Sports Reporter
Hoping to build momentum before the playoffs, the CMU men’s basketball team (14-12, 12-10 RMAC) failed to win in the final week of the regular season. The Mavs committed 50 combined turnovers during their 98-92 loss at Adams State and a 61-50 loss at Fort Lewis.
After turning the ball over on the first two possessions, the Mavs found themselves in an early 16-point deficit against Adams State.
“We just didn’t take care of the ball,” Chandler Burgon said. “We started with a lot of turnovers that led to easy points for them.”
The Mavs didn’t get on the scoreboard until Burgon’s brother, Colton, hit two free throws five minutes in. After a media timeout with nine minutes remaining in the half, the Mavs started to chip away at the lead and a three-pointer from Daniel Estes cut the deficit to six with two minutes remaining. Despite shooting only 37 percent from the field, the Mavs kept the game close by making 22 of 24 free throw attempts.
“We finally settled down and did what we had to do,” Chandler Burgon said.
He had 24 points on the night.
After being down 21 points and turning the ball over 16 times, the Mavs trailed by only five at halftime.
The Mavs started the second half by shrinking the deficit to three points, but the 27 turnovers were too much to overcome. Adams State kept the Mavs at arm’s length and held the lead throughout the entire game. The Mavs shot 43 percent from the field and 84 percent from the free throw line.
In the matchup at Fort Lewis, the Mavs found themselves down early, trailing by 12 points just eight minutes into the game. The Mavs responded, however, and a dunk by Michael Bear with eight minutes remaining in the half sparked a comeback. The Mavs went on a 20-2 run that gave them a 34-30 halftime lead.
In the second half the turnover bug reared its ugly head, allowing Fort Lewis to score 14 unanswered points.
“The team is very disappointed,” Chandler Burgon said. “It is frustrating that we haven’t been focused and prepared to play on the road.”
Fort Lewis took advantage of the Mavs’ poor ball handling and kept a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game, scoring 26 points off of the Mavs’ 23 turnovers.
Just one night after Chandler Burgon scored 24 points, his brother Colton had a double-double, dropping 20 points and snagging 10 rebounds.
The Mavs scored just 16 points in the second half and made one three-pointer throughout the game.
Despite dropping both games on the weekend, the Mavs still earned a No. 7 seed in the RMAC tournament and will play their first round game at Metro State on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“The regular season now does not matter, it is about tournament play,” Chandler said. “As long as we stay focused we can still do some good things.”
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