LAKEWOOD, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team overcame a 13-point first half deficit with a 16-0 run and held off Colorado Christian in the final minutes of the game in a 79-68 victory tonight against Colorado Christian. TreShawn Wilford earned his fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds for UCCS (12-15, 11-11 RMAC).

UCCS and Colorado Christian exchanged the lead three times in the first seven minutes and the Cougars used a 13-1 run for a 24-11 lead with 8:25 left in the half. A jumper from Elijah Ross sparked the 16-point rally for the Mountain Lions during the next five minutes that put UCCS back ahead 27-24 with 3:55 to play. The Cougars retook a four-point lead with 1:27 to play, but the Mountain Lions scored the final six points of the half for a 35-33 halftime advantage.

UCCS gradually opened a seven-point lead with a 12-5 run early in the second half and slowly expanded it to 10 points at 57-47 with 9:26 to play. Colorado Christian held the Mountain Lions scoreless for two-and-a-half minutes and scored five points on its own to pull within two possessions at 65-59 with 4:21 left, and cut it down to a four-point game at 72-68 with 2:30 to play. The Mountain Lion defense held the Cougars scoreless for the rest of the night and UCCS scored the final seven points of the game to claim the 79-68 road win.

The Mountain Lions took advantage of 30 free throw attempts and converted on 20 of them, while Colorado Christian only made nine of its 19 attempts. Wilford went seven-of-10 tonight and Geoff Kelly scored six of his eight points at the line.

Blend Avdili led the UCCS offense with 16 points in his best scoring night since 16 at Black Hills State on Feb. 4. Brand Malone added 11 points, with nine on a three-of-six performance at the three-point line. Elijah Ross made seven assists in his best performance since Jan. 20, at Western State.

The Mountain Lions finished the regular season in a tie with Colorado Christian, but the Cougars earned the tiebreaker on the approved rating system that ranks wins and loses based on results and the strength of the opponents. UCCS will be the No. 7 seed in the 2017 RMAC Tournament, and will face second-seeded Fort Lewis on Tuesday at 7 p.m., in Durango, Colo., in the quarterfinal round. The Skyhawks won the only meeting of the season 83-79 on Jan. 7, in Colorado Springs.