Canyon, Texas – On day two of the D2CCA Tip-Off Classic, the Colorado Mesa men's basketball team defeated Daemon College, 76-65, behind a second half surge. The Mavericks put in 41-points in the second period alone to their opponents 26, capturing their first win of the 2021-22 campaign.

There was a prominent paint presence on day two, as CMU tallied 48 of their 76 points from the lane. The Wildcats sank more three-pointers on the night, but the Mavs held a 39-34 advantage in rebounds.

Four Mavs finished in double-figures, Mac Riniker and Trevor Baskin leading the way with 17 apiece. Riniker also added three rebounds, three blocks and a steal on the night. Baskin was flawless across the board, going 2-for-2 from deep, 7-of-7 from the floor and put in his lone free throw attempt, while adding three rebounds to his stat line.

Blaise Threatt followed up with 14-points and led the team's defensive efforts with nine rebounds. Christopher Speller put up 10-points for the Mavs, to go along with three boards and a steal.

Colorado Mesa led by as many as five in the first half, falling quiet in the last few minutes as Daemon went on a 7-0 run to close out the period with a 39-35 lead.

The Wildcats would build on their lead in the opening minutes of the second, but Mac Riniker would end the scoring run with a dunk, cutting the deficit to seven. That statement would spark and 8-0 run by the Mavs to regain the lead at 45-44.

After going back and forth, the CMU offense caught fire going up by 13, following a jumper from Baskin. Daemon would work to close the gap, but never got within more than six. Threatt added a layup in the final 16-seconds, Koonce coming up with the block on the other end for the final score.

The Mavs will have a quick turnaround, playing MSU Moorhead on the third and final day of play. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. CST.