GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — In a matchup of two of last season's four Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference co-champions Thursday, Colorado Mesa saw the game slip away down the stretch in a 65-56 loss to CU-Colorado Springs at Brownson Arena.
The Mavericks (4-2, 0-1 RMAC) didn't score in the final 5:45 and scored only three points after tying the game at 53-53 with 6:57 remaining.
Earlier, though, Colorado Mesa's offense was stagnant and the Mountain Lions were the aggressors.
"First quarter, we're up 17-8 and we give up five points right at the end," CMU coach Taylor Wagner said. "Second quarter was theirs, third quarter we give it up and the fourth quarter … give it to UCCS, they wanted this. They know what they're playing for. I thought they did a phenomenal job and they were the tougher team tonight."
Two point-blank shots in the paint in the final seconds were all rebounded by UCCS at the end of the first quarter, with Breelyn Robinson finishing it with a 3-pointer, giving the Mountain Lions a spark, cutting the early deficit to only four points, 17-13.
Olivia Reed Thyne, who finished with 18 points, scored eight in a row in the second quarter to put the Mavericks up 27-23, but another late flurry by UCCS (3-3, 1-0 RMAC) gave the visitors from Colorado Springs a 35-32 halftime advantage.
They took control with a 12-2 run to open the third quarter, spurred by guard Amyah Moore Allen, who finished with 24 points, four assists and two steals.
The Mavs' defense nullified Maison White, the Mountain Lions' talented senior forward, with one player always in help defense. White had five points but defensively pulled down eight of her game-high 10 rebounds.
After Reed, who got a bloody nose when she was fouled early in the game and took a hard foul that sent her to the bench for a couple minutes in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks had three other players reach double figures, but no one could find the basket late.
"I got a few shots off, and then I think down the stretch, I didn't adjust very well, turned the ball over a few times and didn't take advantage of what they gave me," said Riley Hayes, who had 13 points. "I've just got to be better."
Kylie Kravig, who missed most of the second quarter after picking up two fouls, finished with 11 points and five assists, and sophomore guard Macy Larsen came off the bench to score a career-high 14 points, hitting three 3-pointers. She also had three rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes.
"I just think practicing with the girls I'm playing with has been helping a lot," Larsen said. "Like last year, I was playing with a different set of girls, and so I think playing with this team, just being comfortable and knowing my teammates, knowing that they're there if I need them (has improved her game)."
The Mountain Lions shot 48 percent from the field to CMU's 35.6, out-rebounded CMU 35-31 and outscored the Mavericks 12-2 in transition.
"We didn't respond one time when they made a big play and were physical with us, we didn't respond," Wagner said. "Moving forward, we've got to be a tougher team, and that's everything; execution on offense. I mentioned the two plays in transition D, they got 12 points in transition, and that's the difference in the ballgame, where we just don't want to do all the little things to help win the ballgame."
Colorado Mesa faces Colorado Christian at 1 p.m. on Saturday, needing to bounce back.
"We've got to be able to push through some things. It's not going to be easy," Wagner said. "(The Mountain Lions) have everyone back from last year and they tied with us Regis and Adams. I know exactly what was going through their mind and they knew how big this game was. And they took advantage of it."
