After being upset by UCCS in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women’s post-season title game last March, fourth-ranked Colorado Mesa erased those memories by defeating the Mountain Lions 92-67 for the league crown on Saturday in Grand Junction. CMU WEB ARTICLE / UCCS WEB ARTICLE
Mason Rowland and Olivia Reed Thyne combined for 68 points to lead the top-seeded Mavericks (33-1) to the title for Colorado Mesa’s first tournament championship since 2019. The Mavs, who dropped a 63-61 decision to UCCS in last year’s finale in Grand Junction, have now won 30 consecutive games.
Reed Thyne was the tournament’s most valuable player, scoring 33 points and grabbing 20 rebounds in the final. She finished the three-game tournament with 107 points (35.7 points per game). Rowland, who missed last season with a knee injury, scored a career high 35 points to lead Mesa.
While Colorado Mesa secured its berth in next week’s NCAA Division II Championships, Air Force and Colorado were playing in their conference tournaments on Saturday. The NCAA Division II selection show airs at 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. with UCCS and Adams State in the running for at-large berths. BRACKET
After posting a pair of wins in Kansas City on Thursday and Friday at the Big XII championships, Colorado (22-11) dropped a 48-47 decision to West Virginia in the semifinals. READ MORE
Desire Wooten missed an opportunity to tie the game with two seconds left. After being fouled on a three-point shot, she missed the first charity before converting on the next two to produce the final score.
With 68 seconds left in the game, Wooten’s three-point basket gave the Buffs a 45-43 lead before West Virginia converted a three-point shot and two free throws in the final minute to secure the win.
Air Force (14-17) posted a 60-53 win over Wyoming on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas at the Mountain West Conference to advance to the quarterfinals where the Falcons will meet top-seeded San Diego State on Sunday. All-Mountain West selection Milahnie Perry led Falcon scorers with 18 points. AFA WEB ARTICLE
Colorado State (24-7) enters MWC play on Sunday against Grand Canyon with Northern Colorado (22-9) playing Eastern Washington in its first Big Sky Conference tourney game on Monday.
In junior college action with Colorado-based schools play Wyoming opponents, Northeastern of Sterling was eliminated from the Region IX and Otero of LaJunta plays first-round games on Sunday for a spot in the Region IX quarterfinals.
Western Wyoming hosts the Region IX playoffs in Rock Springs. Lamar, the Region IX Southern Division champion, has a first-round bye and plays the Central Wyoming on March 12 in Rock Springs.
Here are this week’s results and schedule.
4-year Schools
Monday, March 2
- Northern Colorado 61, at Montana 59
Tuesday, March 3
- San Diego State 74, at Air Force 57
- at Colorado Mesa 96, Colorado Mines 51, RMAC quarterfinals
- at Adams State 71, MSU Denver 63, RMAC quarterfinals
- at UCCS 75, Fort Lewis 65, RMAC quarterfinals
- Black Hills State 77, at Western Colorado 62, RMAC quarterfinals
- CSU 67, at San Jose State 44
Thursday, March 5
- Colorado 55, Kansas 48 at Big XII, Kansas City
Friday, March 6
- South Dakota 61, Denver 50, Summit League quarterfinals BRACKET
- at Colorado Mesa 94, Black Hills State 57, RMAC semifinals BRACKET
- Colorado 62, Baylor 53, Big XII quarterfinals BRACKET
- UCCS 74, Adams State 71, RMAC semifinals at Grand Junction
Saturday, March 7
- Air Force 60, Wyoming 53, MWC first round at Las Vegas BRACKET
- West Virginia 48, Colorado 47, Big XII semifinals at Kansas City
- Colorado Mesa 92, UCCS 67, RMAC finals at Grand Junction
Sunday, March 8
- Air Force vs. San Diego State, 1 p.m., MWC quarterfinals in Las Vegas
- Colorado State vs. Grand Canyon, 8:30 p.m., MWC quarterfinals in Las Vegas BRACKET
Monday, March 9
- Northern Colorado vs. Eastern Washington, 2:30 p.m., Big Sky quarter-finals at Boise BRACKET
2-year Schools
Region IX post-season schedule
Saturday, March 7
- at Northwest Wyoming 88, Northeastern 57
Sunday, March 8
- Eastern Wyoming at Otero, 1 p.m.
