The Mavericks beat the Roadrunners 72-57 in their second matchup of the season.
Senior guard Georgie Dancer had a game-high 17 points. Sophomore forward Ethan Menzies had a double-double in the contest, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
Metro State University-Denver (MSUD) jumped out to a quick five-point lead before the Mavericks got on the board. Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) offense kicked into gear and they took a six-point lead before the halfway point in the first half.
The Roadrunners were able to keep the game close until the final five minutes of the first half. The Mavericks finished the half on a 15 to seven run to give themselves an 11-point lead.
CMU held the lead for 13:29 in the first half with Dancer leading the Mavericks in scoring with 12 points.
The Mavericks offense came out of halftime firing on all cylinders as they shot 50 percent from the floor and 45.5 percent from behind the arc. CMU’s lead was never cut below 10-points in the first ten minutes of the second half.
CMU built up an 18-point lead in the second half, but the Roadrunners didn’t let that get to them. MSUD fought hard trying to cut CMU’s deficit under double-digits, and they only cut under ten-points twice.
Each time the Roadrunners cut into CMU’s lead; the Mavericks quickly extended their lead back to double digits.
Freshman guard Christopher Speller hit a three with 1:22 left in the game and pushed CMU’s lead to 15-points. Menzies added onto it with two free throws with 26 seconds left in the game.
MSUD wasn’t going to let it end there. The Roadrunners Ben Joelson raced down the floor and made a layup with three seconds left in the game to end the game with CMU up by 15 points.
Menzies scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds in the second half to help his team win and to complete his double-double.
Freshman guard Reece Johnson was the third leading scorer for CMU as he scored 12 points and shot 50 percent from the floor.
The Maverick’s next game is Saturday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. Against Colorado Christian University in Lakewood, Colo.
