By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Adams State University junior guard Kuuyani Anitielu and Colorado Mesa University junior forward Olivia Reed Thyne are the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference women’s basketball players of the week, announced Monday.
 
Anitlielu is the second Grizzlies athlete to earn one of the league’s weekly honors, joining teammate Elaina Watson. Reed Thyne nabs one of the weekly awards for the fourth week this season, including a sweep of the Dec. 30 honors.
 
Offensive Player of the Week
Kiiyani Anitielu, Adams State (Junior, Guard, Farmington, New Mexico)
Anitielu scored 52 points in a Adams State win against Westminster, breaking the RMAC single-game scoring mark that had stood since 1979. She went 18-of-29 from the floor, including 8-of-12 from three-point range, and added an 8-of-10 outing at the free-throw line en route to the first 50-point outing in Division II this season. On Thursday, Anitielu scored 24 points in a loss to Western Colorado, going 8-of-19 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. In addition to her scoring exploits, Anitielu averaged 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and had one block during the week.
 
Offensive Honorable Mentions: Haylee Weathersby, Black Hills State; Alisha Little, CSU Pueblo; Ashayla Powers, Chadron State; Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa; Jenna Siebert, Colorado School of Mines; Aspen Salazar, New Mexico Highlands; Athena Saragoza, Regis; Morning Grace Spotted Bear, South Dakota Mines; Allen Amyah Moore, UCCS; Rachel Cockman, Western Colorado; Teuila Nawahine, Westminster. .
 
Defensive Player of the Week
Olivia Reed Thyne, Colorado Mesa (Junior, Forward, Windsor, Colorado)
Reed Thyne led Colorado Mesa to wins at Fort Lewis and New Mexico Highlands last week as the Mavericks pushed their win streak to 12 games. Reed Thyne had 23 rebounds in the two games, including 15 defensive rebounds (7.5 defensive rebounds per game) while adding three steals and a blocked shot. She led a defensive that allowed only 63 points per game, including holding New Mexico Highlands to 55 points. Reed Thyne also had 34 points in each game, recording her 14th and 15th double-doubles of 2024-25.
 
Defense Honorable Mentions: Gracie Haneborg, Black Hills State; Alisha Little, CSU Pueblo; Megan Counts, Chadron State; Olivia Reed, Colorado Mesa; Josephine Howery, Colorado School of Mines; Jessican Bollwahn, Regis; Morning Grace Spotted Bear, South Dakota Mines; Breelyn Robinson, UCCS; Rachel Cockman, Western Colorado; Maunayia Harrigfeld, Westminster.
 

RMAC Women’s Basketball Approach – Week 13

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado Mesa University women’s basketball team pushed its win streak to 12 games and became the first team to secure a spot in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship last week.

The Mavericks look to track down their 12th RMAC regular-season title over the final four games of the regular season. Colorado Mesa’s magic number to win the title is down to three thanks to its 12-game win streak, the 10th longest active streak in Division II.

Behind the league leader, Western Colorado is on the cusp of securing its tournament berth, needing only a win, and Black Hills State’s magic number is two to secure a berth. The Mountaineers have steadied their ship over the last two weeks, winning four straight. Black Hills State ended January with a three-game losing streak but opened February by winning three straight – a win streak stopped by a Saturday loss at Colorado School of Mines.

Behind the top three teams is a group of 11 still in the running to qualify for the 2025 RMAC Women’s Basketball Championship as the week begins.

The 2025 RMAC Women’s Basketball Championship begins March 4, with each of the tournament’s top four seeds hosting a quarterfinal game. The four winners advance to the tournament’s final four, hosted by the highest remaining seed on March 7-8.

Lead Stories

Adams State’s Anitielu Breaks RMAC’s 46-year old Scoring Record

Adams State junior guard Kiiyani Anitielu broke the RMAC’s single-game scoring record with a 52-point performance against Westminster on Feb. 15. It broke the RMAC record set by CSU Pueblo’s Carroll Lillie in 1979 and is only the second 50-point outing by an RMAC women’s basketball player in league history.
Anitielu’s 52 points also are the most in Division II this season and the first 50-point outing by a Division II scorer since Shippensburg’s Ariel Jones put up 51 points against Millersville during the 2022-23 season. It’s the most points scored by a Division II player since Drury’s Hailey Diestelkamp scored 53 points against Rockhurst in February 2020.

Rebounding Battle Intensifies

• A quartet of RMAC athletes remain among Division II’s Top 20 in rebounding, separated by just more than a rebound per game. The RMAC and the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference are the only two leagues with four athletes ranked among the Top 20 in rebounding.
• CSU Pueblo’s Alisha Little remains the RMAC’s top rebounder and is No. 5 in Division II, with 11.8 rebounds per game (283 in 24 games). Colorado Mesa’s Olivia Reed Thyne is second in the league and No. 11 in Division II with 11.0 rebounds per game per game (253 in 23 games). UCCS’ Maison White is third in the league and 15th nationally at 10.7 rebounds per game (247 in 23), while Westminster’s Maunayia Harrigfeld is fourth at 10.5 rebounds per game (253 in 24), ranking 19th nationally.

CSU Pueblo’s Little Breaks Through 600-point Barrier, Jumps into RMAC Top 10

• CSU Pueblo’s Alisha Little powered onto the 600-point plateau last week and became just the 10th RMAC women’s basketball player to score 600 points in a season. She enters this week with 612 points, the second most in Division II this season and seventh-most in RMAC single-season history.
• Next on the RMAC list is UCCS’ alumnae Abby Kirchoff’s 633 points in 2014-15 and Regis alumnae Diana Lopez’s 649 points in 2005-06. After that, Little approaches her own single-season career high of 664 points set last season and which is fourth-most in RMAC history.

Colorado Mesa’s Reed Thyne Seeking Top 10 Scoring Season

• Meanwhile, Colorado Mesa forward Olivia Reed Thyne is also chasing a spot in the RMAC record book. She enters the week with 525 points this season, the sixth most in Division II this season. That puts her 75 points away from the RMAC’s 600-point club with four regular-season games plus the postseason remaining.

Regis’ Saragoza, Colorado Mesa’s Hayes Division II’s Top Three-Point Threats

• The RMAC boasts Division II’s top two three-point leaders in Colorado Mesa’s Riley Hayes and Regis’ Athena Saragoza. Hayes leads Division II with 3.09 three-pointers per game and is second in the league in three-point percentage (35.9). Saragoza’s 3.04 three-pointers per game are second-most in Division II, and she is third in the RMAC with a 35.1 three-point field goal percentage.

Keep an Eye On

• MSU Denver guard Mikylah Espinosa remains the RMAC’s steals leader and is fourth among Division II leaders in steals per game (3.67) with 66 total steals. Adams State’s Angeline Negeak is second in the RMAC in steals per game (2.81). CSU Pueblo’s Little is second in the RMAC in total steals (66 steals, 22nd in Division II) and third in steals per game (2.75, 26th in Division II).
• Colorado Mesa guard Kylie Kravig remains fifth nationally and leading the RMAC in total assists (147) and assists per game (6.6).
• Regis guard Erin Fry is the RMAC’s fourth-leading scorer (18.2 ppg, 24th nationally) and the league leader in assists (6.6 apg, 6th nationally) and leads the RMAC with 38.31s minutes per game – second most in Division II.

Double-Double Tracker

Streak	Team	Rank
Alisha Little, CSUP	20	1st
Olivia Reed Thyne, CMU	15	3rd
Taejhuan Hill, ASU	13	7th
Maison White, UCCS	12	14th

 

Win Streaks of Note

Streak	Team	Strk (D2 Rank)	Last Loss
Overall	Colorado Mesa	W12 (10th)	12/20/24 vs. #8 Pittsburg State
RMAC	Colorado Mesa	W13 (11th)	12/12/24 at Regis
Home	Colorado Mesa	W6 (24th)	12/12/24 at Regis
Road	Colorado Mesa	W8 (6th)	12/12/24 at Regis

 

Colorado Mesa Tabbed as RMAC Preseason Favorite

• After posting one of Division II’s top turnarounds, Colorado Mesa enters the 2024-25 as the preseason favorite in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Preseason Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.  Colorado Mesa, which made the sixth-largest year-to-year improvement in Division II last season (10.5 games), was the top pick of seven of the league’s 15 coaches and scored 187 of a maximum of 196 points.

• University of Colorado Colorado Springs, which enjoyed Division II’s third-best year-to-year improvement last season (11.5 games), nabbed three first-place votes and 170 points to finish second in the poll. CSU Pueblo received three first-place votes and 160 points to finish third.
• Adams State was fourth behind that trio of teams, receiving a first-place vote and 153 points. The other top eight teams included Colorado School of Mines (152 points), Regis (150), MSU Denver (107), and Colorado Christian (103).

About the RMAC
The RMAC is a premier NCAA Division II conference located in Colorado Springs, Colo., with 15 member institutions. The RMAC sponsors 22 varsity NCAA sports and has produced 67 NCAA Division II national champions and 54 national runners-up since 1992.
 
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