Some would say that the hard part is over and now you simply have to finish what was started. This is the feeling around the locker room for the Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team heading into their very own version of March Madness.
After the win against Adams State on Feb. 23, the Mavericks were able to clinch their first Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season title since the 2014-15 season. The year before in the 2013 season, was the last time CMU won both the RMAC Regular Season Championship and the RMAC Tournament Championship.
“There is a lot that we’re playing for,” Head Coach Taylor Wagner said. “For me, I just want these girls to end on a high note. We’ve had a great season and we just wanna go as far as we can. It’s gonna take a team effort.”
Now with the tournament starting on March 5, Wagner is looking to take home his third RMAC Tournament title. He won back-to-back titles in his two first seasons as head coach from 2013-14.
One of the biggest factors working in favor of the Mavericks will be the home court advantage at Brownson Arena. So far this year, the women are undefeated at home riding a 12-0 record. Their last loss in Grand Junction was back on Jan. 26, 2018 in a 53-56 defeat to Black Hills State.
“It’s fun traveling but it’s not fun traveling.” Jaylyn Duran said. “It’s nice to stay home, especially for our fans.”
To say that it has been a positive turnout at Brownson for the women is an understatement. Over 10,000 fans have sat and supported the Mavericks this season which is generally more than the men bring in for their games.
“Our fans just do a phenomenal job at coming and supporting us and they have always done that,” Wagner said. “They just give us an extra boost on our home floor and that is why you wanna compete and try and win it. You sleep in your own bed and you have your routine here so we are exceptionally happy to be playing two extra games here.”
The fan support and the comfort of a home-court advantage will significantly help CMU in the RMAC tourney, however, the on-court factors will make the biggest difference come March 5.
Three out of the four players being honored this Friday for Senior night are three reasons why CMU will succeed in the postseason. Jaylyn Duran, Sydni Brandon and Karina Brandon have all played their significant part in making this season successful.
Duran has led the RMAC in scoring and points per game for the majority of the year. The Pueblo native currently leads the conference with 18.4 points per game and is only 11 points behind CCU’s Jordan Baer who sits in first for total points scored.
Sydni Brandon, the Energizer Bunny, currently leads the team in free throws, rebounds, assists and steals. She is tied for first in the RMAC in steals per game with 2.5 and is second in the conference in total steals with 62.
Karina Brandon, who has been a solid performer for the Mavericks all season, continues to be a force of reckoning heading into next week. Brandon is third on the team in scoring with 7.3 ppg and is second in rebounds with 5.3 per contest.
“This year I think our chemistry is a lot stronger,” Karina Brandon said. “Going to practice is fun, thinking about what we’re gonna do at practice is fun…we enjoy each other, what we have and what our strengths are.”
Other elements on the roster to recognize come in form of performing bench players. Freshman Natalie Bartle has had recent success for the Mavericks. She has had back to back 20-point plus performances against Regis and Fort Lewis and has proven to be a reliant scoring factor when the starting five are out.
This team is ready, willing and able to finish what they started. The regular season title more will not define this season because Wagnor and his squad have bigger goals set.
The first round of the RMAC Tournament will take place on March 5 as CMU still awaits to see who they will face following the regular season finale against Western State on March 1.
