The Mavericks shot 52.6% from the floor in their 73-63 win over Regis University (RU).
Freshman guard Reece Johnson led the Mavericks in scoring with 15 points and he went four for six from behind the arc.
RU’s Brian Dawson led the game in scoring with 24 points on eight of 17 shooting.
Senior guard Georgie Dancer got the Mavericks on the board first, but Dawson was quick to answer with a bucket of his own. Both teams traded shots in the first five minutes with neither team being able to take clear control.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) separated from the Rangers in the next five minutes of the game. The Mavericks went on a 14 to six run to give themselves a 13-point lead with 10 minutes left in the half.
CMU continued to push in the first half as their largest lead was 21-points with 5:15 left in the first half. The Rangers offense kicked into gear late in the half and they were able to cut the lead down to 11-points.
Johnson ended the first half on a high note for CMU as he made a three with 10 seconds left to push CMU’s lead back to 14-points.
Redshirt freshman guard Mac Riniker opened the half by slamming one home for CMU. Both offenses traded shots after Riniker’s dunk as the Rangers couldn’t get the lead below 14 points until there was 9:13 left in the game.
The Mavericks offense worked the game into a back-and-forth style of game once the Rangers got the lead under 14-points.
CMU worked tirelessly to try to make sure their lead didn’t get into single digits.
RU was working tirelessly to get the lead into single digits and with 5:15 left in the game, Alex Cartwright brought them within nine.
Dawson then got to the free-throw line for the Rangers and cut the lead to seven points. The Mavericks answered with a bucket of their own with 3:13 left in the game.
Both teams went back to trading shots for the final three minutes of the game, and the Rangers couldn’t get closer than seven points. RU was in a must-foul situation in the final minute, but the Mavericks went two for four from the free-throw line to push the game out of reach.
Three freshmen scored in double figures for CMU to help them improve to 15-1.
Freshman guard Christopher Speller was the second-leading scorer for the Mavericks as he ended with 14 points. Riniker finished the game with 13 points and six rebounds.
Sophomore center Ethan Menzies nearly had a double-double as he ended the game with 13 points and eight rebounds.
CMU’s next game is Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. against Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo. The seventh nationally ranked Mavericks travel to take on the number one team in the nation in the Orediggers.
