Pardner Leads Mountain Lion Scoring in 68-44 Decision with #16 Chico State

Darius Pardner led the University of Colorado Colorado Springs with 14 points against No. 16 Chico State as the Mountain Lions (0-3) fell to the Wildcats (2-0) 68-44 tonight in the Carl's Jr. Mac Martin Invitational at Acker Gym. The Mountain Lions built up a six-point lead by the 15:27 mark of the first half, with two 3-point field goals and another layup by Pardner to start the game. The Wildcats responded with a 12-point run to take an 18-12 advantage during the next three minutes. The UCCS starters shot 47.6 percent from the field during the first half as Chico State continued to slowly build upon its lead for the 14-point lead at halftime.

UCCS outscored the Wildcats 12-4 in the paint during the second half and closed the gap to 11 points with just under 10 minutes in the game after a layup from Pardner. The Mountain Lions maintained a balanced scoring effort throughout the half and held Chico State to 29 points in the period.

Kyle Clark led the Mountain Lions off the bench with six rebounds and led UCCS in rebounding for the second straight game. The UCCS defense has posted its best scoring defense through three games since the 1991-92 season and the best in the Division II era.

Up Next: The Mountain Lions close out the non-conference schedule tomorrow night in a 6:30 p.m. MST game with San Francisco State. The Gators defeated No. 7 Seattle Pacific earlier tonight 60-55.