GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – For the fifth time this season, the No. 8 Colorado Mesa men's basketball team headed into overtime, needing just one period to secure an 80-66 win over the Adams State Grizzlies Saturday in Brownson Arena.
Despite committing 26 turnovers, the Mavericks made up for it in rebounds, pulling down 48 to the Grizzlies 26. The CMU paint presence remained strong putting up 46 points in the lane, in addition to the 30 points from the bench. As the team CMU knocked down just over fifty percent of their shots, shooting at a 75 percent clip, which included a 3-of-4 stat from beyond the arc, in the overtime period.
In the first half, the Mavs were steady both offensively and defensively.
Ethan Menzies put in a second chance layup to give his team a 12-point advantage, while putting his total to 12-points. CMU also held their opponents to just eight rebounds in the opening frame, while they tallied 25. ASU converted off a turnover, but trailed 36-26 going into the break.
With under the eight minutes left to play, the Mavs saw their double-digit lead disappear and relinquished the lead to the Grizzlies. Down by three,
Christopher Speller sank a big 3-pointer to tie things up. Unable to get one last shot to fall, the teams headed into extra minutes.
The overtime period was all CMU. Five different Mavericks players contributed to the teams 18 points, led by
David Rico who knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, and a pair of rebounds. They limited the Grizzlies to just four points in those five minutes.
Menzies was just shy of double-double with 22 points and 9 boards, finishing 11-of-16 from the field.
Jared Small followed up with 14-points and 7-rebounds, and
Georgie Dancer rounded out the Mavs in double figures with 13-points, to go along with a team high six assists.
Mac Riniker also came up with some big defensive plays, grabbing seven rebounds on the night along with two steals.
Regis and Colorado School of Mines await the Mavs on the front range next weekend. A rematch with the Rangers is scheduled for Friday, and then the long awaited nationally ranked matchup with the Orediggers is set for Saturday.
