Eight of the nine Mavericks who played in the Mavericks 83-68 win over the Roadrunners registered points.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) held the lead in the game for 38 minutes and 14 seconds against Metro State University-Denver (MSUD).
The Mavericks guards senior David Rico and freshmen Christopher Speller and Reece Johnson, were key in the Mavericks victory.
Rico was the only senior available for the Mavericks and he seemed to have a calming presence for CMU against the Roadrunners. He scored 12 points making four threes and he grabbed nine rebounds in the win.
“I try to keep that mentality, every shot I take I’m trying to kill, trying to make it. No matter who is closing out, I just have to read them, and once I shoot it, I feel like I’m making every shot,” Rico said.
Johnson led CMU in scoring with 17 points shooting seven for nine from the floor. He picked up five rebounds and five assists in the win as well.
Speller contributed 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in his matchup against his brother Christian Speller for MSUD.
“I know most of the guys on the other team and the coaching staff, that just kind of put a chip on my shoulder to go get the win,” Speller said.
The Roadrunners jumped out to a 5-3 lead as Tonje Durham drove the lane making the layup while getting fouled by sophomore forward Ethan Menzies. Durham converted the and one, but the Mavericks went on a 12-point run before the Roadrunners scored again.
Menzies got into some foul trouble midway through the first half as he picked up his second foul causing the Mavericks to play an extended time without him on the floor. Six-foot-eight-inch freshmen forwards Trevor Baskin and Cooper Mattson had to step in as the big man for the Mavericks.
Baskin contributed eight points and five rebounds, but his presence was felt on the defensive end as he compiled four blocks.
Johnson and Speller both scored in double figures in the half helping the Mavericks earn a 10-point lead at halftime.
Menzies found himself in more foul trouble after picking up his fourth personal foul with 18:10 left in the second half. He came back into the lineup with 8:52 left in the game helping him finish the half with 11 points and four rebounds.
CMU was without Menzies for 10 minutes, but the Mavericks fared well without their big man. Rico hit two more threes in the half and grabbed five more rebounds in the half.
The young Mavericks team was able to keep their lead from dipping below six points in the half. MSUD’s Laolu Oke and Kobe Sanders combined for 20 points in the second half as they tried to get their team back in the game.
CMU’s biggest lead was 16-points, and it came with 1:20 left in the game as the Roadrunners couldn’t catch back up to the Mavericks.
The Roadrunners athleticism and long stretches without Menzies allowed MSUD to control the offensive boards. MSUD finished with 23 offensive rebounds leading to 24 second-chance points.
“You got to give Metro tremendous credit because they’re athletic and at the start of the second half they were going so hard to glass. One of the big issues for us, is it’s just incredibly hard to find box outs when you get caught in rotation,” Head Coach Mike DeGeorge said.
“So, part of our issue was we were getting out of position, they were gaining an advantage, in the possession and the shot would go up and we were mismatched in terms of who should be boxing who out and part of that is experience and communication about being able to get really good box-outs,” DeGeorge said.
Menzies finished the game with 13 points, nine rebounds and one block.
The Maverick’s next game will be Friday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. against Black Hills State University.
