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With the beginning of December and the Christmas season underway in the Grand Valley, conference play also rolls into Brownson Arena as the Mavericks looked to start the RMAC on a roll. Chadron State came in winless, and the Mavs sent them out still without a win, beating the Eagles 67-59.

“We lacked the effort in the first half, but we were able to pull it together,” Amy Weitzeil said. “Coach told us what we needed, and we finished off playing our real game.”

The Eagles started off hot, hitting baskets on their first three possessions. The Mavs took their first lead after a layup by Kelsey Sigl over four minutes into the game. The Mavs then went on a big run to put them up 12 with eight minutes to go in the first half. The Eagles forced bad shots and fouls by the Mavs, giving them the chance to cut into Maverick lead. At halftime, the Mavericks were only up 32-28.

Sigl led the team with nine first half points as Hillary Duncan was close behind with seven points. Effo Baker and Tara Gehring each had six points, with Baker adding an assist and a rebound. After going out for a brief moment after taking a hard elbow, Hanna Bowden added two points and four rebounds.

With the Mavs in foul trouble early in the second half, the Eagles cut the lead to just a basket. However, the Mavs stepped up with their leaders on the bench and went on a run that put them up 11 with nine minutes remaining in regulation. Alaina Brennan's three-pointer sparked the charge and the Mavs never looked back. The Mavs were able to do just enough to keep themselves ahead, as they took down the Eagles,

Katrina Selsor did most of her damage in the second half as she had 10 of her 12 points in the half. She also finished with 10 rebounds. Sigl led all scorers with 15 points and added seven rebounds. Weitzeil finished with 10 points and five rebounds. Duncan had seven points and seven rebounds and Brennan added eight points.

“The whistles aren't usually going to go our way,” Sigl said. “We just had to fight through it and not worry about it. We brought a lot more energy in the second half and knew we had to play as a team to get it done.”

The Mavs have a winning record for the first time this year, going 3-2 overall after beating Chadron State. They also get a good start in conference play, going 1-0. The Mavs will be back in action tomorrow night at Nebraska-Kearney comes to Brownson Arena.