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Colorado Mesa University Athletics

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#RumbleMavs
Trevor Baskin vs. TAMUK
Ashley Lambert
75
Tex. A&M-Kingsville TAMK 1-2,0-0 Lone Star
91
Winner Colorado Mesa CMU 2-1,0-0 RMAC
Tex. A&M-Kingsville TAMK
1-2,0-0 Lone Star
75
Final
91
Colorado Mesa CMU
2-1,0-0 RMAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Tex. A&M-Kingsville TAMK 32 43 75
Colorado Mesa CMU 32 59 91

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Patti Arnold

CMU runs past Javelinas

Koonce, Baskin, Riniker lead second-half surge

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The offense is still a work in progress, one that might take until the New Year to really take hold, but the Colorado Mesa men's basketball team showed what the new up-tempo style of play can do in a 91-75 victory Friday night (Nov. 17) against Texas A&M-Kingsville at Brownson Arena.
"Anytime you are in a situation where there's pressure, one, you're going to revert back to old habits and two, you know, you're going to get a little bit more conservative, too. And we saw that in that first half. I felt like we didn't really just let it rip, like we want to, both in terms of our pace and with really shooting the ball freely," Colorado Mesa coach Mike DeGeorge said. "And once we came out a half and just settled down, it started to be more like we want it to be. But we've seen it three straight games, we've scored in the 30s in each of the three first games in the first half and over 50 in the second. So you know, this is a pattern, but it's just a matter of us just breaking through."
After shooting only 36% from the field in the first half and scrapping their way to a 32-32 tie, the Mavericks ran and passed with purpose in the second half, and as a result, shot nearly 67% from the field, outscoring the Javelinas 59-43 in a crucial South Central Regional matchup.
"There's always going to be growing pains when we're implementing a new offense. And I mean, we shot horribly in the first half, from pretty much everywhere," said Trevor Baskin, who rebounded from a slow start by scoring 13 of his 20 points after intermission. "And then we realized ... we've prepared for this, where it's gonna go through spurts, Coach talks about where we're going to go through spurts where we can't hit shots, and just keep shooting them. And Owen really helped, started knocking down some 3s and that really helped. It gave us a deep breath and realize, OK, we're back in this and shots will start to fall."
Isaac Jessup and Owen Koonce got the Mavericks (2-1) going in the second half, hitting early 3-pointers, then Mac Riniker got a steal and a fastbreak layup, drawing a foul. He converted the bonus for a 41-37 lead. The teams traded the lead until Christian Speller found Sam Goulet for a 3, then muscled inside for a layup and a 50-49 lead at the 13:22 mark of the second half. He scored again after a turnover, drew another foul and made the bonus, and the Mavericks didn't trail the rest of the way.
Riniker, the reigning RMAC Defensive Player of the Week, made his presence felt on defense, but his offense also sparked CMU, with 18 points and five assists. He also had a half-dozen rebounds and two steals.
Koonce finished with 15 points, Jessup 12 and Reece Johnson 11.
With the faster pace on offense came 19 turnovers, 11 in the first half, when the Mavericks were trying to adjust to the quickness of Kingsville. DeGeorge liked having 21 assists on 32 baskets, but wants the Mavericks to be just a little more selfish at times with the ball. Early on, they were passing up open looks to make an extra pass, and the Javelinas were stepping into the passing lanes for deflections and steals.
"I think everybody enjoys getting their teammates a shot, to see that go in, as it is for their own shot going in, so that is rewarding," DeGeorge said. "They all love distributing and getting each other looks. And they're also supremely confident in each other, they really believe in each other's game, and they're excited to give them the ball because they know that the next guy over is going to be able to make a play, too. So both those things, I think, speak to our unselfishness and our talent."
Baskin finished with 15 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, leading CMU's work on the boards. The Mavericks had a 26-rebound advantage over the Javelinas, including 14 on the offensive end that led to a dozen second-chance points.
The Mavericks have another key game within the region at 7 tonight when they host Texas A&M International at Brownson Arena in their final tuneup before conference play begins on Dec. 1.
 
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