LAS VEGAS, N.M. — A layup off a turnover got it started Saturday for the Colorado Mesa women's basketball team, and another layup off a turnover capped a 20-0 scoring run that helped the No. 24 Mavericks extend their winning streak to 12 games.
Colorado Mesa (19-4, 14-2 RMAC) had problems handling New Mexico Highlands' pressure early, but rode their half-court offensive execution and defense to a 69-55 victory. Thanks to Olivia Reed Thyne's second straight 34-point performance, the Mavericks stayed two games up on the rest of the field heading into the final two weekends of the regular season. Western Colorado clinched a spot in the RMAC Tournament with a win at Fort Lewis to stay within striking distance of the RMAC leaders. The rivals will play one another in the final game of the regular season, March 1 at Brownson Arena.
Against the Cowgirls (12-10, 9-7), who are in seventh place in the conference, CMU had nine turnovers in a ragged first quarter, but Reed Thyne slipped a layup in just before the horn sounded at the end of the quarter to put CMU up 14-12. Four and a half minutes into the second quarter, the Mavericks had a 20-point lead, 32-12.
Brooklyn Palmer and Riley Hayes hit back-to-back 3-pointers in that decisive run, Reed Thyne scored after one of her three offensive rebounds and Palmer blocked a shot that led to a layup. Mykaela Moore followed a miss with a layup to go up 18 and Hayes came up with a steal that led to another layup by Reed Thyne.
Highlands couldn't buy a basket in the first quarter, shooting only 16.7 percent from the field (3 of 18), while the Mavericks hit four of eight, three by Reed Thyne, who added 11 points in the second quarter to give her 18 by halftime. She uncharacteristically missed six of 10 free throws in the first half, but made all four in the second half, adding 16 more points. Her 12 rebounds gave her her 15th double-double of the season and the 36th of her career. She also had two assists, three steals and blocked one shot, playing all but about 1½ minutes.
In fact, the starting five played the entire second half, with Highlands cutting what had been an 11-point CMU lead to only one, 39-38, early in the third quarter.
A jumper by Kylie Kravig helped CMU eventually push the lead back to 10 once the Mavericks ran their press attack correctly, which allowed them to flow into their half-court sets. CMU cut the turnovers to only four in the second half.
Palmer recorded her fourth double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds and Kravig hit a pair of key 3-pointers and finished with 13 points.
The starters accounted for all of CMU's scoring, with Moore adding nine points and Hayes continuing her streak of hitting at least one 3-pointer in every game.
By grabbing eight offensive boards, the Mavericks gave themselves 15 second-chance points, scored 14 points off turnovers and outscored Highlands 34-30 in the paint.
For the game, CMU shot 43.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the 3-point line, knocking down five of 15. Highlands' good third quarter helped the Cowgirls shoot 34.4 percent for the game, but they made only two 3-pointers and the Mavs had a nine-point advantage at the free throw line.
Three of CMU's final four games are at Brownson Arena, starting with Thursday's game against South Dakota Mines. Saturday, third-place Black Hills State comes to town.
