The Mavericks proved that they aren’t a team to be taken lightly as they put up 197 points in two games.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) had five players scoring in double figures in both games and three of those players had double figures in both games. The Mavericks also cut the turnovers from 40 in their first weekend of play to 26 this weekend.
“I was pleased with the progress we made in the last couple weeks, we were able to clean up a lot of stuff, and we were able to play with a lot more purpose on the floor. That leads to a higher comfort level for the guys out there and I think that was evident,” CMU Head Coach Mike DeGeorge said. “We just executed at a higher level, and the level of competition was down a little bit from what we say two weeks ago, but I was proud of the way they responded the last couple weeks.”
The Mavericks played Pacific Union College (PUC) and Midland University (MU) this weekend and won by a combined 61 points as they utterly dominated both games this weekend to push their record to 2-2.
CMU played MU in the second game of the weekend and the closest game of the weekend for the Mavericks and they still won the game by 23 points.
The first ten minutes of the first half against the Warriors was fought hard by both teams, as the Mavericks were only up 25-18. CMU’s lead was extended by great defense by the Mavericks as the Warriors were held scoreless for five minutes before the first half concluded with CMU up 51-29.
CMU’s complete control of the game didn’t fade either, the Mavericks were in clear control of this game from the opening whistle to the closing whistle. In the second half, the Mavericks lead stayed around 22 points as CMU stayed on the gas pedal until the final whistle. The Warriors were unable to mount a comeback against stellar CMU defense that had eight steals and four blocks in the game.
Senior Tommy Nuno and junior Georgie Dancer led the Mavericks in scoring against the Warriors as each player had 16 points. Dancer added five rebounds and four assists to his performance as well.
“Everything about what we do is about getting the ball into the paint and then just make good decisions when we get there, and obviously we were able to own the paint last night and create great opportunities at the rim and great kick out shots,” DeGeorge said. “Tonight, I thought particularly in the last 10 minutes we forced the ball at the rim too much.”
Against Pacific Union College, the Mavericks showed just how good they can be on offense as they scored 108 points with the bench adding 46 points.
CMU opened the first half up with a 25-19 lead through ten minutes, as the Pioneers came out firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately, the Pioneer defense started to break down as the Maverick shooters got the hot hand as they shot 75 percent from the field in the first half. CMU also was 5-5 from behind the three-point arc in the first half to take a big 56-29 lead.
The second half opened with a 12-0 run by the Mavericks, but the Pioneers didn’t quit on the game. Through ten minutes in the second half, CMU held a dominant 84-46 lead, and they weren’t done yet. PUC in the final ten minutes of the game scored 24 points, but it was too little too late as the Mavericks won 108-70.
“40 turnovers on the first weekend was a huge point of emphasis these past two weeks. To cut it to 26 this weekend shows our commitment to improving. PUC’s aggressive defense forced some turnovers on Friday,” DeGeorge said.
Senior Michael Skinner led the Mavericks in scoring against the Pioneers with 17, and he added six rebounds, four assists, and two steals.
CMU’s next game will be Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. in Grand Junction against Missouri Western State University in the Holiday Inn Airport Thanksgiving Classic.
