GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa used a big third quarter and a dominant night from
Olivia Reed to put away New Mexico Highlands and set up a key seeding showdown on Saturday with a 60-43 win over the Cowgirls.
Reed led the way with 20 points, 17 rebounds and four blocks. She tied a career high in blocks and was one off her career high in rebounds. Reed shot 10 of 15 from the field and scored eight of her 20 points in the third quarter, when CMU outscored New Mexico Highlands 21-10 to turn a five-point halftime lead into a 16-point cushion.
Monica Brooks added 17 points and seven rebounds and
Laura Gutierrez added 11 points and a season-high six boards.
Kylie Kravig was a key playmaker, finishing with nine assists and four steals.
The Mavericks shot 40 percent as a team for the game, but 58.3 percent in the key third quarter. The Mavs scored the first seven points of the second half on a Reed layup, a
Jamisyn Heaton three-point play and a pair of free throws from
Monica Brooks.
With 4:45 left in the third, CMU went on an 8-0 run coming out of a New Mexico Highlands timeout. After Kravig made one of two free throws,
Laura Gutierrez drained a three-pointer and Reed went inside for a layup before blocking the ensuing possession and getting the ball to Kravig, who was fouled on the fast break and converted both from the line. Colorado Mesa led by as many as 19 with a minute left in the third quarter and never led by less than 14 in the fourth period.
The Mavs outscored their opponents 26-16 in the paint and got 13 points from their bench while the Cowgirls bench went scoreless for the duration of the game. CMU also had 20 team assists compared to seven for Highlands.
Colorado Mesa is 11-14 overall and 10-9 in conference, tied for seventh place in the conference with Saturday's opponent, CSU Pueblo. Both teams have a 1.5-game gap to UCCS, which is in ninth place at 9-11 in the RMAC. The top eight RMAC teams qualify for the conference tournament. Saturday night's game against CSU Pueblo will tip off at 5:30 p.m.
