GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Maverick women's basketball team earned their fifth straight win Saturday night after defeating Colorado School of Mines 50-45. The Mavericks improved to a 6-1 overall record and have remained perfect in RMAC play with a 3-0 record. The Mavericks are now only one of four teams who are undefeated in RMAC play.
Senior Jaylyn Duran led all scorers with 25 points for her sixth game this season with 20 points or more. She is leading the RMAC averaging 22.3 points per game.
Tori Catlett recorded a career high seven blocks and grabbed seven rebounds. Sydni Brandon grabbed double-digit rebounds (11) for the second time this season.
Defense Gets the Job Done
The Mavericks who lead the RMAC in defense held Colorado School of Mines to only 45 points. For the first time this season the Mavs held a team to 0.0% field goal shooting in a quarter. In the second quarter the Mavericks grabbed nine defensive rebounds and held the Orediggers to 0-13 from the field.
During this game the Mavericks forced 16 turnovers and capitalized 17 points off of those turnovers. The Mavs also recorded a season high nine blocks and stole the ball seven times.
How It Happened
The Mavs and Orediggers went back and forth throughout the first quarter but the Mavs were down in the beginning minutes until Duran tied the game 7-7 with a layup for her first basket of the game. From this point on the Mavericks led the remainder of the game but were forced to defend some aggressive runs by the Orediggers. At the end of quarter one Mesa only led by one point 15-14.
During the second quarter the Mavericks shot 47.1% from the field and hit eight field goals. To end the quarter the Mavericks went on a 18-0 run that started at the 8:40 tick and ran until the begining of the third quarter to extend the Mavericks lead 37-16 at the 7:16 mark in the third quarter. The two points the Orediggers scored in that quarter came from the free-throw line.
The Mavericks second quarter lead helped their cold shooting that occurred throughout the third quarter. The Mavericks shot just 2-12 from the field during this ten minutes span.
The Orediggers best run came at the worst time for the Mavericks. Starting at the 9:11 mark in the fourth quarter the Orediggers went on an 8-0 run. Duran hit a 3-pointer with 2:00 minutes remaining in the game to relieve pressure and put the Mavericks up 45-38. The Orediggers kept things interesting when they stole the ball with 16 second remaining and hit a three to come within three points but in the end the Mavericks hit four straight free-throws to always keep it a two possession game. At the end of the buzzer the Mavericks secured their fifth straight win 50-45.
Next Up
The Mavericks will look to keep their win streak alive when they travel to Denver, Colo. for a game against MSU-Denver on Dec 15 at 4 p.m. at the Auraria Event Center. Following this game the Mavericks will travel to Chadron, Neb. For a game against Chadron State College on Sunday Dec 16 at 3:30pm.
This will be the last games the Mavericks play before the New Year. The Mavericks will return home following the break for games on Jan 4 and 5.
