GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Regular Season Champions.
Tonight's dominant 78-58 win over Fort Lewis, officially clinched the RMAC regular season title for the No. 5 Colorado Mesa Mavericks men's basketball team.
It was dominant weekend overall, as the Mavs outscored both Western State and Fort Lewis by double digits. The title marks the first regular season title for the CMU men's basketball program in 11 years. The last was under Jim Heaps in 2010.
As a team, CMU continued to shoot above a .500 clip, while keeping the Skyhawks to just over 40 percent. They also outshined their opponents in rebounds (36-26), points in the paint (50-30), and second chance points (16-0).
Fort Lewis struck first with a layup. Tied up at four,
Ethan Menzies blocked the first attempt by Riley Farris and
Mac Riniker blocked the second attempt, converting on the opposite end of the court to go up 6-4. Those blocks sparked more big defensive plays, which allowed more opportunities to score – and that they did.
About midway through, the teams were tied at 21, but
Trevor Baskin used all of his 6-foot-8 frame to put back a second chance layup to regain the lead. That basket resulted in a 10-0 run by the Mavs, building their lead to 31-21 with six minutes left to play in the first half.
The Mavericks led by as many as 15 in the first half, going into the break with a 41-29 advantage.
Mac Riniker got things rolling in the second half, grabbing a steal and capping it off with a statement dunk on the other end. The CMU offense continued to roll, building up to a 22-point lead early.
Under ten minutes left to play, CMU sparked another 9-0 run, creating greater distance from their opponents.
Blaise Threatt recorded the last shot of the night, giving the final 78-58 score, in favor of the Mavs.
Menzies led all scorers with 29-points, just short of a double-double with nine rebounds. The sophomore was 14-of-22, while also tallying a steal and three blocks. Threatt was the other Maverick player in double-figures with 13-points, to go along with two assists, two steals and a block.
Senior
David Rico, contributed 8-points on the night, hitting an efficient 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, with another basket and a pair of rebounds, and steals.
Tonight's win puts Colorado Mesa in the top-spot going into next week's RMAC Tournament, awaiting the results throughout the rest of the league to determine who they will play in the first round. The Mavericks will host a first round on Tuesday, with a scheduled 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
