Grand Junction, Colo. --- For the first time this season, the Colorado Mesa men's basketball team will hit the road for a pair of matches against Black Hills State and Chadron State, Friday and Saturday respectively.
2-0 START
This past weekend's wins over Colorado Christian and MSU Denver, gave the Mavericks a 2-0 start to the season – the program's best start since 2010-2011.
Ethan Menzies put up a new career high 26-points in an 80-60 defeat of the Cougars on Friday. Newcomer,
Reece Johnson chipped in 13-points of his own, and teammate
Mac Riniker was the third Mav to finish in double-digits with 12-points on the night.
Trevor Baskin, led the defensive efforts with nine rebounds, to go along with a pair of steals.
Against an athletic MSU Denver team, the Mavs solidified to 2-0 start to the weekend with an 83-68 victory.
Reece Johnson led scoring efforts with 17-points, in addition to five rebounds and five assists. Three Mavs finished the night just shy of a double-double,
Christopher Speller (15-pts, 9-rbs),
Ethan Menzies (13-pts, 9-rbs), and
David Rico (12-pts, 9-rbs).
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Just two games in the Mavericks are garnering national recognition, entering the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll at No. 22, released Tuesday (Dec. 8).
The 2009-2010, then Mesa State squad, was the last to garner national rankings with the last time the Mavs popping up on March 2, 2010, coming in at No. 23.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference foe Colorado School of Mines came in at No. 8, with Fort Lewis and Westminster receiving votes.
SAME GAME, NEW FACES
If you tuned into this weekend's live stream, there were a number of new names mentioned and faces suited up for the maroon and gold. Without some of the returners, the underclassmen stepped up and held their own in their collegiate basketball debuts.
Redshirt freshman,
Mac Riniker was a spark on both sides of the court. He averaged 10-points on the weekend and pulled down nine rebounds. He also dished out six assists, and led the team with four steals.
The next generation of Baskin comes through CMU, and his future looks promising with the Mavs. Offensively he put in 14-points, and matched that on the defensive end with 14-rebounds, second most on the team. Using his 6-foot-8 frame he also recorded six blocks.
SERIES VS. BLACK HILLS STATE
Picked to finish second in the preseason poll, the Yellowjackets of Black Hills State await the Mavericks this weekend in Spearfish, South Dakota. After canceling last weekend's games against Western State and Fort Lewis, Friday's contest will mark the season opener for BHSU.
Last season, the Yellowjackets finished with a 20-9, falling to South Dakota Mines in the opening round of the RMAC tournament. The previous two meetings have also been in Spearfish, with BHSU coming out on top. In the overall series, CMU holds a one game advantage, 8-7.
Reigning RMAC Freshman of the Year, Joel Scott returns for his sophomore season. As a true freshman, Scott led the team's scoring efforts, averaging 17.4 points per game and finished second on the team in rebounds with 173 (6.0 rpg).
**Fan Attendance
BHSU will not be permitting fans into any of its four home basketball games this month before winter break. These games include Dec. 11 men's and women's basketball against Colorado Mesa, and Dec. 12 men's and women's basketball against Westminster.
SERIES VS. CHADRON STATE
Identical to Black Hills State, Chadron State did not play last weekend against Fort Lewis and Western State. However, the Eagles will have one game under their belt before hosting the Mavericks on Saturday in Chicoine Center.
Currently the Mavs are on a seven-game win streak over the Eagles, dating back to Feb. 7, 2015. In last season's meeting, CMU defeated CSU 84-70 in Brownson Arena.
Kolton Peterson went 6-for-7 from deep, totaling 18-points to lead all scorers.
Georgie Dancer chipped in 16-points, followed by
Tommy Nuno with 14.
NEXT WEEK:
The Mavericks will close out a four-game road series, and the 2020 portion of the season, staying in state to take on Adams State and CSU Pueblo. The team will head to Alamosa first on Dec. 18, then back up to CSU Pueblo on Dec. 19. Both games are slated for a 7:30 pm start time.
