GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa men's basketball punctuated 2022 with a dominant 84-53 win over New Mexico Highlands.

Five Mavs scored in double figures, led by Blaise Threatt, who matched his team-leading 16 points from yesterday's game and added 13 rebounds for a double-double. Trevor Baskin and Christopher Speller each added 14 points while Owen Koonce added 11 and Mac Riniker added 10.

The Mavericks shot a tidy 59 percent from the floor as a team, and four players had field goal percentages of 75 percent or better individually – Threatt (7-9), Baskin (5-5), Speller (5-6) and Riniker (5-6).

While CMU was scoring with ease, the Mavs defense was clamping down on New Mexico Highlands all night long. The Cowboys shot only 33 percent from the field and 25 percent from three-point range. Colorado Mesa outrebounded Highlands 44-16 in the game.

The Mavs had their foot on the gas from the get-go, jumping out to 7-0 and 14-3 leads with Baskin scoring seven of the team's first 14 points. The Mavericks converted on four straight possessions with a Koonce three, a Threatt three, a Riniker jumper and a Baskin dunk to make it 34-12 CMU with 5:08 left in the first half. CMU eventually took an 18-point lead into halftime, 40-22.

Highlands kept pace at the start of the second half, as the Maverick lead was still 18 with 9:35 left to play, but CMU poured it on late. A Koonce three-pointer followed by a possession in which Christopher Speller grabbed two offensive rebounds before converting a layup and another Threatt three stretched the lead to 32 with four minutes to go.

Isaac Jessup made two second-half three pointers and Elijah Knudsen drained a three for CMU's final points of the game to get on the scoresheet for the Mavs.

2022 was a good year for the Mavericks, who finished within a half-game of a conference championship in the early months of the year before going on a run to the first NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 in program history. As this current season shifts into 2023, the Mavericks are 5-2 in the RMAC and 10-3 overall. Colorado Mesa's five-game winning streak is the second-longest active streak in the RMAC behind Black Hills State, which is still undefeated at 12-0 (6-0 RMAC).

The Mavs return home next weekend, taking on Chadron State on Friday and Colorado Christian on Saturday. Both games will tip off at 7:30 p.m.