GUNNISON, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa women's basketball team needed a win on Thursday (Feb. 23) evening to guarantee themselves a spot in the RMAC Tournament and they got just that. The Mavericks defeated their rivals, the Western Colorado Mountaineers, 59-48 to clinch a spot in the tournament.
 
Conversely to last night's game, the Mavericks led wire-to-wire and never trailed. They led by as many as 19 points with eight seconds left in the third quarter at 48-29 after a made three by Kylie Kravig.
 
The defense was more in-sync tonight as they limited the Mountaineers to just 30.4 percent from the field. Only four total players from Western Colorado scored points.
 
Laura Gutierrez led the Mavericks in scoring with 15 points coming off the bench. She was 3-for-6 from the field including 2-for-4 from three and a perfect 7-for-7 from the line.
 
Olivia Reed continues to be a beast down the stretch as she had 11 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks in the win.
 
Monica Brooks added 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
Mountaineer Emmery Wagstaff put on an offensive show as she finished with 26 points on 9-for-22 shooting from the field including six made three-pointers.
 
Colorado Mesa won six of their last seven games to close out the regular season.
 
The Mavericks will compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament and could still land as the No. 6, No. 7, or No. 8 seed, all of which put them on the road on Tuesday. The tournament bracket is scheduled to be released on Saturday evening.