UCCS dig too deep a hole
GOLDEN- Maybe it's appropriate when playing a team named "Orediggers," the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs should dig itself a very deep hole.
Behind four players with 16 or more points, Colorado School of Mines dumped the Mountain Lions 88-75 Friday night at Volk Gymnasium.
The Mountain Lions staged a late, dogged rally, cutting a 21-point deficit with 8:47 remaining to 10 at the 1:51 mark. The rest proved to be simply too much ground to cover.
"At this point, we need to just dig down deep and come out and play," said UCCS forward Kyle Perkins. "We can't get a big deficit and then decide to play defense.
"Our offense feeds off our defense."
Ian Elseth led Mines (11-9, 5-7 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) with 22 points and nine rebounds. Teammates Grant Gunhus (19), Kyle Pape (17), Franklin Ryk (16) AND Davey Iverson (10) all managed double figures.
The Orediggers came into the game shooting a meager 32.4 percent from 3-point range but hit 9-of-18, most coming like daggers when UCCS was trying to rally.
"The last few teams we've played have been shooting better than they usually do," said Perkins. "We have to play defense like we did at the beginning of the season. We fell away from that."
Although the Mountain Lions came into the game with an RMAC-best +4.7 rebound margin, it was Mines that won the battle of the boards, outrebounding UCCS 40-32. To be fair, though, the Orediggers spent more time on the Mountain Lions' backs than the Cosby Kids in a "buck-buck" game.
Where's Fat Albert when you need him?
Diminutive guard Nic Fuller led the Mountain Lions (14-7, 7-6 RMAC) with six rebounds. The junior from Castle Rock also scored a team-high 19 points. Perkins added 12 points, while Joe Scott had 11. Bly McGuire and Patrick Hannaway struggled to get 0 points each as the paint turned into a grab-fest.
A Joe Scott 3-pointer after a Patrick Hannaway tip closed the deficit to 45-38. Mines answered with a 13-0 run to blow it open. UCCS spent the rest of the game playing catch-up, but never got closer than 10.
That's what deep holes will do.
UCCS Players/Staff Featured | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Bly McGuire | 33 | C | Sr. |
| Bly McGuire | 33 | C | Sr. |
 | Kyle Perkins | 21 | F | Fr. |
 | Kyle Perkins | 21 | F | So. |
| Additional News Stories | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| October 22, 2007 |  | Lions help kick off Red Ribbon Week at CSDB | There are times when sight and sound are definitely overrated. |
| September 27, 2007 |  | UCCS men picked fourth in preseason poll | After qualifying for their second playoff berth in school history in the 2006-07 season, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs men's basketball team was chosen to finish fourth in the East Division in the annual Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. |
| May 30, 2007 |  | Hannaway named RMAC Scholar-Athlete | Patrick Hannaway was named the RMAC male Scholar-Athletes of the year for the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, the conference announced Wednesday. |
| May 10, 2007 | Caton Signs California Shooter | Having already signed five players, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs men's basketball coach made it a six pack by adding Jared Giammona, a 6-foot-1 guard from Santa Rosa, Calif. | |
| May 2, 2007 | | Hannaway awarded postgraduate scholarship | Patrick Hannaway became the first University of Colorado at Colorado Springs student-athlete to be awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship. |
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