GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.— Battling back from a 12-point deficit to force overtime, the Adams State University Grizzlies were unable to overcome the No. 8 ranked Colorado Mesa Mavericks as they fell 80-66.
An 11-6 lead for the Mavericks came early but Adams State rallied back and cut the lead to just one 11-10. The lead grew substantially as a 6-0 run over two minutes forced the Grizzlies to take a media timeout to regroup.
The Grizzlies continued to chip into the lead as the third media timeout saw the deficit come down to a 22-20 score. The Mavericks then saw the Mavericks gain momentum as they battled to a 32-22 lead.
The Grizzlies were unable to close the gap to single digits to end the half as they trailed 36-26 thanks in part to being out-rebounded, 25-8, and outscored inside the paint 28-12.
After trailing by as many as 12 points, Adams State continued to cut into the lead and a 12-2 run gave the Grizzlies their first lead of the game 55-54 with 7:26 remaining. They led 58-54 before the Mavericks tied the game at 58 with 5:17 left.
Despite taking a lead 62-58, the Mavericks tied the game at 62 with a deep 3 at the 1:35 mark. Adams State missed a shot with 1;03 left to take the lead but on the other end three different opportunities by the Mavericks went by the wayside and the Grizzlies got the ball with 22.8 seconds remaining. The Grizzlies could not get a shot off and the game went to overtime.
The Mavericks made three big overtime 3-pointers and outscored the Grizzlies 18-4 in the extra period to improve to 14-1 overall and a perfect 5-0 in overtime.
Ethan Menzies had 22 points and nine rebounds on 11-for-16 shooting. Jared Small (14) and Georgie Dancer (13) were also in double-figures.
The Mavericks finished with a 48-26 advantage in rebounding.
Kalin Crane was the leading scorer for the Grizzlies with 20 points while
Destan Williams scored 15 and
Frederick Jackson scored 14.
Adams State will hit the road again this next week as they travel to Fort Lewis Friday and Western Colorado on Saturday.
