GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — In this case, it's OK to be selfish.
The Colorado Mesa women's basketball team finished in a four-way tie for the RMAC Championship a year ago. This season, the Mavericks want that title all to themselves. They secured at least a share of the crown last week by defeating South Dakota Mines and Black Hills State.
"We worked really hard to earn that, but we also understand that we're not done, we still have have two regular-season games left," senior guard Kylie Kravig said.
"I mean," added senior forward Lauryn Deede, "we don't want to share the title."
Riding a 14-game winning streak, the sixth-longest active winning streak in Division II, the Mavericks (21-4, 16-2 RMAC) play at Westminster University (6-20, 5-14) at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, then wrap up the regular season at home Saturday at 1 p.m. against second-place Western Colorado (20-6, 15-4).
One victory gives the Mavs the outright conference title.
Colorado Mesa hasn't lost since before Christmas, a 95-81 loss to then-No. 8 Pittsburg State in the Nova Southeastern Holiday Classic in Florida. After time off for the holidays, a different-minded team returned to campus.
"I felt when we got back from Christmas break, everyone kind of settled in their roles a little bit better, and I thought there was a little bit more focus, especially on the defensive side," CMU coach Taylor Wagner said. "We struggled our first games and I don't think the defense was particularly really good, and then we came out and we had five or six teams and we were holding them in the 40s, 50s (points) and I think that's where I noticed it."
Kravig said a team gathering one evening to watch an RMAC game online seemed to get the Mavs all on the same page.
"There was a weekend early, I remember we were at someone's house watching a game on a Tuesday or some weekend where there were a couple of teams that helped us out (in the standings)," Kravig said. "I think Highlands and Mines helped us out a little bit and I remember we were sitting there, like, it's in our hands. If we take care of our business, then it doesn't matter what anyone else does. And I think that's where our mind kind of shifted."
YOU CAN DO MAGIC
The Mavericks' magic number to win the outright RMAC championship is 1. Colorado Mesa is two games up in the loss column with two games to play over Western Colorado, which defeated Westminster on Tuesday and has only Saturday's regular-season finale at Brownson Arena remaining.
The Mountaineers can tie CMU for the championship should the Mavericks lose their final two games, with the No. 1 seed in the RMAC Tournament determined by the conference tiebreaker formula since they would have split the home-and-home series. That formula assigns point values for wins and losses in conference play, weighted by factors such as home and road wins/losses and if the opponent finishes above or below .500.
A win Thursday in Salt Lake City avoids that scenario and keeps the Mavericks at home throughout the RMAC Tournament.
Two other teams have secured playoff berths, Black Hills State and Adams State, with five other teams vying for the four remaining spots — CSU Pueblo (11-7), CU-Colorado Springs (11-7), New Mexico Highlands (10-8), Colorado School of Mines (10-8) and Regis (9-9).
Key games to watch this week are Mines at UCCS and Regis at Colorado Christian on Thursday, and Regis at UCCS and Mines at CSU Pueblo on Saturday.
CLIMBING THE RANKINGS
The first set of ranked South Central Regional rankings was released Wednesday, with the Mavericks No. 4, the highest-ranked team from the RMAC. Lubbock Christian (26-3) is No. 1, followed by Texas Woman's University (27-1) and Texas-Tyler (24-2).
Following the Mavericks are West Texas A&M (18-10), Black Hills State (16-9), Adams State (17-10), Angelo State (16-11) and CU-Colorado Springs (15-10).
Another set of rankings will be released March 5, but will not include results from the quarterfinals of the RMAC Tournament. The top eight teams in the final poll, announced March 2 on ncaa.com, will receive berths in the NCAA Division II national playoffs. The tournament champions from the RMAC and Lone Star Conference tournaments receive automatic bids, with six at-large teams.
The Mavericks returned to the national rankings, as No. 25 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association poll this week. CMU moved up to No. 23 in the D2CSC national poll. The D2CSC regional rankings are suspended once the NCAA regional rankings begin. Colorado Mesa was No. 4 in the final D2CSC poll.
SENIOR DAY
Five seniors on the women's team and the one senior on the men's squad will be honored between the women's and men's games on Saturday.
Riley Hayes and Brooklyn Palmer, who both transferred to CMU for their senior seasons, Claire Heitschmidt, who transferred in as a junior last season, will be honored, as well as two players who have spent their entire careers with the Mavericks, Lauryn Deede and Kylie Kravig.
Christopher Speller is the only senior on the men's team and will also be recognized.
In their Senior Day questionaries, all five of the women agreed on a few points — they'll miss their teammates, coaches and fans, but they will not miss running the "16s," a series of timed sideline-to-sideline sprints.
SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS
Westminster fell behind Western Colorado 15-2 on Tuesday night in the first quarter and couldn't make up ground. The Griffins have struggled to score all season, averaging only 56.3 points per game and giving up 71.2 points.
Teuila Nawahine leads Westminster in scoring at 11.8 points per game, with a team-high 26 made 3-pointers.
Maunayia Harrigfeld pulls down 10.2 rebounds a game, but the Griffins turn the ball over more than 17 times a game, which has led to an average of nearly 19 points for opponents.
Westminster has a couple of notable victories, including an overtime win over Adams State, a team that has qualified for the RMAC Tournament, and another over Colorado School of Mines, which is still in the running for a playoff spot. Both of those wins came at Behnken Field House in Salt Lake City, so the Mavericks know not to overlook Westminster.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
The past four meetings between the Western Slope rivals have been decided by 2, 13, 6 (in double OT) and 11 points, all CMU victories. The Mountaineers, though, did upset CMU at Brownson Arena 61-60 on a last-second putback in the 2022-23 season, and won by 19 the season prior to that in Gunnison.
Western Colorado is on a seven-game winning streak, and like CMU, wins with defense. The Mountaineers score 65.9 points a game, but allow only 56.4 points, and hold opponents to 34.8 percent shooting from the field.
Ivey Schmidt and Rachel Cockman are having outstanding seasons, with Schmidt, a junior guard, averaging 13.2 points and 5.8 rebounds a game, and Cockman, a senior forward, scoring 12.8 points and leading Western with 7.2 rebounds a game.
Five more players add between 5-8 points a game.
DYK?
The CMU women have won more regular-season RMAC championships than any other program in the conference. This season's title is No. 12, with Nebraska-Kearney, now in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association, second at seven. Fort Lewis has won six and Adams State and Regis five each.
Colorado Mesa's titles came in 1979-80, 1988-89, 1989-90, 1992-93, 2001-02, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2081-19, 2019-20, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
CMU has won six RMAC Tournament championships, in 1980, 2002, 2013, 2014, 2019 and 2020.
Per RMAC rule, the regular-season champion is considered the RMAC Champion, with the conference tournament champion receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
