The Mavericks picked up their third consecutive victory with a 70-54 win over the Hardrockers.
Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) huge first half allowed them to take and maintain control of the game. The Mavericks outscored South Dakota Mines (SDM) 39-18 in the first half and CMU held the Hardrockers to just 33.3% from the field in the half.
Redshirt senior guard Jared Small led the Mavericks in scoring with 17 points and he shot six of nine from the field in the game. Small recorded two steals and blocked one shot against SDM.
The game opened with a three-point barrage with five total three-pointers and CMU took a 9-6.
Redshirt freshman guard Mac Riniker stole the ball from Brevin Walter, got out in transition and threw down a reverse dunk to put the Mavericks up 23-8 with 10:47 left in the first half. Riniker and redshirt freshman guard Isaac Jessup lifted CMU’s lead up to 20-points one minute later.
SDM tried to get going offensively in the half as Bryce Sherrell carved into the paint to finish at the rim to cut CMU’s lead down to 16-points. The Mavericks kept executing at a high level offensively as they kept their lead around 18 or more points in the final five minutes of the first half.
Riniker lifted the Mavericks lead to 39-16 points with 41 seconds left in the first half. Brannagh Walsh ended the half on a high for the Hardrockers as he hit a jumper five seconds before the halftime break.
SDM and Alejandro Rama started the second half on fire as Rama hit three shots from beyond the three-point arc in the opening four minutes of the half. The Hardrockers brought the score to 33-48 with Rama’s three-pointer with 16:49 left in the game.
The Hardrockers held the Mavericks scoreless from 17:11 to 14:19 left in the game which gave them an opportunity to make this game even tighter. Brevin Walter cut the lead down to 11-points with 14:31 left in the game.
The Maverick’s offense got back on track as redshirt senior guard Georgie Dancer got to the free-throw line and hit both shots. After Dancers trip to the line, the Maverick’s offense started to roll again as they built a 16-point lead with 10:15 left in the game.
CMU held the Hardrockers scoreless for four minutes to help them take a 69-44 lead with 5:44 left in the game.
SDM answered by holding CMU scoreless until the final 22 seconds of the game and they scored 10 consecutive points to bring them within 15-points in the final minute of the game.
The Mavericks shot 45.1% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the three-point arc in their win.
Riniker was the Maverick’s second-leading scorer with 14 points, and he shot six of nine from the field. He pulled down eight rebounds and recorded two steals in the Mavericks win.
CMU’s next game is Friday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. against Adams State University in Alamosa, Colo.
