GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa took everything that rival Fort Lewis had to throw at them but were able to come away with a 66-52 win over the Skyhawks and secure their third consecutive outright Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championship. The win also gave them 51 consecutive wins in Brownson Arena.
 
Defense was the story for the Mavericks in the game as they held Fort Lewis without a three-point field goal in the game (0-for-9) and forced 25 turnovers. They also had a season-high 12 steals and scored 25 points off the Skyhawk turnovers.
 
They held the Skyhawks to just 19 points in the second half.
 
Leanndra Gilbert paced the Mavericks all night with hustle plays. Gilbert finished the night with 21 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists. She was a perfect 3-for-3 on her three-point attempts.
 
Gilbert scored seven of the Mavericks final 12 points of the game that started with a three pointer with 4:02 remaining in the game.
 
Erin Reichle finished the night with 18 points, three assists, and three steals while Shanna Halalilo had 11 points and six rebounds.
 
The Mavericks shot 42.6 percent (26-of-61) from the field while the Skyhawks shot just 36 percent.
 
Fort Lewis dominated the glass all night, owning a +22 margin on rebounds 47-25. They only converted eight second chance points though.
 
Mary Brinton led Fort Lewis with 19 points and 15 rebounds, including nine on the offensive glass.
 
The previous two seasons that Colorado Mesa has won the regular season championship, they went on to win the RMAC Shootout and play in the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Mavericks will open up the RMAC Shootout with a quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday at 7pm against the Western New Mexico Mustangs.