The Mavericks improve to 5-0 in overtime on the season as they outscored the Grizzlies 18-4 in overtime as they win 80-66 over the Grizzlies.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) ended the game with a 48-26 advantage on the boards.
Sophomore center Ethan Menzies scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down nine rebounds to help his team improve their record to 14-1.
“My main emphasis was boxing out [Frederick Johnson]. I knew that he was going to the glass every single time, so I was just trying to get him out of the paint,” Menzies said.
The Mavericks got on the board first in overtime as senior guard Jared Small hit his second three of the game. Menzies was able to extend CMU’s lead to five points on the next possession of a pass from senior guard David Rico.
Adams State University (ASU) was able to cut the lead down to four-points with 2:29 left in the game. Rico answered immediately hitting his first shot of the game from behind the arc to put CMU back up by seven.
Freshman guard Christopher Speller stole the ball on the next possession, but Menzies got blocked by Frederick Jackson in transition. Rico swooped in to pick up the offensive rebound, and he kicked it out to senior guard Georgie Dancer with less than 10 seconds on the shot clock.
Dancer realized this and got a pick from Menzies. As he got into the paint, a Grizzlies defender stepped up to contest the shot, but Dancer spun around him to convert the circus layup.
Rico hit his second shot from behind the arc of the overtime period to put CMU up 12 with 44 seconds left in the game. Small made a layup with 19 seconds to put the game completely out of reach.
ASU and CMU were trading shots in the opening six minutes of the second half, but the Mavericks were able to hold their lead at 10 points.
The Grizzlies went on a 19-4 run ending with 6:10 left in the second half to take a four-point lead on Deston Williams’s three-pointer.
Speller answered with a three of his own on the next possession, and redshirt freshman Mac Riniker tied the game at 58 with 5:18 left in the half.
The Grizzlies were able to keep the lead until Speller tied the game up at 62 with 1:38 and neither team scored after Speller’s three which sent the game to overtime.
CMU was able to control the first half behind their shooting as they shot 59.3% from the floor.
Small finished the game with 14 points on six of nine shooting from the floor. He also pulled down seven rebounds in the contest.
Dancer was the third-leading scorer for CMU with 13 points and he contributed six assists in the game.
“You could hear the other team jawing with the fans, and it’s taking them out of their game. So, it’s helping us out with them getting in the other team’s head. They aren’t paying attention and we hit them with a back door because they are too busy chatting with the crowd,” Dancer said.
The Maverick’s next game is Friday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. against Regis University in Denver, Colo.
