GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – After a weekend away, the Colorado Mesa men's basketball team returns home for a midweek match up with the Westminster Griffins. The Maverick men will be the second featured match on Tuesday evening in Brownson Arena.

LAST TIME OUT
On the road for fourth time last weekend, the Mavericks entered Skyhawk territory first to kick off rivalry weekend.
After the first half, CMU found themselves trailing 34-29. Needing a big second half to close the deficit, the team did just that outscoring Fort Lewis 38-33 enough to tie the game at the end of regulation.

For the second straight game the Mavs headed into an overtime period. Using a 7-5 advantage CMU came out on top, 74-72 for their 11^th win. The Mavs are 3-for-3 in overtime periods this season.

Georgie Dancer finished with 26-points to lead all scorers

Rivalry weekend continued in Gunnison against Western State on Saturday. Similar to the previous night, the Mavs found themselves down after one half of play.

The Mountaineers were hot beyond the arc and used their 12, 3-pointers to fend off the Mavs and spoil their undefeated record 78-72.
Christopher Speller chipped in 19-points, followed by Reece Johnson with 16-points. Ethan Menzies added 10-points to round out the CMU players in double-figures.

The loss marked the first of the season for the men, and snaps a 14-game win streak that dated back to last season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sophomore Ethan Menzies, 16.3 points per game puts him on top of the Mavericks scoring attack. He is shooting at a .591 clip, and just four points shy of 200-points for the season. On the opposite end of the court, he averages 7.4 boards per game, tallying a season high 12 against Fort Lewis this past weekend. He's grabbed 11 steals this season so far, and matches that with 11 blocks to lead the team. He has posted two blocks in three games thus far.
 
Freshman, Blaise Threatt comes in off the bench for the Mavs, averaging 8.5-points per game in six games played. His ability to drive and connect with the basket should not be overlooked.
 
Classmate, Reece Johnson is another player who comes off the bench for CMU and makes a difference. The guard out of Windsor, sits third on the team averaging 11.3 points per game, along with 4.3 boards. When he's not taking the ball to the basket himself, he's setting others up to score with 26 assists, second most on the team.  
 
SERIES vs. WESTMINSTER
Since joining the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in 2015, the Griffins hold a 6-4 edge over the Mavericks. Last season both teams defended their respective home courts to split the series. Mesa earned a 75-61 victory in Brownson Arena on Feb. 7, 2020 the last time these two met.
 
This season the Griffins are 5-6 overall, currently on a 4-game losing skid. They claimed their last victory over Colorado Christian back on Jan. 15, 83-77. Though the record doesn't reflect it, their last four games were separated by no more than six points.
 
Three Griffins averaged double-figures lead by junior guard, Joey Andrews with 12.8 points per game. His 6.7 rebounds also puts him at the top of that respective category. Not far behind is junior, Isaiah Banks, averaging 11.3 points along with 4.5 rebounds. Banks also leads the team in assists with 32, and his 15 steals are second most on the team.
 
 
NEXT MATCHUP:
Following the Westminster match, the team will travel up to Rapid City, South Dakota to take on South Dakota Mines. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.