LAS VEGAS, N.M. — A career milestone and a season-best defensive effort led the Colorado Mesa women's basketball team to a 67-28 runaway victory Friday night (Feb. 23) over New Mexico Highlands, keeping the Mavericks in contention for the RMAC regular-season title.
Senior guard Laura Gutierrez needed only six points to score 1,000 in her career and reached that with 2:24 to play in the first quarter when she hit her second 3-pointer of the game.
Just for good measure, she hit another 3 just before the horn to end the first half and a layup in the third quarter before CMU coach Taylor Wagner started sending in the reserves.
Gutierrez, playing her final game in her home state — she's from Rio Rancho, New Mexico — finished with 11 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal and now has 1,005 points between her time at Adams State and CMU (560 at ASU, 445 at CMU).
Olivia Reed made 10 of 11 field goals, including both 3-pointers she attempted, for 22 points in only 21 ½ minutes of playing time. The only shot she missed was the first one of the game, which was blocked. After that, Reed showed patience when she got the ball in the paint, getting her defender to commit before she took her shot, or beating her defender to the spot for uncontested layups. She also buried a baseline jumper in the Mavericks' sizzling start.
CMU, 21-5, 15-4 in the RMAC, only a half-game behind Regis for first place, scored the first 13 points of the game and was up 24-7 at the end of the first quarter. It was 46-18 at halftime, and less than six minutes into the third quarter, the reserves started to take over.
The offense sputtered the rest of the way, but the defense continued to put the clamps on Highlands, which shot only 14.8 percent, a season low by the Mavericks' defense. The Cowgirls (5-20, 4-15 RMAC) made only eight field goals in 54 attempts and only one of 13 from the 3-point line (7.7 percent). The reserves gave up only eight points once they took over, two in the fourth quarter.
Quick, crisp ball movement allowed the Mavericks to take control of the game early, led by point guard Kylie Kravig, who finished with seven points, four rebounds and seven assists. Reed had four assists and Gutierrez and Sophie Hadad three each — Mesa had 21 assists on 27 made field goals.
Mesa shot 42.2 percent from the field, made seven 3-pointers and out-rebounded Highlands 38-26. The Mavericks had a 30-14 advantage in the paint, scored 15 second-chance points and 15 points off turnovers.
Reed and Mason Rowland had six rebounds each, and Reed had three steals and blocked two shots.
With teams down to their final two or three games of the regular season, the conference race is as tight as ever, with the Mavericks facing yet another crucial game this afternoon at CSU Pueblo.
Regis is 16-4 with two games remaining, with CMU, CU-Colorado Springs and Adams State all 15-4 with three games left. Colorado School of Mines lost its second straight, falling 71-68 to Colorado Christian to fall to 14-5, followed by Black Hills State, 12-7, and Colorado Christian and CSU Pueblo, both 11-8. Fort Lewis is another game back in ninth place at 9-10.
