GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa utilized a 15-0 run to close out the first half and then hit 11 threes in the second as part of a record-tying performance from behind the arc in an 82-61 victory over Westminster from Brownson Arena.

The Mavericks, who have won two straight since suffering their first RMAC loss against Fort Lewis, are now 17-3 overall and 13-1 in the RMAC. They have a half-game lead over Fort Lewis and Colorado School of Mines for the conference lead – both those teams are 12-1 in conference and play each other Friday night.

Colorado Mesa hit 18 threes as a team, tying the single-game program record for the second time this season, and set a season-high with 29 assists and a season-low with just eight turnovers. The 29 assists are tied for the second-most in a single game in school history, trailing a 31-assist performance against Trinity International in December 1999.

Elijah Knudsen hit six threes, all in the second half, to tie a career high and lead the Mavs with 18 points. Trevor Baskin finished with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists while Owen Koonce finished with 10 points and two blocks.

Isaac Jessup hit a trio of threes to finish with nine points and added two steals while Mac Riniker put up seven points, seven rebounds and four assists. Fifteen different Mavericks logged minutes in the contest, 13 different Mavericks scored and eight different Mavs sunk a three-pointer in the game.

Colorado Mesa finished 45.6 percent from the field, 39 percent from three (18-for-46) and 33 percent from the line (2-for-6). The Mavs finished at nearly 40 percent and tied the made threes record despite shooting just 29 percent from deep (7-for-24) in the first half. The Mavs shot a blistering 11-for-22 from three-point range in half number two. Westminster shot 40 percent from the field (24-59), 22 percent from three (4-18) and 60 percent from the line (9 for 15).

The game saw nine lead changes and five ties in the first half, but there were none in the second half as CMU took the lead for good on a second-chance three-pointer from Trevor Baskin, who grabbed an offensive board after a Reece Johnson miss. Baskin pulled in the rebound and passed to Johnson, who dished back to Baskin for one of Johnson's six assists on the night. The bucket gave the Mavericks a 23-21 lead with 3:53 to go in the first half.

That three-pointer also sparked a 15-0 to close the half for the Mavericks. Riniker hit two threes sandwiched around a driving Baskin layup, and after Riniker went 1-for-2 from the line, Jessup hit a three off a set play with six seconds to go in the half as the Mavs suddenly had some cushion heading into the break with a 36-23 lead.

Colorado Mesa kept the lead in double digits for the entirety of the second half, leading by as many as 25 with 2:53 to go. The Mavs emptied the bench near the end of the game, with Ty Allred, Sam Goulet, Levi Dombro, Austin Thyne and Christian Speller all playing the final three-and-a-half minutes and Allred, Goulet and Thyne all scoring.

The Mavs have a mini-bye of sorts, not playing until next Friday, February 9 at Regis and then at UCCS the following day. They will be back at home on February 16-17 against No. 10 Colorado School of Mines and MSU Denver.