GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. –
Blaise Threatt went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line, part of a 23-for-26 night for the entire CMU men's basketball team as the Mavericks defeated Simon Fraser 77-62 to wrap up the Holiday Inn – Airport Thanksgiving Classic.
With the win, the Mavs have now won 10 consecutive Holiday Inn – Airport Thanksgiving Classic games dating back to 2018. For 2022-23, CMU improves to a 5-1 record ahead of opening RMAC play next week with a Friday night home game against Colorado School of Mines.
Threatt turned in another incredible performance to defeat the Red Leafs. The redshirt sophomore guard posted 17 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season and also added four steals. Threatt's 10-for-10 performance from the charity stripe was the 18
th time a CMU player had been perfect from the line in a game with 10 or more attempts.
Although Threatt completed the double-double,
Trevor Baskin was the Mavs' leading scorer with 21 points while also tallying four blocks, one off his career-high. Baskin shot 7 of 10 from the field, including a make on his only three-point attempt of the evening, and shot 6 of 8 from the free-throw line.
Guards
Owen Koonce and
Reece Johnson had 10 points apiece to give the Mavericks four players in double figures. Koonce went a perfect 6-for-6 from the line to aid in CMU's stellar free-throw effort. The 23-for-26 team performance is just outside the top 10 for best team free-throw percentage in program history.
The Mavericks never trailed, jumping out to a 6-0 lead on three-pointers from Johnson and Baskin, and had a 39-26 lead at halftime. The Mavs shot 41 percent from the field in the first half and 42 percent in the second half. Simon Fraser hit 10 of 15 from the free-throw line, meaning the Mavericks made eight more free-throws than the Red Leafs attempted.
Colorado Mesa also controlled the ball, forcing 18 turnovers while committing just 15 and finishing with a 43-24 advantage on the glass, including 17 offensive rebounds.
Colorado Mesa, currently ranked No. 24 in the D2SIDA Media Poll, will be 5-1 entering conference play, a better winning percentage than the 6-3 record the Mavs took into the start of the RMAC season a year ago. Colorado School of Mines will prove a challenging task right off the bat, as the Orediggers are No. 13 in both the D2SIDA and the NABC Coaches' Poll.
