Take charge. When it came to defense, key three-pointers in the fourth quarter or taking an actual charge, the Mavericks did just that to punch their ticket. The Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team overcame a tight matchup against Colorado School of Mines on Friday to advance to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Tournament Championship game with a 62-54 win.
Sydni Brandon, the Energizer Bunny of CMU, took a late charge in with 34 seconds left on the clock in the fourth quarter to solidify the victory for the Mavericks. Just a play earlier, CMU guard Daniella Turner got called for a charge to give the Orediggers possession–Brandon had other plans.
“I can kinda read it,” Brandon said. “When they dip [their shoulder], I’m probably gonna go whether it’s a flop or not…You dip, I’m going and I was pretty sure I could get the call.”
Mines hung in there with the Regular Season RMAC champs throughout the entire first half. The biggest lead for either team was no more than eight points.
The Mavericks would find themselves down 21-16 by the end of the first quarter after the Orediggers made nine free throws and controlled the boards with 13 rebounds compared to CMU’s six.
“They’re the best offensive rebounding team in our league and we knew that was something that we would have to do a really good job at,” Head coach Taylor Wagner said. “In the first quarter, I thought they got the best of us then we kinda tightened up and made sure that we didn’t let them get another opportunity.”
The RMAC Player of the Year, Jayln Duran was able to find her rhythm in the first half compared to Tuesday, in the quarterfinals, where she did not score until the second half against Black Hills State. Duran scored nine points and grabbed three boards going into halftime.
Sydni Brandon also contributed to the Mavericks efficiency in the first by racking up six points along with three boards and a steal. On the final play of the first half, Mines’ Cassidy Budge attempted a buzzer beater three, however, Brandon swatted the ball like a fly before Budge could even get the ball off her fingertips.
Brandon would finish with the game with 16 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. Duran would lead the team with 18 points, six rebounds and two steals.
The score would be tied 29-29 going into halftime. CMU and CSM would be practically even on the scoreboard as both teams shot above 30 percent from the field and were tied from the beyond the arc by making 40 percent of their threes. Mines had the only distinctive advantage in rebounds as they had 21 compared to CMU’s 16.
In the third, CMU and Mines replicated a game on Pong, going back and forth the entirety of the ten-minute quarter. By the time the fourth came around, the score was still tied 54-54.
The Orediggers would control the majority of momentum for the first few minutes of the final quarter, but just like on Tuesday against the Yellow Jackets, it took a key three-pointer from Kelsey Siemons to shift the energy of Brownson.
“The momentum wasn’t necessarily in our favor,” Brandon said. “When she makes those three’s, I’m like ‘That’s huge.” I think her three’s are the biggest plays.”
Siemons would make the crucial three with 4:14 remaining in the game to give CMU the 54-50 lead.
Sydni Brandon would then make a key jumper, and a couple of free throws to bring the lead to seven. Mines’ Cassidy Budge would counter with a bank three-pointer right as the shot clock expired to keep the Orediggers in it.
With under a minute left, Daniella Turner would drive and lay the ball in with some contact but the foul would be called a charge against Turner. Ten seconds later is when Brandon would do the same against Mines’ Denali Pinto to seal the victory.
“It was just will,” Wagner said. “They just were going to get the ball. Again you feed off the emotion and everything and it just feels like we had a boost of energy in the second half.”
After a couple more free throws and the scoreboard finally reading triple zeros, CMU would punch their ticket to the RMAC Playoff Championships which will take place on Saturday night. CMU has not won both the RMAC Regular Season and Tournament Title in the same season since 2014.
