GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Georgie Dancer swished the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Colorado Mesa University Mavericks came from 66-63 down to win, 69-66 with 3-pointers on their last two possessions in the final minute over visiting Chadron State College in thrilling Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men's basketball action on Saturday night here in Brownson Arena.
Dancer had also assisted on
Jared Small's game-tying bucket with 41 seconds left before the Mavericks came up with a defensive stop. They then called timeout to set-up the game-winning shot.
Dancer finished with 16 points and five assists. He was 4-for-7 from 3-point territory. The Mavs had struggled from distance for most of the game and finished 7-23 (30.4 percent), but hit when it mattered.
Meanwhile,
Mac Riniker finished the game with a career-high 20 points on 9-12 (75 percent) shooting.
Trevor Baskin was also in double-figures with 12 points as the Mavericks improved to 8-5 overall and to 2-2 in RMAC play.
The Eagles' CJ Jennings finished with a game-high 21 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Porter Anderson, Marcus Jefferson and KJ Harris were also in double-figures and combined for 35 additional points. However, the Eagles received just ten points off the bench and slipped to 5-7 overall and to 1-3 in the RMAC.
The game was a back-and-forth affair as the lead changed hands 17 times.
The Mavs had a 50-44 lead with 12:35 left on a Riniker bucket, his last.
Jennings and the Eagles then took over going on a 9-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 53-52 lead, helping set the stage for the tight contest.
The Eagles went on to take a 64-60 lead when Jefferson converted an old-fashion 3-point play on both sides of the final media timeout. However, that basket would be CSC's last as the Mavs'
Isaac Jessup hit a trey to cut the gap to 64-63 before Anderson, who like Jefferson, finished with 12 points, grabbed an offensive rebound while drawing a foul.
He converted both free throws to give the Eagles a 66-63 lead with 2:54 to go.
The defenses then stepped up and exchanged four straight stops before Small hit from the top of the arc on a Dancer kick-out.
Jefferson then drove to the bucket on what would be the Eagles' final possession, throwing up a wild shot that Jessup rebounded.
The Mavs then called timeout with 9.0 seconds left before the clock was reset to 10.1 during the stoppage.
The Mavs then worked the ball to Dancer who nailed the game-winner from the right side over his Eagle defender.
CMU has now won ten straight games over the Eagles over the past seven-plus years, including a RMAC Tournament quarterfinal in March and a double-overtime victory in Chadron, Nebraska 364 days ago.
The Mavs have also won 17 of their last 18 home games over the past three seasons and will be at home again next weekend hosting Adams State and CSU Pueblo on Friday (Dec. 17) and Saturday (Dec. 18), respectively. Both of those games will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. following 5:30 p.m. women's encounters.
