Grand Junction, Colo.  – Six players finished in double-figures for Colorado Mesa, as they fended off the visiting CSU Pueblo Thunderwolves and clamping down defensively in the second half behind successful second half comeback effort to grab the 85-75 win.

Mac Riniker finished the night with a team-high 17-points and seven rebounds. Jared Small and Reece Johnson tacked on 14-points each, Owen Koonce with 13, Georgie Dancer (12) and Trevor Baskin (11). Dancer also contributed seven assists and a couple of steals.

The Thunderwolves knocked down 60.7 percent of their shots, including 5-for-8 from deep in the opening period which opened up a 40-34 advantage going into the break.

The roles were reversed in the second half as the Mavericks hit their shots at a 64.3 clip, as they chipped in five, 3-pointers, defensively keeping the visitors to 34.4 percent and just a single basket from beyond the arc.

After going back and forth for a majority of the second half, a jumper by Small opened up a 12-0 run by the Mavericks and their largest lead of the night.

A layup by Dancer at the 3:29 mark was the final basket, as the Mavs closed out the night 10-for-10 from the charity stripe, a steal by Riniker sealed the 85-75 win.

Lian Ramiro finished with 22-points to lead the Thunderwolves' offensive output.

CMU moves to 10-5 overall and 4-2 in RMAC play, riding a 3-games winning streak as they head into the Christmas break. The team will be on the road for the final game of the year, heading to UCCS on Dec. 31 then to New Mexico Highlands (Jan. 1) to open the 2022 schedule.