The Maverick’s second-half shooting propelled them to a 14-point victory over Westminster College (WC) in the first game of their four-game homestand.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) shot 63.2 percent from the field in the second half to increase their lead to 17-points. The Mavericks 19 assists in the game built their lead because the Griffins never knew who was going to get the open shot.
Senior guard Tommy Nuno led the Mavericks with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.
“One thing that has helped this group all year is, sometimes they just need to process a little bit and then in the second half they anticipate what kind of shots they are going to get more, and then they are just a little more ready to shoot it,” CMU Head Coach Mike DeGeorge said. “We have good shooters, and I thought we got a lot of good looks tonight and it was only a matter of time till they started going down.
Senior guard Jess Spivey had one of his best shooting nights as he went three of four from behind the arc and scored 11 points in the game.
“When I know that the extra pass is coming, I’m not afraid to shoot that open shot when I get it,” Spivey said. “Also, when we are moving the ball like that none of us are selfish, so we know that we are all going to get the ball, we know that we are all touching the ball, we are all feeling good, so it’s a good day when we have that many assists.”
CMU shot 20 percent from behind the arc in the first half, but they still lead the game by 11 going into halftime. The Mavericks held the Griffins to 34.6 percent from the floor in the first, but Brandon Warr for WC had 11 points and five rebounds going into halftime.
The Maverick’s three-point shooting helped build their lead as they shot 58.3 percent from behind the arc. Senior guards Michael Skinner and Nuno played all 20 minutes in the second half and combined for 13 points, five assists and seven rebounds.
CMU shot 54.3 percent from the field throughout the game, and they held WC to 45.8 percent from the field. The bench for CMU contributed 15 points with junior center Ethan Richardson and Spivey were the two to score off the bench.
The Maverick’s next game is Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m. against the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference leader Dixie State University.
