Senior night.
It’s one of the most memorable moments in the career of any student-athlete. It’s an even sweeter night if you go home with the win.
Colorado Mesa University made sure they would go home happy and succeeded in making their final home game a great one for all involved. Senior Connor Nichols scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, helping Colorado Mesa University finish the regular season with an 83-63 victory against Western State Colorado in Brownson Friday night.
“It was fun,” Nichols said. “Tonight we were able to force some misses and were able to get some shots to go. It was nice to finally control that game in the second half and enjoy every second of it with the seniors and the whole team really.
“It’s an emotional game for us. Especially with a great support system like we have to feed off that, bunch of family and friends in the stands. It’s an emotional time and I think it’s hard to come out there and take a deep breath. Once we were finally able to do that I think the game turned in our favor.”
With CMU in control of an 83-59 lead late in the second half, Head Coach Mike DeGeorge subbed out Nichols, Trent Clay, Sam Walters, Brandon Hoffer, and Flip Nowicki to give each a curtain call as they walked off Brownson Arena one last time.
“For me, it’s kind of like that thing where you just flashback with all the different memories you have,” Nichols said. “It was definitely emotional. From Freshman year, both of us being through it all, the highs and the lows. The game winners on both ends, a big game against Fort Lewis my freshman year. Last year the Black Hills game.. it all kind of flashed before your eyes and my biggest goal was to picture the fans one last time and absorb it all. It was definitely a special moment.”
“It’s been a rollercoaster,” Clay said. “It’s been crazy for me. I didn’t even know if I was going to play this year. It meant a lot to me. From week one to be able to practice from finally getting to play again this year to being able to go out with the win with some of my best friends. It’s been a crazy ride for both of us, but especially for me and I feel blessed, I feel happy for the opportunity and I can’t thank God enough and my teammates enough.”
Through the first 10 minutes, Western jumped out to a 19-14 lead. With grit and tenacity, they found smart shots and forced CMU into tough offensive possessions early.
Not to be outdone on their big night, the Mavericks went on a 23-8 run to close out the half with Nichols and others providing a consistent scoring punch. Nichols continued to wow with his mid-air finishes and smooth shooting stroke.
Sticking with the values of the program, DeGeorge gave Clay his first start of the season tonight to honor the senior.
“He’s a great kid and he’s worked really hard,” DeGeorge said. “We all have this sense of this is the senior’s last go round and it’s always a constant reminder that it could be taken from any of us at any time. If we’re playing with a sense of urgency that this is the last time they get to do it, that’s a really important part of what we do. I think it’s really important to honor our seniors every way we can.
“Trent’s been a huge part of this team and in a lot of ways, one of our spiritual leaders. Even with him out, there’s a sense of respect for him with how he carries himself and what kind of person he is.”
Clay, who has struggled with injury, matched a season-high of eight points on 3-of-3 shooting and was honored to get the start on an emotional night.
“It meant a lot to me,” Clay said. “I appreciate coach doing that. Starting or not, I just try to go out there and compete. Obviously, I tried to bring the energy right away but it felt good.”
Jordan De LeonDamon Dubots’ senior night was cut short. The center was called for a technical foul, his fifth personal foul, with 15 minutes remaining in the game and finished the night with four points and two rebounds. The 6’9 center ended the regular season averaging 10.7 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Western cut the lead to 49-41 after a Cole Sienknecht three-pointer, but CMU had been playing loose and with poise all night. In fact, Mesa was up by 22 with six minutes remaining.
Nichols started to heat up in the latter part of the second half. He grabbed an offensive rebound off a three-point miss, dribbled the ball out to the three-point line and drilled a three, giving his teammates a celebratory look after the make.
Hoffer scored two points and added five rebounds and four assists. The point guard has been steady all season and throughout his Maverick career. He averaged 5.6 points per game and led the team with 121 assists.
Walters, the three-point specialist, added nine points, five rebounds, and two steals. Walters has been CMU’s most lethal shooter this season and led the team with 46 three’s and shot at a 41% clip from deep.
Tommy Nuno scored 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting and Nowicki scored his lone bucket late in the second half to thunderous cheers from the Maverick bench.
With the regular season over, CMU earned the No. 5 seed in the 2019 RMAC tournament with a 14-8 RMAC record (19-9 overall) and will travel to face Black Hills, the No. 4 seed, on Tuesday, March 5 at 6 pm.
The Mavericks defeated the Yellowjackets in Brownson Arena earlier in the year by a final of 78-74. This is CMU’s first appearance in the tournament since the 2015-2016 season, where they lost in the semifinals to Colorado School of Mines.
