Kirchoff Soars Against Eagles in Second Half to Lead UCCS to Historic Win

CHADRON, Neb. - The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team continues its historic run tonight, defeating the Chadron State Eagles 78-61 to improve to 13-4 for the first time in program history.
 
Nine Mountain Lions scored in the first half to help UCCS go up by as many as nine points en route to a 37-34 lead at the break.  The well rounded attack by UCCS was met with great accuracy as the team shot nearly 52 percent from the field and seven-of-nine from the free throw line.

Leading the way for UCCS in the first half was Hannah Knight, who recorded four rebounds and six points. Knight is the first Mountain Lion to record two double-doubles this season, as she finished tonight's game with 11 rebounds and 10 points.

Three other Mountain Lions collaborated for 15 points in the first half as Gabby Ramirez, Lauren Wolfinger and Tori Fisher each had five points. Ramirez finished with 11 points and shot three-of-five from downtown.

Wolfinger went two-of-three from beyond the arch in the game, to record 113th career made three-point shot. She ranks eighth all-time in program history and needs just two more to move into a tie for seventh.

Tori Fisher had a career-high 13 points in the game. She shot five-of-seven from the field, three-of-four from the free throw line and added five rebounds.

The leading scorer for UCCS shot just one-of-six in the first half, but Abby Kirchoff took over in the second half. Kirchoff exploded for 19 of her game-high 23 points and shot five-of-six from the field, two-of-two from long range and seven-of-eight from the free throw line in the period.

UCCS never trailed in the second half, but Chadron State was able to tie the game at 45-45 with less than 13 minutes remaining. The Mountain Lions regained the lead and finished the game on an 8-0 run. 

UCCS is the number one team in the RMAC for three-point percent and field goal percent and shot 42.9 percent from downtown and 46.4 percent from the field in the win tonight. The Mountain Lions also dominated the boards as they outrebounded the Eagles 43-28. 

Up Next: The UCCS Mountain Lions look to continue their historic run next Friday, February 1, as they host Western New Mexico (2-11 / 3-14 RMAC) for the annual Blackout Night.