GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The Colorado Mesa University Men's Basketball Team used a dominant first-half lead to propel themselves to victory this evening as they defeated the Dustdevils of Texas A&M International in the nightcap of the opening day of the Maverick Thanksgiving Classic at Brownson Arena.
The Mavericks have now won their home-opener for the eighth straight season with tonight's decision also being the second Lone Star Conference school they've beat this year after taking down No. 3 Dallas Baptist University in the first game of the season.
Colorado Mesa moves to 2-3 overall with the win while dropping the Dustdevils to 1-4. This was also the first time CMU has defeated TAMIU in the four total matchups all-time.
The Mavs were able to lead by as many as 22 points in the contest tonight with them holding the lead the entire game after just one and a half minutes of action. Their total time with the lead was just over 39 minutes.
Four different players scored in double figures for the team as well, with Wes Ball leading the way as he finished with a career-high 17 points while going 6-for-9 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free throw line.
The trio of Ty Allred, Ben Henderson and Harvey White were the other contributors with Allred totaling 12 points and Henderson and White each having 10.
Henderson was also the rebound leader between both teams with six with just 54 total rebounds were managed in the game combined.
The Mavs shot a staggering 57.1 percent from the field in the first half as they led by just single digits through the first five minutes before going on a 13-3 run in the following five.
They lingered around the 10-point lead margin for the rest of the half before going into halftime with a 41-29 advantage.
The Mavs continued to build on their lead into the second half outscoring the Dustdevils 11-6 through the opening seven minutes, with them reaching the 22-point lead in that time.
Owning the large advantage, the Mavs then were able to play tight defense to close out the game with them only dipping into a single-point differential once.
Colorado Mesa outscored the Dustdevils in both points in the paint and points off turnovers in the game with them shooting an even 50.0% from the field. They would also go 7-for-15 from three-point range, a mark of 46.7%.
Returning to action tomorrow night, the Mavs will take on Montana State University Billings in the final game of the tournament with action set to begin at 7 P.M. as well. Tickets can be purchased online at cmumavericks.com/tickets or in person at the gate.
