Cold second half wastes Bain's effort
Jack Bain was a warrior, but cold shooting cost the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in the second half as the Mountain Lions lost to the Mesa State Mavericks 75-59 Saturday night at the Lions' Den.
CU-Colorado Springs shot only 28.6 percent, including just 23.5 percent (4-of-17) from 3-point range, in the second half as Mesa State aggressively defended the perimeter. Offensively, the burly Mavericks pounded the ball inside, resulting in a hefty 65.4 percent percentage (17-of-26).
"Our guys fought hard but we didn't defend as well as we needed to in the second half," said CU-Colorado Springs coach Marty Fletcher.
And nobody, Fletcher acknowledged, fought harder than Bain. The 6-foot-5 senior scored 27 points, grabbed 17 rebounds, blocked three shots and had three steals.
"(Bain's) been playing at a very high level," said Fletcher. "You have to understand that teams have been double-teaming and triple-teaming him and he's still doing an absolutely fantastic job."
Bain continues to make a strong case for an All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference bid. He came into the game leading the conference in rebounding at 10.4 per game. He was also fourth in scoring (17.8), and third in both steals (2.62) and blocked shots (1.15). All of those numbers were enhanced by his effort Saturday.
"Jack certainly has been playing terrific basketball for us," said Fletcher.
A layup by Jimmie Pack gave CU-Colorado Springs a 30-22 lead with 4:22 left in the first half. A pair of field goals by Andy Classic and four CU-Colorado Springs turnovers allowed Mesa State to end the half with an 8-0 run to tie the game.
The Mavericks opened the second half with a 14-3 run and never led by less than eight the rest of the way.
Dwayne Horn had 14 points to lead Mesa State (9-7, 6-3 RMAC). Classic added 12 points and a team-high six rebounds, while Russ Mendelsohn and David Dunbar each had 10 points.
Trey White scored a career-high 15 points for CU-Colorado Springs (3-12, 2-7).
"We need to play better at the defensive end next time," said Fletcher. "But I'm proud of the way we played and fought."
UCCS Players/Staff Featured | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Jimmie Pack | 4 | G | Jr. |
| Jimmie Pack | 21 | G | |
 | Jack Bain | 45 | F | Jr. |
| Jack Bain | 45 | F | Jr. |
| Additional News Stories | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2004 |  | Hammond named men's basketball coach | The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs announced Wednesday that Lance Hammond was named interim men's basketball coach. |
| March 9, 2004 | Bain grabs conference, regional honors | Having already secured a number of school records, senior forward Jack Bain added conference and regional honors to his resume this week. | |
| February 27, 2004 | Seniors shine in loss | Seniors Jack Bain, Casey Gutting and Jimmie Pack combined for 42 points in the final game of their collegiate careers, a 102-63 defeat at the hands of the Mesa State Mavericks. | |
| February 24, 2004 | Another Bain record leads to second stright win | Jack Bain, who has set record after record during this, his senior season, saved his best for last. And a capacity senior night crowd of 304 watched in amazement as Bain grabbed one more record. | |
| February 21, 2004 | Win feels might fine for men's basketball | Few teams ever deserved a win more than the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs men's basketball team. When it came, few teams could have enjoyed it more. | |
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