GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – With the 2013 Elite Eight women's basketball team in the building, the 2023 version of the Colorado Mesa Mavericks put together a similarly dominant performance.

Olivia Reed and Tia Slade each secured double-doubles and the Mavs outrebounded CSU Pueblo 45-16 in a convincing 74-43 victory over the ThunderWolves that gives CMU possession of the No. 7 seed in the RMAC heading into the final week of the regular season. Laura Gutierrez added 14 points while Monica Brooks finished with seven points, four rebounds and two assists on a night where she was honored as the team's lone senior.

Reed completely controlled the post for the second game in a row, outrebounding the entire CSU Pueblo team. She tied her career high with 18 rebounds – after grabbing 17 on Friday – and also shot 8 of 11 from the field and 7 of 7 from the free throw line to finish with a game-high 23 points.
Slade notched the second double-double of her career, both of which have come against CSU Pueblo. The Highlands Ranch native finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds and had her double-double locked up by the end of the third quarter.

Facing a CSU Pueblo team that favors a five-guard lineup, the Mavericks attacked inside early and often with Reed, who accumulated 13 points and eight rebounds in just the first quarter. The Mavericks shot 50 percent from the field in the first quarter while holding CSU Pueblo to 20 percent and outscored the ThunderWolves 12-2 in the paint and 8-2 on second chance points to lead 25-10 after 10 minutes.

Laura Gutierrez hit a pair of threes in the second quarter, half her total of four on the night. Monica Brooks and Jamisyn Heaton also made triples as CMU shot 57 percent from three in the second quarter and 46 percent from beyond the arc in the first half. The Mavericks led 41-22 at halftime.

Colorado Mesa continued to play great team defense throughout the second half. The ThunderWolves finished the night shooting only 30 percent from the field, 21 percent from three and 60 percent from the line. Guard Charisse Fairley, who entered as CSU Pueblo's leading scorer, finished 0-for-6 from the field and did not score.

The Mavericks kept their foot on the gas late, outscoring CSU Pueblo 20-8 in the final quarter. They have now won five in a row, their longest streak of the season. This win broke a tie with CSU Pueblo for the No. 7 seed, improving the Mavericks to 12-14 overall and 11-9 in the RMAC.
The final week of the regular season features a Wednesday matchup against Westminster at Brownson Arena before CMU travels to local rivals Western Colorado the following day. Wednesday's game will tip off at 5:30 p.m.