GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa's defense took over in the second half, forcing 11 turnovers and holding MSU Denver without a point for the final four-and-a-half minutes as the Mavericks erased a nine-point halftime deficit to win 71-64 over the Roadrunners.

Trevor Baskin earned his fifth double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Isaac Jessup led the defensive effort with four steals and also scored 10 points including two three-pointers.

With the win, the Mavericks improve to 20-4 overall and 15-3 in conference. The Mavs crossed the 20-win barrier for the 16^th time in program history and for the fourth consecutive year.

MSU Denver came prepared to exchange blows offensively with the Mavs. The Roadrunners shot 56 percent from the field in the first half on Saturday after shooting 55 percent for the game in their win over CMU at Brownson Arena back on December 3. The teams were tight for the whole first half as neither team had a lead of more than five points for the first 18 minutes.

MSU Denver closed the first half on an 11-3 run, sparking hopes of a repeat upset with a 43-34 lead heading into the break. But like they have so many times this season, Colorado Mesa came out of the locker room focused and went on a run early in the second half.

The Mavericks went to the paint for five straight buckets from different players as Baskin, Mac Riniker, Jessup, Blaise Threatt and Christopher Spiller all scored to cut the lead to one. As the second half continued, Baskin came alive, scoring eight consecutive CMU points to give the Mavs a 55-53 lead with ten minutes to play. Brayden Maldonado hit a pair of three-pointers to put the Roadrunners up 63-57 with 7:17 left, but as it turned out, that would be the final field goal of the night for the home team.

Colorado Mesa would outscore MSU Denver 14-1 for the rest of the game. Baskin's second three of the night gave the Mavs the lead for good at 66-64. The next possession was a wild one, as Baskin recorded four offensive rebounds on the same possession and was eventually fouled, hitting both free throws to extend the lead. Turnovers plagued the Roadrunners in the final minutes, and Mac Riniker grabbed two strong defensive boards off of desperation Roadrunner threes.

In the second half, the Mavs outscored MSU Denver by 16 and outrebounded them 21-10. They forced seven second-half steals to the Roadrunners' one and outscored the hosts 20-6 in the paint after halftime.

The Mavericks are in third place in the conference standings, trailing 16-1 Black Hills State and 15-2 Fort Lewis. CMU has now beaten 13 of 14 RMAC opponents and will have a chance to beat Westminster in the final home game of the season on February 22. First off, however, CMU will welcome New Mexico Highlands and CSU Pueblo to Brownson Arena on February 17-18. Both games will tip at 7:30 p.m.