GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – A strong second half led the No. 4 Colorado Mesa women's basketball team to a 73-41 win over rival Western Colorado on Saturday (Feb. 21) afternoon in Brownson Arena in the final regular season home game for the Mavericks.
 
With the win, the Mavericks (28-1, 18-0 RMAC) have now won 25 straight on the season which matches the program record for consecutive wins which came in the 2013-14 season. It is also 35 straight wins in the RMAC dating back to last season.
 
Colorado Mesa led 24-19 at the halftime break as both teams struggled to score in the first half. The Mavericks shot 29 percent from the field while Western Colorado (14-10, 12-6 RMAC) shot 22.2 percent from the field.
 
While the Mountaineers remained cold from the floor, the Mavericks heated up in the second half. They outscored the Mountaineers 49-22 in the second half and shot 53.1 percent from the field while their opponents shot 27.6 from the field and made just two three-pointers.
 
Colorado Mesa continued to dominate the glass as they finished with a 48-34 advantage in rebounds. That led to a 16-3 advantage in second chance points.
 
"Our defense picked up and then once that did that we got in the flow and then the girls hit shots," coach Taylor Wagner said. "It was great to see them step-up and make plays."
 
Olivia Reed Thyne had a monster game in her final regular season contest in Brownson Arena. The Windsor, Colo. native finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds for her 15^th double-double of the season and 58^th double-double of her career.
 
Her teammate of seven years and fellow senior, Mykaela Moore finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
 
Redshirt sophomore Mason Rowland reached a career milestone in the win over the Mountaineers. The Durango, Colo. native scored her 1,000^th career point at the 1:24 mark of the third quarter. She finished with 21 points and now had 1,010 points in her career.
 
Western Colorado was led by the 17 points by Alyssa Eckroth. She scored 14 of her 17 points in the third quarter.
 
Mountaineer Ivey Schmidt also had nine points and 11 rebounds.
 
The Mavericks will head out on the road this week for the final regular season games of the season. They will head to South Dakota for a pair of games against South Dakota Mines (Thurs.) and Black Hills State (Sat.) before the RMAC Tournament begins the following week.