St. George, Utah- In the final game of the Dixie State Tournament the Colorado Mesa women's basketball program fell 69-64 to Western Oregon University in Burn Arena on Saturday afternoon. Senior Jaylyn Duran contributed 24 points and led all scorers in the contest. The Mavericks record fell to 1-1.

Recap

Sydni Brandon was the first to score for the Mavericks as she put the Mavs up 2-0 in the opening plays. This was the only lead the Mavericks would have throughout the first half.  The Wolves went on a 12-0 run during the final four minutes of the quarter to create a 24-8 by the end of quarter one.

Duran stopped the run with a three in the opening minute of the second quarter. She nailed tree throughout the entire game. Following her three she scored the next five points for the Mavericks and got the Mavs to a 16-28 deficit. The Mavericks and Wolves went back and forth sharing baskets until the final minutes expired and the Mavs entered halftime being down 28-36.

To start the second half the Mavericks went on a 6-0 run and got within five points of Western Oregon before the wolves nailed a three to stop the run.

Halfway through the third quarter the Mavericks got within two by a layup from Natalie Bartle to make the score 41-43. The Wolves then scored the next four points to expand their lead but Bartle and Rigsby answered with baskets of their own and got the Mavericks with one at 46-47. To end the third quarter the Wolves scored the next five points to have a 46-52 lead entering the final quarter.

Daniella Turner had seven points in the opening plays of the fourth quarter to make the score 53-57. Karina Brandon added a layup following this and Jaylyn Duran was fouled with an and one opportunity to tie the wolves at 57 with five minutes remaining. Her free throw was good and she put the Mavericks up one for the first time since the opening play of the game.

The lead did not lost long as the Wolves answered with a jumper of their own where they would remain in the lead for the rest of the game. Down the stretch the wolves went three of four from the charity stripe to secure a 69-64 victory.

Sydni Brandon grapped a team high seven rebounds and added six points herself. Off the bench Daniella Turner went 4-5 and contributed nine points.

Duran's Senior Debut

In the Maverick's opening weekend Duran averaged 26.5 points per game and shot 41.3% from the field. She only suffered three turnovers and shots 75% from the free throw line.

Next Up

The Mavericks will host the Holiday- Inn Airport Thanksgiving Classic which will take place Nov 23-24. They will play Arizona Chandler on Friday at 5pm followed by a game against Western New Mexico on Saturday at 5pm.