GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Elijah Ross tied the game at 73-73 with two minutes to play, but the University of Colorado Colorado Springs couldn't take the lead in the final minutes as the Mountain Lions (7-11, 6-7 RMAC) fell 80-75 to Colorado Mesa (5-14, 4-9 RMAC) tonight. Ross led UCCS with 18 points and added eight rebounds, five assists and four steals.

The Mountain Lions trailed by 15 points with 8:50 left in the first half before a nine-point rally brought UCCS within two possessions of Colorado Mesa at 26-20 three minutes later. The Mavericks took a 15-point lead again at 65-50 with 9:57 left in the second half after a 13-4 rally, but UCCS responded with 12 straight points during the next four minutes to cut the deficit down to three points at 65-62.

Eimer Lopez made it a six-point lead again for Colorado Mesa at 72-66 with four minutes to play. TreShawn Wilford secured his third double-double of the season with a three-pointer on the next possession to push his point total to 12. He also added a game-high 11 rebounds during the night. Blend Avdili made it a one-point game at 72-71 with 3:16 remaining as part of his 16 points.

A Mountain Lion foul sent the Mavericks to the free throw line, where they went one-of-two to make it a 73-71 game with 2:11 to play. Ross grabbed the rebound on the missed free throw on the second attempt, and went the length of the court to tie the game on a layup with 1:56 to play. Ross stole the ball on the next Colorado Mesa possession, but the Mountain Lions couldn't take their first lead of the game on the missed jumper, and the Mavericks retook the lead on a three-pointer with 1:02 to play.

A UCCS turnover, and a foul on the loose ball against UCCS, allowed Colorado Mesa to take a two-possession lead at 78-73 with 45.4 seconds left to play. Ross made a layup four seconds later to make a 78-75 game. The Mountain Lions did not foul, but the Mavericks retained possession after a missed layup with 24 seconds to play, and two free throws pushed the Mesa advantage back to five points at 80-75 with 19.5 to play. UCCS was only able to get one shot off and Colorado Mesa grabbed the rebound to secure the decision in Brownson Arena.

Ross finished with career highs in both rebounds and steals, and averaged six assists per game this weekend. He went 10-of-12 at the free throw line tonight. Justin Smith scored 12 points with the help of a six-of-six performance at the free throw line. Ian MacDonald made seven rebounds in his best performance since Dec. 10.

UCCS will return to Colorado Springs for two home games next week, and will start on Tuesday with MSU Denver. The Roadrunners (12-7, 8-5 RMAC) defeated Western State 75-60 earlier tonight.