GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – After a successful road trip last weekend, the Colorado Mesa men's basketball team returns to Brownson Arena, playing host to the Regis Rangers Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

2-0 ON THE ROAD
The Mavericks took a trip up to the front range last weekend, claiming victories over MSU Denver and Colorado Christian to keep their road record, and overall record pristine.

Friday featured the Mavs and Roadrunners in their second meeting of the season. MSUD went up ahead by five in the first few minutes, before CMU got on the board. A block from Trevor Baskin led to a fastbreak layup from Blaise Threatt to put the Mavs in front. After that, the score remained in favor of CMU as their 11-point lead after the first was too much for MSU to overcome.

The team took home the win and the series sweep, 72-57. Georgie Dancer led the way with 17-points, followed by Ethan Menzies who picked up his first double-double of the season with 13-points and 10-rebounds. Reece Johnson was the third team member in double-figures with 12-points.

The road sweep was made complete on Saturday when the Mavs fended off the Colorado Christian Cougars, 78-67. While CCU attempted shots from beyond the arc, CMU was making their presence in the paint known by taking a 6-0 lead through the first four minutes of play. With a five point edge after the first half, that lead would extend to 11 by the end of the night for the final score.

Ethan Menzies and Georgie Dancer combined for 34-points on the night, with Menzies fall one short of back-to-back double-doubles. Mac Riniker added 13-points of his own to round out the top-scorers for the Mavs.
 
9-0
Dating back to March 3, 2020 when the Mavs took down UCCS in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinal match, the men's basketball win streak has extended to 12. This season they remain pristine with a 9-0 record. Colorado School of Mines is the other team in the league who has yet to drop a contest.
 
NEW STANDARD
Last week the Mavericks matched the program's highest ranking at No. 9, this week marked a new program high as they came in at No. 8 in the most recent release of the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll.
 
Colorado School of Mines maintained the top-spot with 14 first place votes. Northwest Missouri State holds the two other first place votes at the No. 3 spot. Among the top-10 teams, four programs remain undefeated, CMU being one of them.
 
The 2020-21 squad has now passed the highest ranking in program history. The 2009-10 team also came in at No. 9 on Feb. 9, 2010, under the Mesa State title.
 
This makes is the sixth straight week the Mavericks have been recognized in the national polls.

TEAM EFFORT
The Mavs may be the fourth highest scoring offense in the conference at 77.9 points per game, while outscoring their opponents by a 10.0 margin. In the nine games played so far this season, CMU is shooting at a .498 clip, and are second behind Colorado School of Mines in defense percentages, with opponents averaging .398 against them.
 
On the defensive end, the Mavs are averaging 29.0 rebounds per contest, sitting at the top of the conference in that category.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sophomore Ethan Menzies, is at the forefront of the Maverick's scoring efforts with a 16.2 points per game average. That number ranks among the top-10 in the conference, and his .586 shooting percentage sits 5^th in the conference. When he's not contributing to the offense, he's pulling down 6.7 rebounds on the opposite end of the court, to go along with nine steals and seven blocks.
 
Senior, Georgie Dancer has appeared in seven matches so far this season, averaging 13.0 points per game. He grabs 2.4 rebounds per contest, and sits second on the team in assists with 16 on the season thus far. After posting a season high 21-points against UCCS, he added back-to-back games with 17 points on last weekend's road trip, making it five out of seven games in double-figures.
 
Freshman, Reece Johnson sits third on the team with 12.2-ppg, coming off the bench for CMU. His efficiency extends throughout the court, shooting .522 from the field, and .500 from beyond the arc. He leads the team in three-pointers made with 14, and is second in assists with 22.
 
SERIES vs. Regis
The Rangers from Regis make their way to the Western Slope this weekend for a Saturday matchup. Coming off a loss to South Dakota Mines last weekend, the Rangers are a 1-4 on the season with their lone win coming over SD Mines early on in the season.
 
Senior, guard Brian Dawson put in 32-points in last weekend's loss, earning him RMAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. On the season the Los Angeles, California native averages 18.2-ppg, and 2.8-rbg. Dawson and another teammate are tied in assists with 11, as well as steals with 15.
 
Will Cranston-Lown did not log minutes last weekend, but is averaging 15.8-ppg on the season. With 25- field goals on 52 attempts puts him at a .481 clip.
 
** Fans will be admitted for the MEN'S BASKETBALL GAME ONLY.
 
NEXT MATCHUP:
After a short weekend at home, the team will take one of their shorter road trips next weekend heading to Durango and Gunnison. The Fort Lewis Skyhawks await the Mavs on Friday, Jan. 29 in Whalen Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. The Mountaineers of Western State will then have their chance to take on CMU on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 7 p.m.