The No. 11 Colorado Mesa women's basketball team will open the New Year at home in Brownson Arena on Saturday as they resume Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference action against the Regis Rangers.   
 
LAST TIME OUT
Prior to the NCAA mandated winter break, the Mavericks continued their onslaught of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a pair of wins over Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific. With the wins, they now have defeated six of the 10 schools in that conference including wins over the top team and the No. 3 and No. 4 teams in the standings.
 
Colorado Mesa defeated host Northwest Nazarene in the opening game of the week 67-52. Five Mavericks finished in double figures including double doubles by Olivia Reed Thyne and Mason Rowland. They were able to force 23 turnovers and were able to score 21 points off those turnovers while limiting the Nighthawks to 35.2 percent from the floor.
 
The Mavericks closed out 2025 with a win over Seattle Pacific 86-55 in Idaho. Reed Thyne had a huge game with 37 points and 16 rebounds while the team shot over 44 percent from the field. Mason Rowland and Mykaela Moore each finished in double figures with 18 and 13 respectively.
 
BOTH ENDS OF THE FLOOR
Colorado Mesa is getting it done on both ends of the floor through the first 14 games of the season. On the offensive end, the rank No. 2 in the RMAC and No. 33 nationally at 75.1 points per game with two of the top three scorers in the RMAC in Olivia Reed Thyne and Mason Rowland.
 
On the defensive side of the floor, they rank No. 2 in the RMAC and No. 11 nationally in scoring defense allowing just 52.2 points per contest. The Mavericks are No. 2 nationally in field goal percentage defense at 31.7 percent.

MOVING ON UP
The Mavericks are up to No. 11 in the latest WBCA Coach's National Poll after opening the year at No. 21. They are on a 10-game winning streak after their lone loss of the season came at the hands of now No. 8 West Texas A&M.
 
Taking a quick look at the always tough South Central Region, the Mavericks are the fourth team in the region in the National Poll. Texas Woman's is No. 3 with their lone loss to No. 25 Harding and has a win over then No. 2 Pittsburg State.
 
Lubbock Christian is No. 7 with their lone loss coming just before the break to UCCS and West Texas A&M is No. 8 with their lone loss coming to top ranked Grand Valley State.

RECORD WATCHING CONTINUED
Senior Olivia Reed Thyne is on a path to claim several records during her final season with the Mavericks. The Windsor, Colo. native has already claimed the all-time rebound and all-time field goals made records earlier this season and is on pace to claim the all-time scoring mark which currently sits at 1,920.
 
She is currently 64 points away from tying the record that was set by Tonya Stites in the early 1990s.
 
CAREER SCORING
Tonya Stites, 1,920
Olivia Reed Thyne, 1,856
 
SCOUTING REGIS
The Rangers are in the midst of a tough season after a coaching change late in the summer and an 0-6 start. Despite the 0-6 start, Regis played both Fort Lewis and Western Colorado to single digit losses before the break and would love nothing more than to start the New Year with their first win of the season on the road over a ranked Colorado Mesa team.
 
Kate Gallery has played in just three games this season but saw action in the nine point loss to the Mountaineers prior to the break. She averages 16.3 points per game and shoots over 40 percent from the field. The Pueblo, Colo. native has been in double figures in all three games including a 20 point, eight rebound effort against Angelo State.
 
Caitie Turnbow also averages double figures at 10.3 points and is the Rangers leading rebounder at 10.3 boards per game.

THE STAFF
Taylor Wagner enters his 14th season at Colorado Mesa in 2024-25, the second-longest tenure in program history. Coach Wagner reached his 300^th win at Colorado Mesa on Saturday November 22 with a 102-53 win over Alaska Fairbanks in Salt Lake City. The 300^th win also made him the all-time winningest coach in Colorado Mesa women's basketball history eclipsing the 299 wins Steve Kirkham collected from 1988-to-2004.  
 
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.
 
COLORADO MESA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-TIME COACHING WINS
Taylor Wagner, 307-91
Steve Kirkham, 299-157
Timi Brown, 58-79
Jack Scott, 49-59
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
Colorado Mesa will head out on the road for a three-game road trip next weekend. The swing will begin in New Mexico as they are set to take on Highlands on Thursday January 8 before working their way back to Colorado and a bout with Adams State on Saturday January 10.
 
They will close the road trip with a matchup against rival Western Colorado on Tuesday January 13 in Gunnison.