The Mavericks fall 59-65 to the Rangers to start their final road trip of the season.
Redshirt sophomore guard Natalie Bartle led the Mavericks in scoring with 20 points and she pulled down five rebounds in the game.
Senior guard Kylyn Rigsby was one rebound away from her third double-double of the season. She finished the game with 19 points and nine rebounds.
Colorado Mesa University (CMU) got off to a slow start in the first quarter as they fell behind 9-23. The Mavericks finished the quarter shooting three for 17 from the field.
The Rangers were first on the board in the second quarter, but CMU was quick to answer back with baskets on back-to-back possessions.
The Mavericks cut the Ranger’s lead to 10-points with 4:29 left in the quarter, but Regis University (RU) answered with a basket of their own.
RU was able to fend off CMU’s momentum as both teams scored 13 points in the second quarter.
CMU opened the first three minutes of the half on a 10 to two-run which cut RU’s lead to six-points. The Rangers got into the paint with 6:09 left in the quarter to convert the layup and push their lead back to eight.
CMU relentlessly attacked RU, but the Rangers handled everything that was thrown at them as they finished the quarter with a six-point lead.
The Mavericks outscored the Rangers 24-16 in the third quarter as they pushed to get back in the game.
The fourth quarter looked eerily similar to the second quarter.
Each time the Mavericks scored or went on a small run, the Rangers answered back with one of their own.
CMU got on the board first as Rigsby hit a jumper from inside the paint with 6:53 left in the game. Three minutes later, senior guard Sophie Anderson got into the paint for the basket which cut the Rangers lead down to one point.
The Rangers answered with five unanswered points to push their lead back to six points with 1:55 left in the game.
CMU worked effortlessly to try and tie the game, but Bartle’s fast-break bucket with 22 seconds left in the game was the Maverick’s final basket.
The Rangers were three for four from the free-throw line in the final 16 seconds of the game which pushed the game out of reach.
Both teams ended the game with 30 points in the paint. The Mavericks bench scored two points in the game.
Senior guard Daniella Turner played for the first time since the Black Hills State University game on Jan. 9. She missed time due to a leg injury.
CMU’s next game is Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. against Colorado School of Mines to close out the road trip in Golden, Colo.
