GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa made 10 three-pointers in the first half and never looked back, racing to an 81-56 victory over South Dakota Mines on Saturday night at Brownson Arena.  

The No. 8 Mavericks improved to 15-2 overall with the victory and have now won seven in a row overall and eight in a row at home. The Mavs also remained unbeaten in the RMAC at 10-0. Dating back to last season, the Mavericks have now won 20 consecutive RMAC games.

The Mavs finished with 14 made three-pointers, shooting 36 percent from deep (14-39) and 50 percent from the field (31-62). Nine different Mavericks, including all five starters, hit a three during the game, led by Aidan Kuhl with three triples.

Trevor Baskin led the Mavericks with 16 points and 10 rebounds, recording his second double-double of the week and sixth of the season. Kuhl had 11 points while Mac Riniker also added 11 points to go with three rebounds, three steals and three blocks. Sam Goulet set new career highs with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Mavericks outrebounded the Hardrockers 46-32 and had 24 assists compared to just seven for the visitors. Reece Johnson and Owen Koonce led the Mavericks individually with five assists apiece. CMU outscored South Dakota Mines 34-30 in the paint, 17-2 on the fast break and 34-9 in bench points, as the Mavs had 16 different players see game time.

 South Dakota Mines jumped out to a 10-3 lead, but the Mavericks showed what makes them such a dangerous team by erasing the deficit in the span of just over a minute. On consecutive trips down the floor, the Mavs got three-pointers from Kuhl, Goulet and Goulet again and suddenly, the Mavericks had a 12-10 lead.

The Hardrockers retook the lead at 18-17 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half, but a Reece Johnson three soon after gave the Mavs a lead they would not relinquish. In the first half, the Mavericks shot 55 percent from the field and 50 percent from three.

The Mavericks defense held South Dakota Mines to just 32.8 percent shooting, the sixth time in the last seven games that CMU's opponent has made under 40 percent of its shot attempts. The Hardrockers shot 22 percent from three-point range, the ninth time in 17 games the Mavs have forced a team to shoot under 30 percent from deep.

Next up for CMU is the highly anticipated showdown with No. 12 Fort Lewis. The Skyhawks are also 15-2, with a 10-1 RMAC record. Aside from the marquee matchup on the court, next Friday's game will be the annual Blizzard in Brownson, presented by Coca-Cola. Fans are requested to wear all-white clothing and there will be numerous giveaways before and during the game for fans and students in attendance. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m., after the women's game.