LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Colorado Mesa women's basketball team opened their three-game, one-week road trip with a bang on Tuesday (Feb. 8) evening as they defeated the New Mexico Highlands Cowgirls 82-53 at the John A. Wilson Complex in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action.
 
The Mavericks (17-4, 12-4 RMAC) outscored the Cowgirls (5-17, 2-14 RMAC) 26-11 in the second quarter of play to take a 43-24 lead into the halftime break then scored another 23 points in the third quarter to boost the lead to 66-42 heading into the final quarter of action.
 
For the third straight week, the Maverick defense has started out stifling their opponents. They limited the Cowgirls to just under 30 percent from the field and outrebounded them 42-36. Another spot where the Mavericks had a huge advantage was in points off turnovers. They forced 19 Cowgirl turnovers and converted them into 17 points. The Mavericks committed 11 turnovers and Highlands didn't score one point off those turnovers.
 
Mariah Martin led the Mavericks on Tuesday night and was on triple-double watch. Martin finished the night with a game-high 30 points on 12-of-20 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. She pulled down a season-high nine rebounds and dished out eight assists.
 
Martin's partner in crime, Daniella Turner, finished with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field and grabbed five rebounds.
 
Kelsey Siemons grabbed eight rebounds and had one very important blocked shot in the game. The block gave her 190 in her career and move into a second-place tie with Maverick legend Pam DeCosta on the all-time list.
 
The Mavericks will continue their road trip tomorrow evening when they head north to take on the UCCS Mountain Lions at 5pm in Colorado Springs.