Box Score DENVER, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team were three points shy of posting their first road win of the season, but Metropolitan State University Denver closed the game with three made free throws to hand the Mountain Lions a 68-65 setback Thursday night at Auraria Event Center.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 65, MSU Denver 68
Records: UCCS (1-5, 1-5 RMAC), MSU Denver (7-4, 6-3 RMAC)
Location: Auraria Event Center | Denver, Colo.
All-Time Series: MSU Denver leads the all-time series with UCCS, 40-11. The Mountain Lions' last win at MSU Denver was Jan. 23, 2018; the Roadrunners have won five of the last six meetings.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Mountain Lions jumped to a quick start taking a 5-0 lead. Late in the quarter
Selena Cudney made a jumper to give UCCS their second lead of the game, 14-12.
Ellie Moore and
Kaity Hovasse kept the momentum rolling to start the second quarter with back-to-back baskets and an 18-12 UCCS lead.
With the game tied at 30-30 nearing the end of the first half, MSU Denver scored the final four points to take a 34-30 lead into halftime.
Trailing by five points in the third stanza, 38-33,
Jessica Nation made a jumper to cut the deficit to three points before
Abby Feickert hit two of her game high five three-pointers to help UCCS regain the lead, 41-39.
Down 51-50 to start the final quarter, both teams exchanged the lead four times in the first three minutes.
MSU Denver held a 63-60 lead with 3:45 left in regulation, but
Ellie Moore sank a jump shot and
Mercy Gonzalez made 1-of-2 free throws to knot the game at 63-63.
MSUD took their third and final lead of the quarter to break the 65-63 lead. Feickert netted her 23
rd point of the game with 77 ticks left on the clock, but the Roadrunners closed the game making three of their final four free throw attempts to seal the win, 68-65.
STATS FROM THE GAME
Feickert tied her career highs with 23 points and five made three-pointers. She scored four of her five treys in the third quarter. Feickert finished the game making 8-of-11 from the floor and 5-of-7 from behind the arc. She added four assists, four rebounds and a steal.
Hovasse came off the bench to net nine points, eight rebounds and dish out two assists.
Moore was strong defensively, accounting for three of UCCS' five blocks. She also had a steal, five points and two dimes.
The Roadrunners' Allie Navarette, the second leading scorer in the RMAC, led all players with 29 points and nine rebounds.
UCCS shot a solid 48 percent from the floor (24-50) but struggled from the free throw line, making 10-of-20.
The Mountain Lions capitalized on 14 MSU Denver turnovers to score 15 points. UCCS' bench outscored the Roadrunners by 17 points, 25-8.
UP NEXT
UCCS will head back North on I-25 on Saturday to play Colorado Christian University at 5 p.m. Saturday's game will mark the Mountain Lions fifth straight road game.
SOCIAL
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.