The No. 21 Colorado Mesa women's basketball team will continue down the path of the regular season after taking a one-week hiatus following the D2 Canadian Tip-off Classic. They will head to the Lone Star State for a pair of matchups in the D2 Conference Challenge with matchups against West Texas A&M and Texas Permian Basin.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Colorado Mesa went a perfect 3-0 at the D2 CCA Canadian Tip-off Classic in British Columbia. They defeated GNAC favorite Western Washington 65-62 in the season opener followed by wins over host Simon Fraser and an upstart Saint Martin's.
 
The win over Western Washington could hold a lot of weight as the season progresses as the Vikings are also slated to be one of the top teams in the entire West Region.
 
THE BIG THREE
The Mavericks have formed a big three already this season with Mason Rowland, Mykaela Moore and Olivia Reed Thyne. The trio all averaged over 34 minutes of floor time in the first three games and accounted for 66 percent of the Mavericks scoring and grabbing 58 percent of the teams rebounds in the opening weekend.
 
Reed Thyne leads the group as she averages 14 points, 18 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game while Rowland is averaging 15 points and 6.7 rebounds in returning from her season ending injury a season ago. Moore is coring nine points per game and pulling down 3.3 rebounds and handing out over three assists per game.
 
TAKING THE REINS
Wasilla, Alaska native Hallie Clark has taken control of the Maverick offense starting day one of training this school year. Clark played in and started all three games in the Tip-off Classic in Canada and finished with 5.3 points, 1.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists. She averaged over 22 minutes per game and had eight points in the opener against Western Washington.
 
Clark was the Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year in her senior season and finished her high school career fifth in all-time scoring in the state with 25.2 points per game.
 
WORKING HER WAY BACK TO FULL STRENGTH
Redshirt junior Tamryn Blom figures to be one of the key pieces coming off the bench for coach Taylor Wagner this season. Blom was one of the top rebounders in the country coming out of Western Wyoming CC two years ago then suffered a season ending injury in early season practices last year.
 
Blom averaged 20 minutes of floor time in the three games in Canada and averaged 3.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. She had eight points and seven rebounds in the win over Simon Fraser in the second game of the three-game trip.  
 
RECORD WATCHING
Olivia Reed Thyne has nearly re-written the record books already but several more should fall at some point during the season. Reed Thyne has already ascended to No. 2 in career points with 1,650 and is 270 points from tying Tonya Stites for the top spot. She is also just 350 points away from becoming the Mavericks first-ever 2,000-point scorer.
 
The senior from Windsor, Colo. is 23 made field goals away from tying Stites for career field goals made and will likely set that record in fewer total games than Stites (110 games) did, Reed Thyne is at 95 total games.
 
Reed Thyne elevated to the No. 2 spot in career rebounds, scooting past the legendary Pam DeCosta, during the first weekend of play and now has 1,016 career rebounds. She became just the third Maverick all-time to eclipse 1,000 rebounds and 16 rebounds away from tying Tonya Stites for the top position.
 
CAREER SCORING

1. Tonya Stites, 1,920
2. Olivia Reed Thyne, 1,650

 
CAREER FIELD GOALS

1. Tonya Stites, 699
2. Olivia Reed Thyne, 676

 
CAREER REBOUNDS

1. Tonya Stites, 1,032
2. Olivia Reed Thyne, 1,016

 
SCOUTING WEST TEXAS A&M
West Texas A&M was picked to finish fourth in the Lone Star Conference in the preseason poll behind defending South Central Region champion Texas Woman's, Lubbock Christian, and UT Tyler.
 
The Buffs competed in a different section of the D2CCA Tipoff Classic that was held in St. Joseph, Mo. the same weekend the Mavericks were in Canada. They took on No. 1 and defending national champion Grand Valley State followed by a matchup with Northwest Missouri State. WT dropped the contest to the Lakers 73-59 but bounced back and defeated the Bearcats 67-51.
 
West Texas Also made headlines prior to that as they defeated Power four and Big 12 opponent Arizona in an exhibition 60-57 in Tucson on October 23.
 
Josh Prock is in his fifth season leading the Lady Buff Basketball program after guiding WT to the Elite Eight in his first season. He has amassed an all-time record of 294-179 in 17 seasons spent at NCAA Division III Howard Payne, Eastern New Mexico and West Texas A&M. Since joining the Buffs, Prock has an 85-49 record in Canyon.
 
The Buffs are led by Kyla Kane and Taylor Haggan in the early portion of the season. Kane, the Lone Star Conference Preseason Player of the Year, is averaging 13.5 points and five rebounds per game. She had 19 points in the season-opening loss to Grand Valley State.
 
Haggan is averaging 10 points and eight rebounds after the first two games. The junior had a 16-point, 12-rebound double-double in the Buffs win over Northwest Missouri State.
 
Colorado Mesa owns a 2-8 record all-time against West Texas A&M. They met up last season in Odessa, Texas at The Falcon Dome and fell 80-78 in the D2Conference Challenge.
 
SCOUTING TEXAS PERMIAN BASIN
The Falcons are led by Rae Boothe in her ninth season at the helm. Boothe has taken some time to build the UTPB program up and now has double digit wins in each of the last three seasons. The Falcons went 24-8 two seasons ago and reached the NCAA South Central Regional where they fell to Adams State.
 
Texas Permian Basin was picked to finish eighth in the Lone Star Conference in the Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
Newcomer Kenadi Rising figures to be one of the top players for UTPB as they open the season this weekend. The Emporia State and Abilene Christian transfer has played sparingly over the last two seasons because of injuries but scored over 800 points in junior college at Highland CC in Kansas.
 
Colorado Mesa is 4-1 all-time against Texas Permian Basin and will be playing in Odessa for the second straight season. The Mavericks defeated the Falcons in last season's matchup 79-76.
 
THE STAFF
Taylor Wagner enters his 14th season at Colorado Mesa in 2024-25, the second-longest tenure in program history. His 297 career wins are also second-most in the program. Wagner made the NCAA Tournament in each of his first three years as coach, including runs to the Elite Eight in 2013 and the Sweet Sixteen in 2014. He has led his team to eight total NCAA Tournament appearances ('13, '14, '15, '19, '20, '22, '24, '25).
 
During his first season, Wagner took a team that finished the previous season 13-14 and turned it into a 31-2 team that reached the NCAA Elite Eight, defeating Midwestern State 69-65 in front of 1,975 fans in Brownson Arena to secure the South Central Region title.
 
That Mavericks team set an RMAC record for the most consecutive regular-season victories at 25, spanning from Nov. 8, 2013 to Feb. 28, 2014. Wagner won his 100th game at the helm of the Mavericks on Feb. 19, 2016 against Chadron State. It took him just 118 games to reach the mark.
 
Wagner is on the precipice of becoming the Mavericks all-time wins leader this season as he needs five wins to tie Steve Kirkham and six wins would give him 300 in his time at Colorado Mesa along with the top spot on the coaching table.
 
ALL-TIME COACHING WINS

1. Steve Kirkham, 299-157
2. Taylor Wagner, 297-90
3. Timi Brown, 58-79
4. Jack Scott, 49-59
5. Roger Walters, 38-42

 
Assistant coach Hannah Pollart is starting her 10th season as the Mavs' top assistant coach, working primarily with the post players. Pollart played one season for the Mavericks, helping CMU reach the South Central Regional championship game in 2013-14. She averaged 7.2 points and 6.1 rebounds.
 
Before transferring to CMU, Pollart played two seasons at Northeastern Junior College, where she was an All-Region IX player and an NJCAA Academic All-American. She played her junior season at Cameron University.
 
Jaylyn Duran is entering her second season on the coaching staff. Duran played at CMU from 2015-2019, averaging 12.6 points for her career, including 18.6 points as a senior, when she was the RMAC Player of the Year and a WBCA honorable mention All-America selection.
 
A CMU graduate with a degree in Kinesiology/ Fitness & Health Promotion, Duran scored 1,352 points, eighth in program history, and is first all-time in 3-point field goals made (265).
 
COLORADO MESA TURNS 100
The CMU Century Celebration stands as the cornerstone of Colorado Mesa University's year-long centennial celebration. This ambitious initiative unites our community in honoring a rich heritage while boldly envisioning the next hundred years of academic excellence.

Led by the Steering Committee and six specialized sub-committees, we're orchestrating a transformative experience that will resonate through generations. Each committee brings unique expertise to create an unforgettable commemoration of our past, present and future.
 
To learn more about Colorado Mesa's 100-year celebration, visit cmucentury.com
 
MAVS ON THE RMAC NETWORK
The RMAC Network has moved to a pay-pre-view model for the upcoming 2025-26 season.  This season, all RMAC athletic events broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league's membership to enhance their programs.
 
RMAC fans can purchase monthly and annual subscriptions that will provide them with access to all regular-season, championship, and archived broadcasts on the RMAC Network. A monthly subscription costs $25, and an annual subscription costs $130. Single-game passes are available for $10, which grants access to a single game for 24 hours.
 
Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.
 
UP NEXT
The Mavericks will be back on the road for neutral site matches in Salt Lake City. They are scheduled to take on Texas A&M-Kingsville and Alaska Fairbanks at Westminster next weekend before returning home for their home opener against