Led by Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference players of the year Olivia Reed Thyne and Cameron Lowe, Colorado prep products have played a key role in leading Colorado Mesa and Black Hills State to the “Elite Eights” at the NCAA Division II Basketball Championships.
Of the 31 players on the two schools’ rosters, 16 are from the Centennial State. Reed Thyne from Windsor in northern Colorado is completing her fourth season with the Mavericks, while Lowe from Lewis-Palmer High north of Colorado Springs is in his second campaign with the Yellow Jackets.
Reed Thyne and her Colorado Mesa (36-1) teammates punched their ticket to the women’s NCAA Division II quarterfinals with a 65-64 win at Texas Woman’s University on Monday in Denton, Texas. READ MORE
Twenty-four hours later, in nearby Dallas, Lowe and Black Hills State (30-4) secured their spot in the men’s NCAA Division II round of 8 with a 76-62 win at Dallas Baptist University. READ MORE
With the national quarterfinals being reseeded, eighth-seeded Black Hills State challenges No. 1-ranked Nova Southeastern (30-1) on March 25 at 4 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pa. A day earlier at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, third-seeded Colorado Mesa meets sixth-seeded Minnesota Duluth (23-8) in Pittsburgh at 10 a.m.
The women conclude the championships in Pittsburgh with the semifinals on March 26 and the finals on March 28. The men’s semifinals will be on March 27 at the Cooper Fieldhouse, with the championship game on April 5 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. WOMEN’S BRACKET / MEN’S BRACKET
Ten of the 18 players on the Colorado Mesa roster are Centennial State prep products, led by Reed Thyne (Windsor, 22.3 points, 11.6 rebounds per game), Mason Rowland (Durango, 18.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists), and Mykaela Moore (Windsor, 9.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists).
Six of the 13 players on the Black Hills State roster are from Colorado high schools. Lowe, who transferred from Colorado State, leads the Yellow Jackets, averaging 17.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Douglas County graduate Jaeton Hackley contributes 12.6 points a game and guides the offense with 4.4 assists per contest.
