Three Mavericks shined above the rest on Tuesday in the Colorado Mesa University (CMU) men’s basketball team’s 78-76 win against Western State on Tuesday.
Connor Nichols again proved why he is the go-to man for Mavericks as the leading scorer for CMU put up 28 points and 15 rebounds in the 40 minutes he played against Western State on Tuesday. Nichols also contributed two assists, one steal and one block.
Two other Mavericks, in the form of CJ Davis and Emilio Acedo, were the only other two players to score in the double digits but it was enough as the dynamic trio scored a combined 63 points. Davis produced 20 points along with 2 steals as Acedo dished out 15 points of his own and four assists.
Both teams are in the bottom half of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and were both riding a two-game win streak coming into Tuesday’s matchup. Western had won seven of their eight wins at home and was looking to continue that luck.
The first half was dead even but the Mavericks defense again stood out and kept them in the game in which allowed CMU to gain the offensive advantage in the second half. The Mountaineers shot only 38 percent from the field and had only two points from the bench. The Mavericks shot 52 percent from the field and scored 42 points in the paint.
CMU also grabbed 40 rebounds compared to Western State’s 32.
The game would come down to the last minute for the second game in a row as CJ Davis nailed a key jumper with 37 seconds to go to put the Mavericks up 70-65. The Mountaineers were unable to gain the lead back as CMU would keep the lead off of free throws within the last 30 seconds to seal the eventual 78-76 win.
The Mavericks will attempt to keep the ball rolling when they travel to Westminster College to take on the Griffins who are in possession of a 16-3 record and sit second in the RMAC. The game will take place on Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m.
