The Mavericks dominate the Comfort Inn Classic as they won both games by 40 or more points.
The Mavericks beat Washington Adventist University (WAU) 99-59 on Friday, Nov. 19. They followed it up with a 106-52 victory over the University of the Southwest (UTS) on Saturday, Nov. 20.
Redshirt freshman guard Blaise Threatt led Colorado Mesa University (CMU) in scoring both nights with 22 points against WAU and the Mustangs. He also pulled down 14 rebounds and compiled eight assists this weekend.
WAU got on the board first on Friday night against the Mavericks, but the Mavericks came back with a three-pointer from Threatt. CMU then went on a nine to two-run that put them up 12-5 in the opening five minutes of the game.
The Mavericks kept their foot on the gas pedal as they built a 21-9 lead with 10:28 left in the first half. CMU then scored seven straight points to give themselves a 19-point lead.
Both teams traded baskets for the next couple of minutes before Threatt gave the Mavericks a 21-point lead with 5:07 left in the half as he carved into the lane to finish at the rim. The Shock was able to answer with a couple of baskets of their own to try to trim their deficit.
The Mavericks were able to keep it over 20 points as they scored six straight points to put themselves up 45-21 in the first half. The Shock got the final say in the half as Michael Brown was fouled on a three-point attempt, so he went to the free-throw line. Brown went three for three from the charity stripe to trim the Mavericks lead back down to 21-points.
CMU opened the second half with a flurry of points in the opening five minutes of the half as they went on a 12 to four-run. Redshirt freshman guard Isaac Jessup gave the Mavericks a 32-point lead as he buried a three-pointer with 13:25 left in the game.
Redshirt freshman guard/forward Owen Koonce and redshirt senior guard Jared Small scored seven straight points to give CMU a 71-32 lead. The Mavericks continued to dominate offensively as redshirt freshman forward Trevor Baskin got into the paint to finish at the rim and give CMU a 40-point lead.
The Shock didn’t go away as they continued to fight to try to get back in the game, but the Maverick’s offense never let up as they finished the game with a 40-point lead and momentum going into their next game.
The Mavericks shot 57.4% from the floor in the game and they went 82.6% from the free-throw line. They scored 44 points in the paint and 27 points off of turnovers as well.
Baskin was the second-leading scorer for CMU with 19 points, and he pulled down four rebounds in the game as well. Against the Mustangs, Baskin finished with a double-double as he compiled 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Redshirt freshman guard Mac Riniker nearly had a double-double against UTS as she recorded 15 points and eight rebounds.
The Mavericks controlled the game against the Mustangs as they opened the game with 19 unanswered points before Khaire Williams got UTS on the board with a three-pointer.
In the opening ten minutes of the game, the Mavericks allowed just one basket as they held a 31-3 lead.
Ty Maljlik-Autry got the second basket of the game for the Mustangs as he buried a three with 9:39 left in the first half. The Mavericks were able to build their lead to 30 points just two minutes later, and their offense didn’t slow down.
Koonce grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed three-pointer from Jessup and Koonce quickly got it back up as he converted a layup through traffic to put CMU up by 39 points.
The Mustang’s offense started to click and bury some shots as they finished the half with 21 points, but CMU held a 36-point lead at halftime.
The opening five minutes of the second half continued the trend of the game as the CMU offense continued to control the game both offensively and defensively. The Mavericks opened the half on a 12 to seven-run that built their lead up to 41 points in the opening five minutes.
UTS’s offense continued to click and get in a rhythm as they traded baskets with CMU to try to keep the Mavericks from extending their lead further.
The Mavericks weren’t going to be denied though as they extended their lead to 50 points with 5:41 left in the game. Both teams traded baskets in the final five minutes of the game, but CMU’s offense was firing on all cylinders as they built their lead even more.
Baskin got the Mavericks into triple digits on the scoreboard as Baskin got to the free-throw line and went one for two to put CMU up 100-47.
Nathaniel White Jr. answered with a three of his own to give UTS 50 points in the game. Riniker and the Mavericks offense wasn’t done yet as they finished the game with six more points to win by 54 points.
The Mavericks scored 52 points in the paint and they scored 20 second-chance points as their offense dominated the lane. CMU shot 57.6% from the field and went 20 of 25 from the free-throw line.
The Maverick’s next game is Friday, Nov. 26 at 7:00 p.m. against Our Lady of the Lake University in their home opener in the Holiday Inn-Airport Thanksgiving Classic.
