Olivia Reed Thyne scored 23 points for Colorado Mesa in its “sweet 16” game against top-ranked Texas Woman’s University (31-2), but it was her career-high fifth block shot and 14th rebound of the game that lifted the Mavericks to a 65-64 win over the Pioneers on Monday in Denton, Texas.  COLORADO MESA WEB ARTICLE / BOX SCORE

In winning its 33rd straight game and snapping TWU’s 30-game victory string, Colorado Mesa (36-1) wins the South Central Regional to advance to the “Elite Eight” at the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championships that will be held in Pittsburgh, Pa., on March 24-28.

Monday’s “Sweet Sixteen” results are listed above.  Schools advancing to the “Elite Eight” in Pittsburgh will be seeded.  Colorado Mesa’s likely opponent is Cal Poly Pomona (29-4).  The two have never played each other.

Coach Taylor Wagner will be taking a Mesa team to its first “Elite Eight” since 2013, as the Mavericks were playing in their first regional final since 2014.

POST-GAME MEDIA CONFERENCE

Despite Reed Thyne being sidelined with two fouls in the first half, when she scored only two points and grabbed two rebounds in four minutes of action, Colorado Mesa led TWU 33-30 at intermission and held its biggest lead at 51-39 with 34 seconds left in the third quarter.

Reed Thyne scored 12 of Mesa’s 18 third-quarter points while grabbing seven of the team’s 13 rebounds in the quarter.  In the fourth period, Reed Thyne added nine points and four rebounds.

Two Reed Thyne free throws with 8:08 left in the game were Mesa’s last double-digit lead in the contest at 53-43. TWU rallied to score the last seven points in the contest to cut the deficit to one with its final two baskets scored after Maverick turnovers.

After the ninth Mesa turnover with nine seconds left, TWU’s Jade Celsur drove the line, where Reed blocked her attempt with three seconds left and was credited with the rebound to secure the Maverick win.

With the 23 points, Reed Thyne becomes the top single-season point producer in the history of women’s basketball in the state of Colorado.  The three-time Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference player of the year has now scored 825 points in 37 games (22.3 average).  Basketball Hall of Famer Becky Hammon had held the record since the 1998-1999 season when she scored 824 points in 36 games (22.9 average) for Colorado State.

Post-game notes provided by Chris Day and the Mesa sports information staff.

• The nation’s third-ranked and region’s third-seeded Mavericks hung on for a 65-64 win over national poll No. 1 and top-seeded Texas Woman’s University in the Pioneers Kitty Magee Arena.
• The victory sends the Mavericks to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for the second time in program history.
• That tournament will be played, beginning next Tuesday (Mar. 24).  The national semifinals are Thursday, Mar. 26.  The national championship game is Saturday, Mar. 28 at 1 p.m. Mountain Time.
• The Mavs last made it in 2013 and are the first RMAC team to reach the Elite Eight since then.
• They will learn their seeding and national quarterfinal match-up tomorrow.
• The Mavs are now 36-1 overall and have won 33 straight games, both of which are program records.
• They stopped the Pioneers’ 30-game overall winning streak.
• Olivia Reed Thyne played just 4:20 of the first half due to foul trouble but scored 21 of her game-high 23 points in the second half.
• She also recorded a game-high 14 rebounds to register her fifth straight double-double.  She has 22 this season and 65 in her career.
• She also had five blocks to match a season and career-high, including the game-clincher on TWU’s final possession as the Mavs held on for the 1-point win.
• Reed Thyne was named as the tournament’s MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by Mason Rowland and Hallie Clark.
• TWU had scored seven straight points to cut the gap to one and had a chance to win.
• Mason Rowland finished with 16 points while Hallie Clark and Brooke Eyre, who helped cover for Reed Thyne, both had eight.
• Rowland also had eight rebounds and was 8-for-8 from the free throw line as the Mavs finished with a 45-38 advantage in rebounding.
• The Mavs were also 14-16 from the free-throw line as a team.
• Mykaela Moore also had five points, seven assists, and four rebounds.
• The Mavs held the Pioneers to 33.8 percent (23-68) shooting.
• The Mavs held the lead for 25:59 of the game and trailed for only 11:18.
• The Mavs led by as many as 12 late in the third quarter, outscoring the Pioneers 18-9 in that quarter after leading 33-30 at the half.