GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Three games in five days in three different states.
That's the challenge facing the Colorado Mesa women's basketball team in the final two weeks of the regular season as the Mavericks fight for a top-four seed in the RMAC Tournament — and a possible conference title.
Only one-half game separates the top five teams in the RMAC, with Regis and CU-Colorado Springs both 15-4 with three games remaining, and CMU, Colorado School of Mines and Adams State all 14-4 with four games left.
All five of those teams will be on even footing after this weekend with 20 of the 22 conference games played, and all indications point to the race coming down to the final horn on March 2, with tiebreakers possible.
The Mavericks (20-5, 14-4 RMAC), who have won 20 games for the eighth time in the past 12 seasons, travel to Las Vegas, N.M., to face New Mexico Highlands (5-19, 4-14 RMAC) on Friday night, then head back north on Interstate 25 to Pueblo for a Saturday afternoon tipoff (4 p.m.) against CSU Pueblo (15-11, 10-8).
After what will amount to a pitstop in Grand Junction, CMU travels west to Salt Lake City, Utah, for its final road game of the regular season on Tuesday (Feb. 27) against Westminster (3-21, 1-17).
The regular-season finale is March 2 against rival Western Colorado at 5:30 p.m. at Brownson Arena.
LAST TIME OUT
It was a memorable weekend for CMU, which defeated Colorado School of Mines for the third straight year when the Orediggers were nationally ranked. The Mavericks' 74-47 victory dropped Mines from No. 20 to among the teams receiving votes in the WBCA poll this week.
The Mavericks followed that up with a 53-45 win over MSU Denver to remain undefeated at Brownson Arena at 12-0.
BREAKING TIES
The RMAC has a four-step process to settle any ties in basketball, starting with head-to-head record during conference play, even if teams face each other only once, with criteria for breaking ties among multiple teams, a points-based performance indicator, comparing won-loss percentage against teams from the top of the standings in descending order, and finally, a coin flip.
The complete tie-breaking formula and performance indicator can be viewed on the RMAC website, rmacsports.org.
Against the other four teams in the top-five logjam, CMU is 2-0 against Regis, 1-1 against Colorado School of Mines and CU-Colorado Springs and 0-1 against Adams State. The Mavs do not play the Grizzlies a second time in the unbalanced conference schedule.
IN THE REGION
The first set of NCAA Division II regional rankings was released this week, which will ultimately determine the 64 teams that qualify for the national playoffs. Eight teams in each of eight regions will receive bids, with conferences determining automatic qualifiers — the RMAC Tournament champion is in — and the remaining determined by a ratings system.
The first week, 10 teams under consideration are listed alphabetically. Each of the next two Wednesdays, the teams will be listed by rank, with bids extended on March 10.
Colorado Mesa is one of five RMAC teams under consideration, along with Adams State, Colorado School of Mines, CU-Colorado Springs and Regis.
NCAA Regional Rankings
In the unofficial D2 College Sports Communicators regional rankings, CMU is No. 6, up two spots from a week ago. Texas Woman's is No. 1, followed by Texas Tyler, Regis and Permian Basin. Mines dropped from No. 2 to No. 8 after last week's loss to the Mavericks, with UCCS No. 9 and Adams State No. 10.
SERIES HISTORY
Colorado Mesa has the advantage all-time against all three of their next opponents. The Mavericks have dominated New Mexico Highlands 48-18, is up 33-25 against CSU Pueblo and is 13-7 against Westminster.
On the road, the Mavs are 18-14 in Las Vegas, N.M., 13-14 in Pueblo and 4-4 in Salt Lake City.
The Mavericks defeated all three teams earlier this season at Brownson Arena, beating Highlands 70-34, CSU Pueblo 74-59 and Westminster 81-38.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS
The coaching axiom "defense travels" will be put to the test over the next few days, and the Mavericks' defense has been on point recently. Colorado School of Mines shot only 25.9 percent from the field against CMU, well off its season average of 40.5 percent before the game (now at 39.9), and MSU Denver shot 28.6 percent (37.1, now 37.0). The teams combined to make only six 3-pointers in 35 attempts. That defense is No. 1 in the RMAC in field goal defense (36.5 percent), scoring (57.3 points per game) and rebound margin (8.2), as well as defensive rebounds (28.1). The defense has led to offense — CMU leads the conference in scoring margin at 12.1 points per game although the Mavs are fifth in scoring at 69.4 points per game.
Sophomore forward Olivia Reed has been a mainstay, one of only two players in the RMAC averaging double figures in scoring and rebounding (16.8 points, 11.6 rebounds), ranking fifth and first, respectively, in the conference.
With freshman guard Mason Rowland scoring 15.4 points, which is ninth in the RMAC, the rest of the Mavericks have scored by committee. Senior wing Laura Gutierrez, who is six points away from reaching 1,000 in her career (three years at Adams State, the past two at CMU), is one of three players scoring between 7-8 points a game, at 7.8, and had her highest scoring game of the season in the first meeting against Highlands (18). Friday's game will be the final one for Gutierrez in her home state — she's from Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
Junior point guard Kylie Kravig, who leads the RMAC with 144 assists, scores 7.6 points a game, with Josee Steadman adding 7.1 in a reserve role. Sophie Hadad averages 6.4 points a game and Claire Heitschmidt's scoring has soared recently to where the junior forward is adding 5.7 points a game. Heitschmidt, a transfer from Central Washington, has reached double figures in three of the past four games and had had 10 or more rebounds twice in the past two weeks.
As a team, CMU is shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from the 3-point line. With Rowland leading the way at 87.1 percent, the Mavs have been solid at the free-throw line as well, shooting 76.3 percent, fourth in the conference.
ABOUT THE COWGIRLS
New Mexico Highlands snapped a nine-game losing streak last weekend in a road win at Chadron State, but then fell at Colorado Christian the next night. The Cowgirls have won on back-to-back nights only once this season, beating CCU and Chadron to open conference play at home.
They're shooting only 33.5 percent from the field and only 27.7 percent from the 3-point line, where Highlands has excelled in the past. Turnovers have been an issue — nearly 19 a game — and teams have scored an average of 18 points a game off turnovers.
Jordyn Lewis is the only player scoring in double figures at 11.3 points a game and had made 53 of Highlands' 160 3-pointers. Inside, Sana'a Baker is a handful, scoring eight points, grabbing 4.2 rebounds and blocking 43 points.
ABOUT THE THUNDERWOLVES
CSU Pueblo's game revolves around Alisha Little, who is scoring 20 points and averaging 11.5 rebounds a game. Her 88 blocked shots lead not only the RMAC, but all of Division II, and she has a nation-leading 19 double-doubles.
She had 22 points, 16 rebounds and seven blocked shots against CMU in the first meeting, a 74-59 Maverick victory. CMU held the ThunderWolves to 38 percent shooting and Mason Rowland scored a career-high 30 points to lead the way.
Little, however, has plenty of support, with Autumn Watts averaging 10 points and six rebounds a game, with 23 blocked shots to her credit. In total, six players score five or more points a game.
The ThunderWolves have won four of their past five games to move into playoff contention, and this is a crucial week — CSU Pueblo is tied with Colorado Christian at 10-8 for the final two playoff spots, only one game ahead of 9-9 Fort Lewis.
ABOUT THE GRIFFINS
First-year coach Asami Morita is rebuilding the Griffins, who returned only three players who saw significant playing time last season.
Those returnees are leading the way, with Teuila Nawahine averaging 11.9 points and 4.6 rebounds, Elizabeth Means adding 10.5 points and 5.3 boards a game and Jaycee Lichtie chipping in 9.2 points and 5.5 rebounds.
It's a young team, with Means the only senior on the active roster.
Westminster entered the weekend on an eight-game losing streak, with its three wins all coming at Behnken Field House in Salt Lake City.
Westminster is shooting 37.7 percent from the field, 28.5 percent from 3 and turns the ball over more than 18 times a game.
THE COACHES
Taylor Wagner is 264-82 as Colorado Mesa's head coach, with eight 20-win seasons, including 2023-24, and two with 30 wins. Wagner led the Mavericks to the Division II Elite Eight in 2013, has six NCAA Tournament appearances and nine total RMAC championships.
Garrett Sherman is 25-56 in three seasons at New Mexico Highlands, and was also the Cowgirls' head coach in the 2020-21 season, but Highlands did not compete that year because of COVID-19.
Tommie Johnson is 63-65 in his five seasons at CSU Pueblo. A former player at Otero Junior College and CU-Colorado Springs, Johnson spent eight seasons as the ThunderWolves' top assistant on the men's team before two years as a women's assistant coach at the University of Denver.
Asami Morita took over as Westminster's head coach this season after two years as an assistant at Nevada. She's been coaching 14 years in Japan and the United States.
DYK?
Colorado Mesa's starting lineup has been the same in every game this season. Sophomore forward Olivia Reed has started all 52 games of her career. Junior point guard Kylie Kravig has started in 53 games, 52 consecutive.
