GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The season continues for the No. 9 Colorado Mesa Maverick men's basketball team, taking them up to Rapid City, South Dakota this Friday for a single contest against the Hardrockers of South Dakota Mines.
LAST TIME OUT
Friday's contest comes three days after the Mavs captured their 12
th win of the season with a 63-60 decision over Westminster.
Against the Griffins, the Mavs strung together 12, 3-pointers, along with six blocks on the night to hold their opponent to a 34.3 shooting percentage, while hitting a 47.7 floor percentage of their own.
Georgie Dancer led the scoring attack with 24-points, shooting 8-of-14, which included five, 3-pointers. He also pulled down six rebounds for the Mavs, to go along with four assists and block.
NATIONALLY RANKED
After getting as high as No. 6 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches poll, the Mavericks suffered their first loss of the season, coming at the hands of rival Western State last Saturday.
The loss knocked the team back to the No. 9 spot, as one of five teams in the top-10 that have a loss on their record.
Colorado School of Mines remained the favorite for the fourth consecutive week, garnering 12 of the 16 first-place votes.
SERIES vs. SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
The Hardrockers of South Dakota Mines made their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference debut back in 2016. The Mavericks have won all but one meeting since then, as the Hardrockers snagged their first win over the Mavs last season, 87-78 in Rapid City.
Sporting a 7-5 record so far this season. Earlier this week they picked up a win over CSU Pueblo, 80-74, redeeming themselves from their loss to UCCS during the weekend prior.
Redshirt senior, Wilfred Dickson paces the Hardrockers offense averaging 13.5 points. The guard out of Napier, New Zealand also contributes 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists, shooting at a .466 clip.
Sophomore, Alejandro Rama contributes 11.6 points per game and 4.6 rebounds, while leading the team in assists (28), and steals (10).
NEXT MATCHUP:
The Mavs were due to come right back to Grand Junction following Friday's contest and prepare for clash with No. 1 ranked Colorado School of Mines on Monday in Brownson Arena. However, that game has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols. The next game on the current schedule is a Saturday, Feb. 13 home contest against Adams State at 7:30 p.m.
