Sherk's sharpshooting not enough as Mountain Lions can't finish comeback

DENVER - Alex Sherk scored a career-high 14 points but the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs couldnâ€^TMt recover from a big deficit and lost 86-66 to the Metro State Roadrunners Friday evening at Auraria Fieldhouse.

The Mountain Lions dug themselves a first-half chasm from which they wouldnâ€^TMt escape. UCCS made just seven of its 25 field goal attempts in the opening period as Metro State built an 18-point advantage. UCCS cut that lead down to as few as six in the second half but could get no closer.

“We just came out lackluster again,” said UCCS coach Jessika Caldwell. “In the last three games, the first half has really killed us.”

Sherk went 5-for-7 from the field, including 4-for-5 on 3-pointers. The freshman from Bellevue, Wash., had not scored more than five points in a game prior to Friday.

“We told Sherk that if she played good defense and shot the ball, she was going to get a chance,” said Caldwell. “She showed us a lot today.”

Mallory Lowe added 11 points for UCCS (6-10, 4-4 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference), while Jazzmin Awa-Williams had 10. Nancy Hoist had a game-high eight rebounds and Janean Jubic had four assists.

Jasmine Cervantes led Metro State (8-9, 6-3 RMAC) with 18 points and seven assists. Sharay Selsor scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half, while Megan Sinclair added 16 points.

UCCS opened the game ice cold, making just three of its first 15 shots, a frigid stretch that allowed Metro State to race to a 29-8 lead.

Five points by Janean Jubic sparked an 9-0 run as the Mountain Lions narrowed the gap to 29-17. The Roadrunners, however, answered with a period-closing 13-7 run that gave them a 42-24 lead going into the intermission.

UCCS unveiled an active full-court trap to open the second half and it paid dividends. After chipping away early in the half, the Mountain Lions forced turnovers on eight straight possessions, the last of which turned into a Mallory Lowe layup and cut the Metro State lead to 54-48.

But the level of energy expended to come back had its cost. Up 56-50, Metro State took advantage of the fatigued Mountain Lions to go on a 12-2 run which erased the effort to that point.

“Itâ€^TMs really frustrating,” said Caldwell. “We had a valiant comeback effort, but when you dig yourself a 20-point hole itâ€^TMs tough to come back from.”