Mavericks wearing white. Additionally, there was a raffle, giveaways and a $10,000 check given by Coca Cola to four student-athletes in the environmental science program.
Compared to years past, Colorado Mesa University (CMU) has played weaker teams in the RMAC for the special game, but not this time. The women’s game was a preview of a possible RMAC tournament game, while the men’s game featured the seventh ranked Mavs and the eighth ranked Skyhawks.
The 15-4 women’s team took the floor first, taking on a good Fort Lewis squad who were just one game behind the Mavs in the RMAC standings. The first half of the game was as exciting of a game as fans could have hoped for.
After a back-and-forth first few minutes, CMU put on a jaw-dropping offensive clinic. The Mavericks put up 50 points in the first half, going 11/15 from three, and it seemed like they could not miss a shot. Not to be outdone, the Skyhawks leading scorer Lanae Billy also put on a show, dropping 20 points in the first half.
“Big game. Intensity-wise that first half was crazy. Both teams hit shot after shot… that was unbelievable,” CMU head coach Taylor Wagner said.
Halftime was beneficial to both squads defensively as both teams combined for 26 points in the 3rd quarter. After her 20 point first half, the Mavs held Billy to just one point in the second half, led by the defensive prowess of Kylie Kravig.
“Billy’s a great player, she’s tough to guard, but maybe I just needed a little bit of a kick in the butt to get going that second half,” Kravig said.
To win the game CMU outscored the Skyhawks 37-24 in the second half, led by CMU star freshmen guard Mason Rowland who finished with 19 points. With the win the Mavs moved to 9-3 in the RMAC to stay in position in order to host a homecourt game in the RMAC tournament.
The nightcap featured the men’s game, with both teams ranked in the top 10 playing in front of a standing-room-only, 2100 people crowd, making it one of the best games in all of DII last weekend.
“Tonight was as great of a college basketball game as you’ll ever see between two high-caliber programs,” Fort Lewis head coach Bob Pietrack said.
In a constant lead-changing game, the Skyhawks were able to give the Mavericks their first RMAC loss, winning 87-79, taking 1st place from CMU in the RMAC standings. The game’s leading scorer was Maverick forward Mac Riniker who finished with 28 points, after winning RMAC defensive player of the week the previous two weeks.
Entering the game both teams played similar, but different styles. The Mavericks play faster than almost anyone in the country, ranking top five in the country in three point attempts and makes. The Skyhawks also play a fast brand of basketball, running a full court trap, creating the most turnovers in the conference.
The Mavericks started out hot from three, shooting 8/20 in the first half, but Fort Lewis turned them over 13 times. In the second half CMU took better care of the ball, but simply were not able to hit enough open three-pointers. To close the game, it was the Skyhawks who hit enough perimeter shots, outscoring the Mavs 18-10 the final six minutes.
“Disappointing outcome, but I was proud of how hard the guys played. I thought that if we really sustained our approach and formula I think we would have won the game. Credit to Fort Lewis, they forced a lot of turnovers and they made big shots down the stretch that really won them the game,” CMU head coach Mike DeGeorge said.
Looking ahead, the men’s team is now tied with Fort Lewis and Colorado School of Mines with one loss in the RMAC. Meanwhile, the women’s team is in the thick of a tight RMAC race, in 3rd place, with the 1st place and 5th place teams separated by just three games. After both teams play a favorable road matchup against Western Colorado University, the teams return home Thursday to play Westminster University. The women tip off at Brownson at 5:30, and the men follow at 7:30.
