GRAND JUNCTION, CO. – A close game at the half looked like it would stay that way, but a hot second half start for the Javelinas cooled off and stayed cold as they fell to the Colorado Mesa Mavericks, 75-91, in Grand Junction, CO on Friday night.
The loss is the Javelinas' (1-2, LSC 0-0) second in a row after dropping their previous contest against Chadron State as well. The Mavericks (2-1, RMAC 0-0) pick up their second straight win.
The first half saw a myriad of back-and-forth action as both teams traded the lead. The largest lead of the half was only six points, a margin that was immediately reduced back to four on the following possession.
Nine Javelinas found the scoresheet in the first half on 37.9 percent shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. The Javs also totaled up nine steals and three blocks in the first 20 minutes of play, but had little luck on converting turnovers to points, keeping the game close into the half.
Both teams came out of the break red-hot with ten scores from the field within the first five minutes of the second half. However, the momentum would not last for the Javelinas. CMU grabbed the lead, 50-49, with 13:22 remaining in the game and did not look back after multiple streaks of dry spells for TAMUK.
The story of the night for the Javelinas was difficulty grabbing rebounds and failures of turning turnovers into points. The Javelinas were outrebounded 49-23 by the Mavericks, including 14 offensive rebounds by CMU that were turned into 12 second-chance points.
Similarly, the Javs forced 19 turnovers on the night – including 13 steals – but could only come away with 21 points off them.
C.J. Smith led the scoring on the night for TAMUK, racking up 15 points on 4-of-14 shooting with 5-of-6 free throws. He also grabbed four rebounds, dished three assists, and snagged three steals.
Allen Singleton was right behind him with 14 points of his own on 6-of-7 shooting as well as a team-leading five steals on the defensive end.
Isaiah Payne was the final Javelina in double-digits, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting, grabbing three rebounds and three assists of his own.
Zyon Little was the leading rebounder for the squad, grabbing five boards (three offensive, two defensive) while also picking up 7 points and a steal.
UP NEXT
The Javelinas make the 2.5-hour drive to Gunnison, Colorado as they take on the Mountaineers of Western Colorado tomorrow, Nov. 18 with tip-off set for 9 p.m. CT.
The Mountaineers (1-2, RMAC 0-0) come into the game after dropping a close loss to Texas A&M International, 62-65.
