CHADRON, Neb. — Only 32 seconds into Saturday afternoon's game at the Chicoine Center in Chadron, Neb., the Colorado Mesa women's basketball team took the lead for good.
A 3-pointer by Brooklyn Palmer, the first bucket of the game, started a 13-0 opening run and the Mavericks rolled to a 79-49 victory over Chadron State, their sixth straight victory and third win of 30 or more points this season. As action Saturday wrapped up, the four-way tie at the top of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings had been cut in half, with the Mavericks (13-4) and Western Colorado (13-4) sharing the lead at 8-2 in conference play at the midway point.
The Mountaineers knocked off Black Hills State 56-51 in Spearfish, S.D., dropping the Yellow Jackets one game back at 7-3, along with CSU Pueblo, which was upended at home 77-71 by New Mexico Highlands.
With Olivia Reed Thyne, who played her first two years of high school in Chadron, turning in a near-perfect first half offensively, the Mavericks were never threatened. Reed Thyne scored 19 of her game-high 30 points in the first half, hitting 8 of 10 field goals and all five free throws. She converted a three-point play with 0.2 seconds left in the first half for a 41-16 lead.
The All-America junior forward scored 30 points in 29 minutes, heading to the bench with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter as the reserves got plenty of playing time in the Mavs' 21st straight win over the Eagles. It was her fifth game with 30 or more points this season.
Chadron State had no one inside who could prevent Reed Thyne from getting the ball in the low post and going in strong to the basket. She finished 12 of 18 from the field, made all six free throws, had a half-dozen rebounds, one assist and two steals.
Palmer added a second-chance 3-pointer with 3:40 to play in the first quarter and finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, Mykaela Moore added 10 points and seven boards and Macy Larsen came off the bench to hit a trio of 3-pointers for nine points. Kylie Kravig, despite being in foul trouble, had eight assists before fouling out, and Riley Hayes hit a pair of 3-pointers for her six points.
The Mavs were crisp offensively in the first half, easily moving the ball in their half-court sets to find open looks and shot 53 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes.
Chadron State, meanwhile, couldn't get much of anything going offensively, shooting only 28.6 percent from the field in the half and 32.6 percent for the game.
The 16 first-half points allowed were the second-fewest of the season — Black Hills State scored only 15 in the first half on Thursday night.
However, CMU came out slowly in the third quarter, allowing the Eagles () to cut what had been a 25-point halftime deficit to 15, 43-28 with 6:55 to play in the quarter, before regrouping.
Reed Thyne went on a 9-0 scoring run and scored 11 straight for the Mavs to push the lead to 24 with 2:24 to play in the quarter. That layup was her 30th point of the game, matching Chadron's entire output to that point, 54-30.
Kravig hit a driving layup and Moore cut into the lane for a pass from Hayes after a steal and CMU was up two dozen with 10 minutes to play, 58-34.
Mesa dominated the glass 38-27, scored 42 points in the paint to Chadron's 14, and scored 21 points off 19 Eagle turnovers. CMU had 10 turnovers, leading to only five points by Chadron State.
For the game, CMU shot an even 50 percent from the field.
Mesa opens the second half of conference play back on the road next week, with pivotal games at CSU Pueblo on Thursday and at CU-ColoradoSprings on Saturday. CMU won a nonconference game against the Thunderwolves early this season and lost the conference opener to the Mountain Lions at Brownson Arena in early December.
