GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Start fast, finish strong.
It was a winning strategy Friday for the Colorado Mesa women's basketball team in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament semifinals. The No. 21 Mavericks came out firing, building a 10-point lead five minutes into the game and running to a 68-53 victory over Black Hills State.
"That first couple minutes, we just did a phenomenal job (on) both sides of the ball," said CMU coach Taylor Wagner, who was honored before the game as the RMAC Coach of the Year. "We had a bunch of energy and I was really proud because a couple games ago, I know we got down in a big hole, and that was one of the things we want to do, is make sure we started fast."
The Mavericks, who won their 18th consecutive game, will play for the tournament championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II South Central Region tournament at 6 p.m. Saturday at Brownson Arena.
Joining the Mavericks in the title game is CU-Colorado Springs, the No. 6 seed. The Mountain Lions (18-11) knocked off second-seeded Western Colorado (21-8) 69-55. The teams split the season series, each winning on the other's home court. The 65-56 setback in the RMAC season opener is the only home loss for the Mavericks this season. CMU came back to win 62-58 in Colorado Springs in February.
The Mavs' laser focus was evident in Tuesday's quarterfinal win over New Mexico Highlands and again Friday.
"One thing I've taken from Liv (Olivia Reed Thyne) is she talks a lot about treating everything the same, and I'm a player that needs to do that as well," point guard Kylie Kravig said. "Sometimes if I get too amped up, I tend to foul or turn the ball over. So I think that was something that I tried to tell myself the beginning of this week, that treating every game the same, and because what I've been doing so far is OK, it's gonna work out."
Combining 53 percent shooting in the first half with a defense that allowed the Yellow Jackets to shoot only 32 percent, the Mavericks led 35-24 at the break and didn't back down in the third.
They outscored Black Hills State (18-11) 24-16 in the third quarter. The Yellow Jackets went more than 2½ minutes without a field goal as CMU steadily built the lead to 21 points with 4:02 to play in the quarter.
Kravig, one of four CMU players to reach double figures, raced the length of the court in the final seven seconds and beat the horn at the end of the quarter on a step-through layup for a 59-40 lead. Kravig finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and one blocked shot.
"I think, honestly, I just think we had momentum," Kravig said of the fast start. "I think some of it was the crowd. It just erupted every time we scored. I think that helped, and then it always helps when we get stops on defense. I think that fuels our offense, and that's what we were doing that first couple minutes."
Mykaela Moore led CMU (25-4) with 17 points, giving the Mavericks the early spark along with Riley Hayes when the Yellow Jackets were double-teaming Reed Thyne in the post.
Hayes had been in a bit of a shooting slump, but hit the first jumper of the game, added a key 3-pointer in the third quarter for an 18-point lead and had nine points. Reed Thyne had 14 points and six rebounds, with three assists, one steal and two blocks, and Brooklyn Palmer hit three 3-pointers as part of her 11-point, 9-rebound game. The Mavs' 6-foot-2 post also had a game-high seven assists.
"That was what we needed," Wagner said of Hayes getting involved early and having five scorers on the floor. "The thing is, every team is going to play us different, they're going to have different schemes and we've got to be able to adjust to that a little bit quicker and be ready to take our shots."
Reed Thyne adjusted to the double-teams after subbing out and talking to the coaching staff, and took advantage of her chances, especially when Haylee Weathersby went to the bench. The 6-1 senior forward made things tough inside and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Bradie Schlabs, a freshman in the starting lineup with four seniors, led the Jackets with 17 points.
"I subbed out for a little bit, and Coach P (Hannah Pollart) and Coach Wag just talked to me ... I didn't feel like I was quite as much open, but they were saying I was more open than it felt like, or than it looked like," Reed Thyne said. "When I ended up subbing back in, I think we got a few buckets off of that, so them just being able to see that for me helped."
Every time Black Hills State tried to to get back into the game, the Mavericks countered with a scoring run or got a key stop on defense.
For the game, the Mavericks shot 50.9 percent from the field, hit eight 3-pointers and six of eight free throws. The defense held Black Hills State well below its season average of 42 percent shooting, allowing the Yellow Jackets to shoot only 34.5 percent, and gave up only two 3-pointers in 15 attempts.
A year after bowing out in the first round, the Mavericks will play for their first tournament championship since 2020. They haven't played back-to-back nights since just before Christmas, but Wagner doesn't anticipate that being a problem.
"Well, if we can't get ready for this game, then something's wrong," he said. "I know we're going to be tired, they're going to be tired. We were just saying in the locker room, everyone's played the same amount of games and a lot of minutes and (are) beat up and everything. And right now, it's who's got more will."
