The Mavericks earned their fourth consecutive win as they beat the Grizzlies 73-65 in Alamosa, Colo.
Redshirt freshman guard Blaise Threatt finished the game with 22 points, and he pulled down eight rebounds in his first game back from injury. He shot nine of 13 from the field including two shots made from behind the three-point arc.
The Mavericks scored 46 points in the paint and Colorado Mesa University (CMU) shot 50.8% from the field as a team. Redshirt freshman guard Isaac Jessup and redshirt freshman forward Trevor Baskin were the other two Mavericks to finish in double-figures.
Baskin scored 22 points in the game as he shot 10 of 16 from the field in the game. He pulled down four rebounds in the game and he blocked one shot as he is tied for seventh for the most blocked shots in a season in CMU history.
The opening ten minutes of the game were fought hard by both sides as the game was tied at 14 with 10:38 minutes left in the game. Jessup hit a contested three-pointer as the shot clock expired, and Baskin finished in transition two possessions later to put CMU up 19-14.
Adams State University (ASU) tried to cut CMU’s lead under five points but each time, the Mavericks answered with a bucket of their own.
Threatt lifted the Mavericks lead up to nine points as he carved into the paint to finish over his defender with 4:15 left in the first quarter. Jessup lifted CMU’s lead up to 14 points with 2:41 left in the first half as he buried a three-pointer from the wing.
CMU’s offense continued to roll as they held a 45-25 lead as they went into the halftime break.
The Grizzlies started out hot in the opening five minutes of the second half as they cut CMU’s lead down to 14-points. Jordan Notch continued the Grizzly’s offensive outburst as he cut the Maverick’s lead down to eight points with 12:17 left in the game.
Threatt lifted the Mavericks lead up back up to 13 points as he carved into the paint to finish through contact and convert the three-point play with 8:43 left in the game. With five minutes left in the game, Baskin gave CMU a 70-54 as he finished at the rim through traffic.
ASU worked to get back into the game as Nykolas Lange hit a three-pointer with 3:24 left in the game. Rylan O’Brien and Cole Arceneaux cut the lead down to seven points as they both got to the free-throw line to try to give the Grizzlies a chance to get back in the game.
The Mavericks held onto their lead to pull out the eight-point win to improve to 19-8 on the season.
Jessup scored 12 points in the game and was CMU’s third-leading scorer as he shot a perfect four-for-four from behind the three-point arc.
CMU’s next game is Friday, February 18 at 7:430 p.m. against Regis University to kick-off the final homestand for the Mavericks.
