The women’s basketball team finds themselves in an unfamiliar situation this season. The Mavericks lost five players this offseason, four of whom started 27 games or more.
Long-time Maverick forward Kelsey Siemons had been with the program since 2017. Siemons was a second team All-RMAC selection, averaged 9.3 points and 7.5 rebounds. Siemons led the team with 53 blocks last season and also garnered a RMAC Defensive Player of the Week. Siemons’ all-around contributions will surely be missed.
Guard Mariah Martin is also a major loss for the Mavericks. Martin joined the Colorado Mesa University (CMU) basketball team as a graduate student after spending the previous four years at Westminster College, a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) member. Martin provided scoring and distribution for the Mavericks offense, with 18.9 points per game and 5.9 assists per matchup.
Daniella Turner had also been with the team since the 2017-2018 season, accumulating an impressive list of accolades during her time at CMU.
The guard burst onto the scene during the 2019-2020 season, and was named as WBCA All-America Honorable Mention and a All-South Central Region Second Team selection. Turner was the overall 2021-2022 RMAC Player of the Year and also a three-time All-RMAC first team member. Turner led the Mavericks scoring with 19.3 points and contributed 5.8 assists per game last year
Guard Sophie Anderson was a 2021-2022 RMAC Honorable Mention after averaging 7.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and logging 21 blocks. Anderson started 27 games last season.
Forward Savannah Domgaard provided valuable minutes as a “sixth-man” off the bench. Domgaard logged 3.1 points and 3.1 points a game, while shooting 40% from three, while starting in 11 games.
Last year’s team went 23-7 and qualified for the NCAA Regional Tournament, but fell 64-70 versus number one seeded West Texas A&M in the first round.
“The last three years we have had a lot of experience on our team, faces that we’ve seen for a few years. This year it’s a little bit different. A lot of young kids brings [both] a little bit more excitement and a lot of teaching. We’re getting better everyday, and that’s the biggest thing for this group; constant daily improvement,” head coach Taylor Wagner said.
Redshirt senior center Monica Brooks is the only returning player who saw significant starting minutes last season. Brooks was the fourth leading scorer, led the team with a 52% shooting percentage and was also fourth in blocks with 12 last season.
“My first couple years, I had all the seniors lead and show me where to go. So, I just want to keep that going this year and helping with the little things that Coach [Wagner] expects and [help] to limit the mistakes,” Brooks said.
Wagner emphasized that, while there may be growing pains early on into the season, he expects them to find their groove after the players figure themselves out.
“As a team, we’ve worked a lot on our offensive chemistry and shooting, and I think defensively, we can be better than we were last year. We have a lot of grit and we work hard,” sophomore guard Kyle Kravig said.
However, The Buffaloes did manage to tie the game 32-32 by the end of the half. The Mavericks were then outscored by the Buffaloes 44-31 in the second half on route to a 76-63 loss.
There was plenty of good to be taken away, however, during the loss. Brooks scored 18 points in the season-opener, which was her second-highest career point total. Freshman forward Olivia Reed scored 14 points on a team-best 67% field goal percentage, and freshman guard Kylie Kravig led the squad with 6 assists.
The Mavericks were unable to put up the same effort the next day against the University of Texas Permian Basin as they fell 54-72. Reed continued to lead the Mavericks offense. The freshman put up a team-best 10 points on a perfect 100% shooting percentage and added 11 rebounds, her first career double-double. Brooks and redshirt junior guard Laura Gutierrez were also tied at 10 points during the loss.
The next Mavericks home games will be during the Holiday Inn – Airport Thanksgiving Classic against SAGU American Indian College and Wayne State College on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26 respectively at 5 p.m.