GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Following a back-and-forth first half of action, #8/14 Colorado Mesa caught fire in the second stanza, going on a 15-0 run and they never turned back as they topped the Black Hills State University men's basketball team, 80-57, at the Brownson Arena on Friday night.
Matthew Ragsdale (Gr., Colorado Springs, Colo.) kept up his huge scoring ways with a game-best 26 points in the loss for the Yellow Jackets.
With the defeat, BHSU falls to 7-8 on the season and 5-4 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) play. Meanwhile Colorado Mesa remains unblemished in their ten RMAC contests as a part of their 14-2 record overall.
Ragsdale scored his 26 shooting 9-21 from the field, but 6-11 from range, adding two assists and two steals on the night.
For just the second time all season, the Yellow Jackets did not see a multiple players reach double-digits however, as
Caelin Hearne (Jr., Norman, Okla.) finished second in team scoring with seven points although he added a team-best four assists, three steals and a block.
Hoku Fisher (So., Wilmington, N.C.),
Deegan Williams (So.., Gillette, Wyo.), and
Blake Volmer (Fr., Winner, S.D.) contributed six apiece while
John Shanklin (Sr., Bellevue, Neb.) put in four points to go with his team-best four rebounds, three of them offensive.
Trevor Baskin led the Mavericks with a 19-point, 15- rebound double-double with the latter mark being a game-high as were his six assists.
Mac Riniker also posted a double-double with 13 points, ten boards and three steals, eclipsing the 1000-point mark along the way for the hosts.
Off the bench, Christian Speller pitched in 11 points for CMU as all three of their double-digit scorers finished with field goal percentages and three-point percentages at .500 or better.
This one would open with what would end up being a common theme in the first half as Ragsdale made a three-pointer on the Yellow Jackets opening possession. Colorado Mesa would counter by scoring 11 consecutive points before Hearne cashed in a transition triple. Six-straight Ragsdale tallies followed thrusting BHSU into the lead, but it was short lived as Ethan Menzies connected from range for the third lead change in the first six minutes of play. A Speller layup and four consecutive points by Fisher evened the score at 16 entering the under-12 timeout.
The Mavericks came out of the timeout with a six-point burst that was countered by consecutive three-pointers by Ragsdale. Baskin split a pair from the charity stripe ahead of a 11-4 stretch by Black Hills State to reclaim the lead. The hosts would score seven of the final nine points of the half to jump in front, but things were neck-and-neck, with CMU holding a 34-32 edge at the break.
Ragsdale led all players with 15 points in the first half of play while Baskin led CMU with nine points to go with a game-high seven boards in the frame. BHSU also forced the Mavericks to commit a dozen turnovers in the half leading to 17 of their 32 points.
Neither team would get on the board over the first two and a half minutes of play before Ragsdale put an end to that draught with a turnaround bucket to even things at 34. The hosts would counter with a 15-0 run over the next four minutes of play, but a Volmer transition basket ended the run. BHSU would work the deficit back to 13 before the media timeout.
Out of the break, Black Hills State scored eight of ten points to get the contest back within single-digits but unfortunately that is as close as they would get as the Mavericks caught fire from range down the stretch to bring the final score to 80-57.
Colorado Mesa cashed in on eight of their 14 three-point attempts on their way to 46 points in the second half of play.
Black Hills State returns to the hardwood when they visit Westminster tomorrow night. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM in Salt Lake City.
