After losing to Dallas Baptist University at the D2 Conference Challenge last season 86-62, Colorado Mesa University men’s basketball flipped the script in the 2018-2019 season opener, rolling past No. 21 Dallas Baptist 91-80 to capture Head coach Mike DeGeorge’s first victory at CMU.
DeGeorge, who was hired by CMU to take over the men’s program in May 2018, has implemented a new system that the players have adapted to quickly. Their play Friday night showed they have embraced the system after a long offseason and preseason.
The Mavericks got off to a quick start in the first half, jumping out to a 25-16 lead 10 minutes into the contest. Senior Connor Nichols found his stroke early scoring eight points within those first 10 minutes, including two three-pointers.
Nichols, who is coming off an All-RMAC First Team selection while averaging a team-leading 19.5 points per game, is excited to usher in a new era of Maverick basketball.
“I think we all believe we have outworked all of our opponents this offseason and preseason so there is no reason to believe we are going to lose,” Nichols said. “But the goal of this team is to get better every day.”
The confidence was surely there as the Mavericks shot a ridiculous 66% in the contest. CMU was 13-17 (76.5%) from three. The Mavericks went on an 11-6 run to close out the first half and were up by 16 at one point, with the score 48.32, their largest lead of the half.
Nichols, who scored a game-high 24 points, came out of halftime with the same rhythm and scored five of seven Maverick points to push the lead 55-43.
Senior transfer Sam Walters made a solid impression on his new team. The California native went 5-7 from three and scored 19 points with three rebounds and one assist.
Kolten Peterson’s jumper with nine minutes remaining in the second half gave the Mavericks their biggest lead of the night with CMU up 77-54. Peterson was the only other Maverick in double figures with 11 points on the night, shooting 3-4 from three-point land.
Peterson, Walters, and Nichols combined to go 10-14 from beyond the arc.
The Patriots went on a late run in the second half to lower the deficit to 81-69, but CMU’s offense kept humming and kept the Patriots at bay.
Dallas Baptist shot 43.8% in the contest and struggled even more from three shooting just 30%.
The Mavericks won the rebound battle 33-29 and never trailed in the contest.
The Patriots pushed the score to 88-80 with 55 seconds left to play, but Nichols iced the game with three free throws late to ice the game.
The win was the first time the Mavericks defeated a ranked opponent since Jan. 16, 2016 when they defeated Fort Lewis 75-72.
Nichols chipped in a game-high eight rebounds with two assists and one block. He finished 5-6 from the charity stripe.
With the Mavericks reaching milestones they have not hit in nearly three years, perhaps that new era of Maverick basketball is ready to take that next leap.
“Whether we win by 40 or lose by 40, we are going to get better every possession,” Nichols said. “At the end of it all, I believe we are going to be in a spot we are proud of.”
