Saturday night's game in Brownson had a lot of meaning; CMU's last home game, Senior Night and a strong push to host an RMAC tournament game. The Mavericks welcomed rival Western State as they were looking for revenge for an earlier loss against Western. After a defensive struggle, the Mavericks were able to beat the Mountaineers in front of a capacity crowd in overtime, 57-54.

“We knew this was going to be a close one,” coach Jim Heaps said. “A bad win is always better than a good loss.”

Both teams struggled to score in the first 10 minutes as each team went 1-15 to start the game. After the Mavs scored their fifth point, the Maverick bench was given a technical foul after the student section tossed toilet paper onto the court. WSC hit one of two free throws to go up 7-5. The Mountaineers built a 19-13 lead, but the Mavs charged back to take a lead with under a minute to go in the half. The teams exchanged baskets and the score was tied at halftime, 22-22.

Kevin Screen scored seven points for the Mavs while pulling down four rebounds in the first half. Michael Bear had four points and a rebound as Shawn King also had four points with five boards. The Maverick offense shot just 22 percent from the field, going 7-32. WSC shot 33 percent and were able to knock down a couple three's to keep it a tight ball game.

The second half started with a quick time out by the Mavs as the Mountaineers hit two three's. The Mavs pulled it together quickly as they were able to build a four point lead at 38-34. After WSC tied it at 38 apiece, the defenses of both squads stood strong again. Each team struggled to score as the score was 44-42 with under a minute to go. WSC scored to tie the game at 44 with the Mavs in possession of the ball for the final seconds. Daniel Estes took the shot, but it bounced out. Just like the ladies just hours before, the Mavericks went to overtime.

The Mavs hit the first three shots to go up 51-47, but the Mountaineers scored five straight points to take a one point lead. Bear's free throws put the Mavs back up 53-52 with 1:30 to go. Kevin Screen hit a jumper with under 30 seconds to go to put the Mavs up three. Nate Nelson was able to seal the game and the Mavs were victorious, 57-54.

Despite fouling out, Jeff Hart put in a team high 13 points for the Mavs. Screen finished with 11 points and five rebounds. With only two points, Chandler Burgon pulled down 10 rebounds as the Mavs outrebounded WSC 51-47, including 17 offensive boards.

With the win, the Mavs improved to 14-10 on the season and 12-8 in conference play. CMU will finish off the season on the road as they travel to play Adams State and Fort Lewis next weekend.