GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. Every second mattered tonight (Jan. 28) against Colorado Mesa University, as it took a Brooklyn Seymour buzzer beater layup to defeat the Mavericks 61-60.

13.5 second left on the clock, Alyza Aikins inbounded the ball to Emmery Wagstaff who slowly dribbled to the wing, waiting for the offense to setup. Seymour popped to the top the key and drove to the basket 5.3 seconds left.  She stopped and got up a shot up just outside the paint, over a Colorado Mesa defender with 2.2 seconds. That shot deflected off the side of the rim, which allowed Seymour to get her own rebound and get off a reverse layup with .02 seconds. The ball bounced off the corner of the shooter's square and swished through the net as the Mountaineers walked away with a 61-60 victory.
 
JUST THE FACTS
Final Score: Western Colorado def., Colorado Mesa 61-60.
Records: Western Colorado 5-14, 4-10 RMAC, Colorado Mesa 7-13, 6-8 RMAC.
Location: Brownson Arena; Grand Junction, Colo.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was an action packed an exciting game to start, as neither team was able to take control of the game, leading to the score being tied at 14-points apiece after the first quarter ended. The Mountaineers had five different players contribute to the scoring in the first, being led by  Wagstaff who had four-points and  Aikins and Rachel Cockman who each had three-points apiece.
• In the second quarter, Western capitalized on Colorado Mesa's scoring drought, as Kylie Krise gave the Mountaineers a 18-17 lead making a second-chance layup and then Wagstaff scored Western's 21st-point converting the and-one bucket, giving the Mountaineers a 21-17 lead. A few minutes later that lead grew to 28-20 on a Krise three-pointer.
• Before the first half ended, Cockman knocked a three-pointer in the corner and Seymour made a second-chance jumper to give Western a 33-20 lead at halftime.
• The Mountaineers offense picked up where they left off to start the third quarter. However, the Mavericks offense also finally woke up after only scoring six-points in the second quarter. Early on both teams were scoring at will, as neither defense could stop one another.
• But, with 6:14 left on the clock – Western up 45-30, after a Wagstaff layup – Colorado Mesa defense finally stopped Western's offense, which allowed them to go on a 14-0 run to close out the third quarter.
• Up 45-44 to start the fourth quarter, things started out similar to the third quarter - both teams keeping pace with one another, resulting in the Mountaineers having a 50-49 lead with 6:58 left to play. Cockman led the charge early scoring, back-to-back baskets to keep Western up one.
• Both teams continued to battle and with 3:33 left on the clock – after being down 53-55 – Wagstaff tied the game at 55-points on a jumper. Colorado Mesa would hit a three-pointer on their next possession and then Mountaineers went on a 4-0 run, putting the score at 59-58 in favor of Western.
• The Mountaineers got a stop on the next Maverick possession after a Cockman blocked shot, which set them up to win the game.

COURT NOTES

• Wagstaff led the way scoring 16-points in the game, and got help from Cockman who had 14-points and Seymour who recorded 12-points. Wagstaff also led the way in the rebounding and steals department, grabbing nine boards and picking three pockets. Aikins was the team's leading shot blocker, sending two shots back.
• As a team, the Mountaineers shot 44.2 percent (23-of-52) from the field, 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from three and 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from the free throw line.
• For the Mavericks, they were led by Josee Steadman who had a team high 15-points. Megan Pohs and Monica Brooks were also a factor on the offensive end, pitching in with 10-points.
• As a team, Colorado Mesa shot 35 percent (21-of-60) from the field, 30.3 (10-of-33) from three and 100 percent (8-of-8) from the free throw line.

UP NEXT
Western returns to the road next week, taking on Chadron State College on Thursday (Feb. 2) at 5:30 p.m. and Colorado Christian University on Saturday (Fed. 4) at 5 p.m.