The Mavericks held the Griffins to just 20 points in the second half to pull out the 63-52 win in Salt Lake City, Utah.
It was Colorado Mesa University’s (CMU) third game in five days and they went 2-1 in the stretch.
Redshirt freshman guard Reece Johnson led the Mavericks in scoring with 14 points and he pulled down seven rebounds. He shot 40% from the field and he made two three-pointers against the Griffins.
Both teams shot 36% from the field and Colorado Mesa University (CMU) shot 36.7% from beyond the arc. Westminster College (WC) shot just 26.3% from three-point range in the game.
The Griffins opened the game on a 10 to two-run in the first five minutes of the game. Redshirt senior guard Georgie Dancer tried to breathe life into the Mavericks as he drilled a shot from beyond the three-point arc to cut the lead down to seven points with 14:16 left in the first half.
WC continued to execute at a high level as they built a 21-5 lead with 11:03 left in the first half.
Redshirt freshman forward Trevor Baskin set CMU off on the right track as he carved into the paint to finish at the cup with 9:40 left in the first half. The Maverick’s offense and defense kicked into gear in the final ten minutes of the half as they cut the Griffins to 16-25 with 5:32 left in the half.
Redshirt senior guard Jared Small cut the lead down to six points as he buried a three-pointer. Redshirt freshman forward Michael McCurry followed it up with another three-pointer with 3:18 left in the first half.
In the final minute and a half of the first half, the Mavericks scored eight consecutive points to bring themselves within two points to close out the half.
The Griffins got on the board first in the second half as Matt Kitzman got into the paint to finish through traffic to put WC up 34-30. Redshirt senior guard Georgie Dancer answered with five consecutive points to give CMU a one-point lead.
The Mavericks hit three shots from beyond the arc to take a 44-40 lead with 13:15 left in the second half. CMU’s offense continued to roll as they built a 52-43 lead five minutes later as redshirt freshman guard Isaac Jessup nailed a wide-open three-pointer from the top of the key.
Johnson gave CMU a 10-point lead with 5:10 left in the second half as he carved into the paint to finish at the rim. WC answered with four points of their own to cut to the lead down to sit points, but Johnson answered again. He poked the ball free for his third steal of the game and raced down the floor to finish the fast break with a dunk.
Redshirt freshman guard Mac Riniker and Jessup continued the mini-run for the Mavericks to put them up 60-48 with 2:39 left in the game.
Both teams traded baskets, but the Griffins were forced to foul with less than a minute and a half to play in the game.
Baskin was the only Maverick sent to the free-throw line during that time span and he shot three of four to close out CMU’s 63-52 win.
Dancer was the Maverick’s second-leading scorer with 12 points in the game and he pulled down eight rebounds in the game. He shot an even 50% from the field including two three-pointers against the Griffins.
The Maverick’s overall record improved to 17-8 on the season and they are now 11-5 against Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponents.
CMU’s next game is Saturday, Feb. 5 at 6:00 p.m. against South Dakota Mines in Grand Junction, Colo.
