GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The No. 24 Colorado Mesa women's basketball team started off the New Year on a good note. The Mavericks dealt UCCS an 89-57 loss on Monday evening in Brownson Arena, giving head coach Taylor Wagner his 200^th win of his Maverick career.
 
It took Wagner just 247 games to reach the feat, moving his overall record to 200-47 (.810) and 150-33 (.820) in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. He trails only Steve Kirkham (299-157), who coached the Mavericks for 16 seasons (1988-2004), in total wins.
 
Colorado Mesa came out of the gates a little sluggish allowing the Mountain Lions to shoot over 50 percent in the first half but still led 50-36 at the break. That is where the defense took over allowing UCCS to make just four field goals in the second half (4-for-19).
 
The defense forced a season-tying high 24 turnovers and converted those into 34 points.
 
Colorado Mesa led by as many as 34 in the game with 2:41 to go in the fourth quarter following a pair of made free-throws by Kelsey Siemons to make it 87-53. They trailed for just 16 seconds in the game when the Mountain Lions had an 11-9 lead at the 6:33 mark of the first quarter.
 
Offensively, the Mavericks continued to have a balanced scoring approach with four players finishing in double figures and shooting 48.6 percent from the field. They had 22 assists on 34 made baskets which also tied a season high.
 
Daniella Turner led all scorers with 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. Kelsey Siemons ended her night with 14 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds while Sierra McNicol chipped in 11 points. Kylyn Rigsby finished with 10 points to round out the Mavericks in double digits.
 
Abby Feickert scored a season-high 16 points for the Mountain Lions on the night.
 
Colorado Mesa improved to 6-1 on the season and a perfect 3-0 on their home floor.
 
The Mavericks will have revenge on their mind on Saturday when they host Black Hills State at 5:30pm in Brownson Arena. The Yellow Jackets handed the Mavericks their lone loss of the season back on December 11, a 60-50 setback in Spearfish, S.D.