CHADRON, Neb. – The Colorado Mesa men's basketball team snapped a two-game skid on Saturday with a 79-69 win over Chadron State at the Chicoine Center in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.
 
The dynamic duo of Connor Nichols and Tommy Nuno kept the Mavericks in contention in a see-saw battle all night as neither team led by more than 10 points at any point on the night. The duo each played 35 minutes in the game.
 
Other than the final, the only other time the Mavericks led by 10 points came in the first half following a Sam Walters three-pointer made it 29-19 with 6:39 to play in the half.
 
Nichols finished the night with a game-high 22 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 1-for-2 from three. The Scottsdale native also pulled down seven rebounds and had three steals.
 
Nuno finished with 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and added four rebounds, an assist, and a block.
 
Sam Walters added 11 points and was the only other Maverick in double figures.
 
Colorado Mesa continues to be one of the best shooting teams in the country and finished at 54.5 percent (30-for-55) from the field. The free-throw line continues to be a bugaboo as they shot 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from the line.
 
CMU moves their record to 8-3 on the season and 3-2 in the RMAC after playing their final game of 2018. Chadron State falls to 5-6 on the season and 3-2 in the conference.
 
The Mavericks will be off until after the New Year when they take on South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State on January 4 and 5 respectively in Brownson Arena.