Sports Reporter
At first glance the CMU women’s basketball games last weekend looked like two regular RMAC contests. However, the two games set up a historic weekend for the Mavs and head coach Taylor Wagner.
The Mavs entered the weekend ranked No. 2 in the country, its highest national ranking in school history, and a pair of wins would tie the longest win streak at 18, a record set last season.
After a slow start against Colorado School of Mines on Friday, Sharaya Selsor and Aubry Boehme caught fire. Selsor continued to make her case for being the best player in the RMAC, putting up 30 points for the fourth time this season. Her sharp shooting allowed Boehme to take over at the low post, as Boehme set a new career high in points with 24 on 10 of 12 shooting.
Wagner also got important production from other role players such as Taylor Rock, who only finished with eight points, but her nine assists set up Selsor and Boehme for big nights.
The Mavs cruised to their 18th straight victory to open the season, beating Mines 85-54.
The win matched the best start for a season and set the stage for a big matchup Saturday night against Colorado Christian, the only RMAC team that was able to defeat the Mavericks last season.
“We really didn’t even talk about what happened last season,” Wagner said, referring to last season’s loss. “We knew that it was going to be a tough game, but this was just another game.”
The game appeared to be another slugfest between the two RMAC foes and was a one-point margin heading into the half, 30-29.
“We knew coming into this game that it was going to be a tight one,” Wagner said. “Colorado Christian is up there with the better teams in the RMAC. We knew we needed to step up on defense and eventually our shots will start to fall.”
The second half started much like the first, and neither team would give way until Hannah Pollart displayed her dominance. With 12 points and two rebounds at the half, Pollart ended up being the key ingredient to taking down the Cougars. Pollart tallied nine rebounds in the second half with six on the offensive end. The second chance opportunities enabled the shooters to start a run that would put the Mavs up by double digits.
In a close game with just under five minutes to play, the crowd was urged to stand on their feet to energize the Mavs to pull out the victory.
“We have one of the best home atmospheres in the conference,” Wagner said. “When the crowd is behind us it gives us that extra boost. It was a great crowd here tonight.”
The Mavs beat the Cougars 74-61 and set the record for the best start in program history, along with the most consecutive RMAC victories with 19.
Selsor lit up the stat sheet with a game-high 23 points, along with nine rebounds and seven assists.
“I have to give all the credit to my teammates,” said Pollart of her career night. “Without them I wouldn’t have been able to get the ball down low and make the shots.”
Pollart recorded her first double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and snagging 11 rebounds.
Although the Mavs only shot 38 percent from the field, the game was truly won at the free throw line, where the Mavs shot 81 percent, hitting 21 of 26.
The Mavericks prepare for the final long road trip of the season to take on Black Hills State on Friday and Chadron State on Saturday.
kparkhu@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
Recent Comments