COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Leading by two points with 6:05 left in regulation, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team scored 11 of their final 17 points from the free throw line to notch an 82-74 win over Westminster College Saturday night at Gallogly Events Center.
 
The win is the sixth straight victory for the Mountain Lions who improve to 8-5 on the season and 5-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. 
 
UCCS led the Griffins for more than 27 minutes in the game, including the final 10 minutes of regulation.
 
Holding on to a two-point lead with 6:05 remaining, Blend Avdili, who scored last night's game-winning three-pointer over Dixie State University, made one of his four treys on the night to boost the Mountain Lions lead to five, 68-63.  Titus Reed made his second free throw attempt on a two-shot foul for a six-point lead.
 
Jai Jai Ely netted two of his 16 points on the next trip down the court for WC, but Brandon Malone answered with a bucket from long range.  Malone attempted a mid-range shot and missed but grabbed his own rebound, followed by a three-pointer from DaRaun Clark's assist.
 
Leading 72-65, WC cut into UCCS' lead with a three-pointer of their own from Jake Connor.  The following possession for the Griffins ended with a defensive rebound from Ian MacDonald with 1:42 remaining.  MacDonald was fouled on the rebound and hit both double bonus free throws for a 74-68 UCCS lead.
 
Following a layup from WC's Connor, Malone drove the lane on the Mountain Lions next possession resulting in a two-shot foul.  After an official's replay review, the Griffins were given a technical foul which ended in Malone making four straight free throws to push UCCS' lead to eight points, 78-70. 
 
Fourteen seconds later, Avdili gave UCCS their largest lead of the game, 80-70, after he netted two free throws.
 
After a WC jumper, Clark went 2-for-2 from the line with 31 ticks left in the game to seal the win.
 
Avdili led all scorers with 24 points on 7-of-15 field goals (4-of-9 from long range) and all six free throw attempts.  He also dished out a game high five assists and grabbed three rebounds.
 
Malone scored nine of his 22 points from long range and was perfect from the charity stripe on all seven attempts.
 
Padiet Wang made 5-of-8 field goals for 12 points and chipped in four steals, three rebounds and blocked one shot.
 
UCCS finished the game making 42.6 percent from the floor (23-of-54), 12-of-28 from beyond the arc (42.9 percent) and a solid 24-of-29 free throws for 82.8 percent.  The 24 made free throws are the most this season.
 
Warr led the Griffins with 20 points. 
 
Westminster outscored UCCS in the paint, 28-12, but the Mountain Lions bench outscored the Griffins bench, 18-7.
 
The Mountain Lions will travel to Fort Lewis College and Adams State University Jan. 11-12.