The No. 4 Colorado Mesa women's basketball team will host the remainder of the RMAC Tournament at home in Brownson Arena. The Mavericks will play host to Black Hills State on Friday evening in the first of two semifinal matchups.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Colorado Mesa defeated Colorado School of Mines 96-51 in the quarterfinals of the RMAC Tournament on Tuesday in Brownson Arena.
 
The 45-point victory is the largest margin of victory in the RMAC Tournament since 2000 and is the sixth largest margin of victory in the tournament since it has been played.
 
ALL-RMAC RECOGNITION
The Mavericks did well on the all-conference team. Senior Olivia Reed Thyne earned her third straight RMAC Player of the Year award joining Regis' Diana Lopez as the only players in conference history with three player of the year awards.
 
The Windsor, Colo. native earned her fourth consecutive First Team All-RMAC honor after her record-breaking season.
 
Colorado Mesa head coach Taylor Wagner picked up his eighth RMAC Coach of the Year honor after leading the Mavericks to their third straight RMAC regular season title. Wagner also led the team to a 30-win season which is the third time he has done that in his career.
 
Redshirt sophomore Mason Rowland was named to the First Team after earning Second Team recognition in her freshman season. The Durango, Colo. native is averaging 17.7 points 6.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists this season. She has been in double figure scoring in 31 of the 32 games she has played in and had a season-high 27 points in the Mavericks win at South Dakota Mines.
 
Senior Mykaela Moore earned a well-deserved nod to the All-RMAC Second Team. Moore averaged 9.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists on the season after playing in and starting all 32 games. She had the first 20-point game of her career against Colorado School of Mines back on December 13 and had another in the Mavericks 40-point win over Adams State.
 
30-FOR-30
With their win on Saturday against Black Hills State, the Colorado Mesa women's basketball team won their 30^th game of the season for the third time under the direction of head coach Taylor Wagner. He also led the Mavericks to 30-win seasons in 2012-13 where the Mavericks finished the season in the Elite Eight and in 2013-14 where the season ended in the Sweet Sixteen.
 
With two more wins this season, the Mavericks would set a school record for wins in a season. The most the program has won came during the 2012-13 season when they went 31-2 and won the NCAA South Central Region Tournament.
 
The 2009-10 Fort Lewis Skyhawk team holds the record for wins in the RMAC with 35.
 
MORE HISTORY
Colorado Mesa made more history on Saturday with their win over Black Hills State. The Mavericks became the first team since 1995-96 that finished the RMAC regular season undefeated at 20-0. They become the sixth team in RMAC history to accomplish the feat but the first in 30 years.
 
Nebraska-Kearney (16-0) was the last RMAC school to accomplish the feat along with Fort Hays State (12-0) in 1990-91 and Adams State (16-0) in 1984-85. The Grizzlies accomplished the feat in 1981-82 along with Regis in the same season when they only played divisional opponents and went 8-0.
 
BENCH PLAY
After the Mavericks starting five of Olivia Reed Thyne, Mason Rowland, Mykaela Moore, Tamryn Blom and Hallie Clark, there. Have only been two bench players that have seen significant minutes in Cayden King and Brooke Eyre. In normal Taylor Wagner fashion, he will rely on this seven-woman rotation for a majority of the postseason.
 
Both have played in over 30 games this season and are averaging over 18 minutes per game. King had a season-high 24 points in the Mavericks win at Adams State while Rowland and Reed Thyne were in foul trouble. King played 29 minutes and was 8-for-11 from the field in the big win.
 
Eyre's big game came against UCCS at home when she scored 13 points and pulled down four rebounds. The Utah native was 5-for-5 from the field including 3-for-3 from the three-point line in the home win.
 
HOW HIGH CAN SHE GO
Olivia Reed Thyne has broken records left and right this season but the biggest question remaining is how high on some of these lists can she go. The Colorado All-Time marks are what's left and the scoring one may be out of reach at this point as she needs over 300 points to move up to second with only 8 possible games left in her career. Despite the records that have been broken, the goal remains the same…win.
 
COLORADO ALL-TIME SCORING LIST

1. Becky Hammon, Colorado State, 1995-99, 2,740
2. Alisha Little, CSU Pueblo/Northern Colorado, 2019-25, 2,621
3. Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa, 2022-present, 2,274
4. Brittany Spear, Colorado, 2007-11, 2,185
5. McKenna Hofschild, Colorado State, 2020-24, 2,162

 
COLORADO ALL-TIME REBOUNDING LIST

1. Alisha Little, CSU Pueblo/Northern Colorado, 2019-25, 1,382
2. Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa, 2022-present, 1,329
3. Zoe Tomlinson, Colorado College, 2021-25, 1,281
4. Holly Roberts, MSU Denver, 1989-93, 1,267
5. Dominique Skeehan, Adams State, 1981-85, 1,256

 
A new list to look at is the active career points leaders in all of NCAA. Three of the six active 2,000 point scorers reside in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
 
ACTIVE NCAA DIVISION II SCORING LEADERS

1. Natalie Bremer, Minnesota State, 2,353
2. Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa, 2,274
3. Emma Miller, Minnesota-Crookston, 2,235
4. Asher Cai, Central Washington, 2,195
5. Lydia Haack, Concordia, St. Paul, 2,091
6. Caroline Martin, North Georgia, 2,002

SCOUTING BLACK HILLS STATE
Black Hills State has historically been one of the toughest teams that Colorado Mesa plays year-in and year-out. Black Hills State defeated Western Colorado in the RMAC quarterfinals 77-62 on the road in Gunnison.
 
All-RMAC First Team selection Bradie Schlabs leads the Yellowjackets with 10.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.5 assists. She had a season-high 23 points in the win over previous number two team in the conference in Adams State.
 
The Mavericks and Yellowjackets will be playing for the third time this season with Colorado Mesa winning the previous two matchups. They won the matchup at home back on January 22, 62-49 in Brownson Arena then took the game in Spearfish last weekend 79-66.
 
Colorado Mesa holds the all-time series lead 19-8.

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.
 
COLORADO MESA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-TIME COACHING WINS
Taylor Wagner, 325-91
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).
 
THE DEAN OF THE RMAC
Colorado Mesa head coach Taylor Wagner not only surpassed 300 wins in his career this season, but he became the RMAC's all-time wins leader within the conference. Wagner passed legendary Regis Head Coach Linda Raunig for career RMAC wins when he passed her 226 RMAC wins on January 10 with the 89-49 win over Adams State in Alamosa.
 
Below are a pair of lists detailing where Wagner sits in the hierarchy of RMAC women's basketball coaches:
 
Career RMAC Wins

1. Taylor Wagner, Colorado Mesa, 2012-current, 243
2. Linda Raunig, Regis, 1996-2015, 226
3. Tanya Haave, MSU Denver, 2010-25, 213
4. Steve Kirkham, Colorado Mesa/UCCS, 1988-04, 10, 179
5. Kip Drown, CSU Pueblo, 2005-15, 141

 
Career Wins while in the RMAC

1. Taylor Wagner, Colorado Mesa, 2012-current, 325
2. Linda Raunig, Regis, 1996-15, 323
3. Steve Kirkham, Colorado Mesa/UCCS, 1988-04,10, 305
4. Tanya Haave, MSU Denver, 2010-25, 288
5. Brittany Simpson, Colorado School of Mines, 2012-current, 252

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
If the Mavericks win the semifinals and finals, they will move their home record to 15-0 on the season and would be granted the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA South Central Regional.
 
If they were to falter in the tournament, they are still all but assured a spot in the NCAA South Central Regional as an at-large team.