GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Brownson Arena, meet the new Mavericks.
Curiosity about Mike Dunlap's new-look Colorado Mesa men's basketball team quickly turned to cheers as the Mavericks claimed their home opener, 84-61 over Bowie State (Md.) on Friday night.
"It was fantastic in terms of the array of colors that came in here because of the Thanksgiving holiday and people prepping for Christmas, so that was fun, but to see and hear the volume of people that appreciate these guys' work is special, and (the players) are going to figure out in a quick hurry, Ty (Allred) knows, but Will (Mortimore) is going to see that this place rocks, and it's one of the best, if not the best venue in the RMAC."
With Allred scoring 21 points, Yaak Yaak adding 14 off the bench and Mortimore recording a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, the Mavericks employed their zone defense to take the Bulldogs out of any kind of rhythm early. It was the first career double-double for the 6-foot-8 freshman forward from Maitland, Australia.
Bowie State (3-3) shot only 39 percent from the field, and CMU (3-2) dominated the glass, out-rebounding Bowie 50-21.
"Our players make it that good," Dunlap said of the effectiveness of the zone. "They're really catching on. There's a lot of what we call bumping and switching off to other players. By and large, we were able to keep their shooters quiet. … Our players are really getting the hang of what that is. It has more work to do, but at this juncture, we're pleased with the progress."
Leading wire to wire, the Mavericks shot nearly 52 percent from the field, knocked down nine 3-pointers and made 15 of 17 free throws. It was 7-0 early and the Mavericks never looked back, building a 39-22 lead by the half. Allred had a dozen points in the first 20 minutes alone, going a perfect 3 for 3, including two 3-pointers, and making all four of his free throws. He cooled down a bit in the second half, but still made 6 of 11 from the field and 3 of 6 from beyond the arc for the game. He added nine rebounds and four assists.
"I think the way that you start the game and the first part of the second half really is going to determine the tone of how game is going to go," Allred said. "The way that we were able to come out in the first half and punch them in the mouth and get an early run helped us on the defensive end and keep our momentum, and on the offensive end, shots were falling."
Yaak, who quickly became a crowd favorite, and Mortimore, the blue-collar muscle inside, each had eight points in the first half as CMU held a 27-9 advantage on the boards. They outscored Bowie 20-4 in the paint, had 11 second-chance points and had the Bulldogs struggling to find open shots. For the game, Colorado Mesa scored 20 points off 11 turnovers, outscored Bowie State 36-22 in the paint, 22-9 on second chances and got 41 points off the bench.
"They had like nine rebounds at the half and we had a marked difference, in the 20s at that time, 27 or something, so that just means that we're up for the grind and we have a physicalness about us, so those things stood out," Dunlap said. "The other thing is the pass, we had 20 assists, so just that trademark of moving the ball and finding the open man, that's our style."
For the most part, CMU handled the ball when Bowie State tried to press, although they did finish with 16 turnovers. Bowie State's transition offense, though, couldn't capitalize, scoring only six points off those turnovers.
Dunlap especially liked how the Mavericks rebounded and shared the ball, with 20 assists on 30 made baskets. They were active on defense, and found one another on offense. With just more than 12 minutes to play, Austin Thyne tipped a ball away from Caleb Johnson from behind, right into Harvey White's hands.
That triggered a break, with White finding Thyne in the corner for a 3-pointer and a 60-36 advantage. Thyne hit three 3-pointers for nine points. White had seven points and five assists and Yaak added five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Mortimore quickly figured out that the crowd was most definitely behind the Mavericks, who play Emporia State (Kan.) at 7:30 tonight Fort Lewis will face Bowie State at 5:30 p.m. The Skyhawks defeated Emporia State 82-71 on Friday.
"I think all the boys had nerves," Mortimore said. "I don't usually get too nervous, but it definitely was a bit of butterflies for this one. But just the number of guys out there supporting us, it was awesome to come into our home and see the support."
