LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Colorado Mesa had 14 different players score a field goal and held their opposition to its lowest point total of the season in a dominant 82-43 road victory over Colorado Christian.
Trevor Baskin led the Mavericks offensively with 16 points while
Mac Riniker stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, seven rebounds, four blocks and three steals. After sitting out Friday's game,
Ethan Menzies played 13 minutes against the Cougars, totaling four rebounds plus an assist, a block and a steal while making his first basket in two-and-a-half seasons.
The win completes a 2-0 road trip for the Mavs after a hard-fought 102-95 overtime win Friday night against Chadron State. The Mavericks are 13-2 overall and remain unbeaten in the RMAC at 9-0 in conference play.
Baskin (21 minutes) and Riniker (22 minutes) were the only Mavericks that played more than 20 minutes in the game as CMU was able to empty its bench and rotate players. The Mavericks led by 20 points at halftime, led by as many as 43 points in the second half and led by 35 points or more for the final 13 minutes of game time. The Mavericks shot 47.8 percent from the field, shooting 53 percent as a team in the first half. The Mavs also shot 35 percent from beyond the arc (12-34) and 6-for-8 from the free-throw line.
It was a tough shooting night for Colorado Christian, as CCU shot 32 percent from the field, just 12.5 percent from three-point range (3-24) and only 29 percent from the line (4-14). The Maverick defense was elite from start to finish, racking up six blocks and 10 steals while forcing 19 turnovers.
The Maverick offense was as balanced as could be, with only Baskin finishing in double figures but every player to appear in the game scoring at least once. Behind Baskin's 16 points and Riniker's nine,
Christopher Speller and
Michael McCurry finished with eight points apiece,
Aidan Kuhl and
Christian Speller each finished with six after both hitting a pair of three-pointers,
Elijah Knudsen and
Ty Allred both finished with five,
Owen Koonce and
Levi Dombro finished with four and
Sam Goulet,
Reece Johnson and
Isaac Jessup all finished with three.
Colorado Mesa outrebounded the Cougars 47-32 and had 21 assists compared to just nine for the hosts. The Mavs doubled up CCU on points in the paint (40-20) and got 44 points from their bench compared to 15 from the Cougars. Mesa outscored CCU 26-8 in points off turnovers and 19-0 in second-chance points, as the Mavericks grabbed 14 offensive rebounds on the night.
At 39 points, the win is CMU's largest margin of victory of the season, topping a 35-point 92-57 win over Regis on December 9. The 43 points allowed is the lowest total for the program since a 120-33 win over Dine College in November 2016, and the lowest total allowed in a conference game since an 82-42 win over then-RMAC member Western New Mexico in December 2014.
Up next, Colorado Mesa returns to Grand Junction for a three-game homestand. The Mavs will battle Black Hills State and South Dakota Mines on January 19 and 20 before a big clash with No. 9 Fort Lewis on January 26. All three games are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
