Grand Junction, Colo. – Game three and four of the Colorado Mesa men's basketball home stand tip-off this weekend, as the Adams State Grizzlies and CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves make their way to Brownson Arena Friday and Saturday before the teams break for the holiday. Both games are slated for 7:30 p.m.
Maverick fans can stream the game and follow live stats at the cmumavericks.com

Last Time Out
The Mavericks split their conference home openers last weekend, edged out by Black Hills in overtime Friday night, but rebounded with a thrilling 69-66 win over Chadron State on Saturday.

A Yellowjacket three-pointer seconds before the end of regulation sent the teams into extra minutes, which they then ended up outscoring CMU 10-8 to escape with the 75-73 win.

Jared Small had a team-high 18-points in the loss, followed up by Blaise Threatt with 15. Georgie Dancer captured a double-double with 13-points and 12-rebounds, Trevor Baskin rounding out the top-scorers with 12-points on the night.

Against Chadron State, it would be Dancer who put up the winning buzzer beater from beyond the arc to give the team the 69-66 victory.
Mac Riniker matched his season high with 20-points, Dancer finishing the night with 16 on 4-for-7 shooting from 3-point range. Baskin added 12-points and led with six rebounds.

From the Start
All five of the Colorado Mesa's opening games have come against opponents who are received national recognition. The Mavericks finished 2-3 in those outings, holding their own in the midst of figuring out a new lineup.

The Mavericks are averaging 76-points per game, and are shooting at a 47-percent clip from the floor. Defensively, they are tallying around 36 rebounds and are averaging around five blocks per game.

Double Trouble
Blaise Threatt, Mac Riniker and Trevor Baskin are the Mavericks leading scorers, all of which are averaging double-figures. Threatt is averaging 12.6 ppg, followed by Riniker with 11.8 and Baskin at 11.4.

Those three also handle a good chunk of the team's defensive efforts, all three averaging over five rebounds per game and snagging double-figure steals. Riniker also has 16 blocks to his credit, Baskin just in front with 17 of his own.

No Place Like Home
Over the past three seasons the Mavericks have won 17 of their last 18 home games. The streak started when the CMU held off UCCS in the RMAC Tournament quarterfinal, the year they went on to win the title 69-61 over Colorado School of Mines in St. George, just before the pandemic called off the rest of the season.

During the condensed conference only 2020-21 season, the Mavs were a flawless 11-0 at home, as they went on to finish 21-2 overall.
The streak extended to 16 straight games, with wins over Our Lady of the Lake and Simon Fraser during the Holiday Inn – Airport Thanksgiving Classic.

Scouting the Opponents
Adams State Grizzlies
Adams State comes into Brownson Arena at 6-4 overall, and a 2-2 record in RMAC play. After suffering losses in their RMAC/LSC conference crossover, the Grizzlies went on to win the next five games. Like the Mavs they split the last two weekends, claiming wins over New Mexico Highlands (85-81) and CSU Pueblo (78-64). The most recent loss came at the hands of South Dakota Mines (58-70).

The team comes in shooting at 51-percent from the field, with four players who have played in all 10 games averaging double-figure points. Rylan O'Brien sits atop that list with 15.1 ppg, spending time at the charity stripe while also taking shots from a distance.

CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves
The Thunderwolves make their way over with a 4-5 record, with a 1-2 record in conference play. The team's lone win came over New Mexico Highlands. In the non-conference loop they put up back-to-back 100-plus point wins at the Al Kaly Shrine Classic.

Just a freshman, Lian Romero is leading the team's scoring efforts with 13.8 ppg. The guard isn't afraid to shoot, as is the leading 3-point shooter.
Elijah Moleon, a transfer from Angelo State has put up double-figures in eight of the last nine outings, efficient from the floor at 61.0 percent. He is averaging 13.2 ppg and leads the team in rebounds with an average of 8.9 per game.

NABC Preseason Poll
Reaching the pinnacle of the program, claiming a No. 1 ranking in the final National Association of Basketball Coaches poll last season, the Mavericks continue to garner national recognition heading into this season, coming in at No. 4 in the preseason poll, and picking up a first-place vote.

Reigning national champions Northwest Missouri State garnered 15 out of the possible 16 first-place votes to take the top-spot. Flagler came in at No. 2, followed by West Texas A&M, Colorado Mesa, and fellow RMAC member Colorado School of Mines at No.5.

RMAC Favorites
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference released their preseason poll, Wednesday as the Mavericks were favored to repeat.

CMU snagged 12 of the 15 first-place votes for 192-points. Colorado School of Mines, Black Hills and Fort Lewis each picked up one of the other three votes, projected to finish 2^nd, 3^rd and 5^th respectively. UCCS garnered 134-points to take the No. 4 spot, completing the top-5.

The Mavericks finished the condensed 2020-21 season with a 21-2 mark, 18-1 in conference play. The team went on an 11-game win streak from the get-go, going on another 10-game streak following their only loss in the loop, which included claiming back-to-back RMAC Tournament titles in a 75-74 overtime thriller over Colorado School of Mines, completing the season with a perfect 6-0 record when pushed into extra time.

With the automatic bid, the team returned to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, this time as the No. 1 seed in the West Regional.