PUEBLO, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball falls short in the second day of the Thanksgiving Classic as Texas A&M International University comes away with the win, 77-72.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: UCCS 72, TAMIU 77
Records: UCCS (5-1, 0-0 RMAC), TAMIU (5-0, 0-0 LSC))
Location: Massari Arena | Pueblo, Colo.
Series: UCCS now holds an 0-1 record against TAMIU.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• In a game that saw 10 lead changes and nine different game ties, it was Texas A&M International who established a first half lead, 34-30 after shooting 39.9 percent from the field with the Mountain Lions committing 17 turnovers.
• TAMIU traded three-pointers to start the game as
Jon'il Fugett made the only three for UCCS in the opening 20 minutes after scoring 12 of the Mountain Lions' 30 first half points. The back-and-forth affair with the Dustdevils eventually leaned in TAMIU's favor with their largest lead of seven points coming at 7:23, 22-15.
• Alijah Comithier and the Mountain Lions pulled off an 11-4 run to tie the game at 26-26 with 4:14 left as Comithier made six points during the run, including the game-tying jumper. Later, TAMIU worked back to a four-point led to head into halftime after hitting a made three with six seconds left.
• The second half remained a tight contest as well with Comithier turning it on for the Mountain Lions by notching a 20-point half to help fuel a 56 percent shooting percentage (14-of-25) as a team.
• Though the Mountain Lions shot over 50 percent, turnovers continued to plague UCCS after the Dustdevils registered 17 points off of 11 turnovers.
• The game was brought to a tie eight different times throughout the half with the game experiencing its last tie at 2:54 after Fugett hit a clutch three to bring the score to 69-69. The Dustdevils then scored four points off the fast break to claim a 73-69 lead with 2:02 left.
• With their backs against the wall, the Mountain Lions cut the TAMUI lead down to two points as Comithier drove to the basket to lay one in at the 50-second mark making it a one score game.
• UCCS followed it up by making a defensive stop and re-claiming possession to find themselves at the charity line where Fugett hit one-of-two free throws to make it a one-point deficit. In a must foul situation, the Mountain Lions forced Texas A&M International to the free throw line as the Dustdevils secured a perfect 4-of-4 shooting percentage and to record the win, 77-72.
STATS FROM THE DAY:
• UCCS out-rebounded and out-shot TAMIU 35-34 and 46.2 percent to 43.9 percent, respectively.
• Alijah Comithier registers a game-high 25 points after registering 7-of-8 from the charity line while adding six rebounds.
• Jon'il Fugett registers a season high 20 points after going 6-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
• William
Becker registered a career high four blocks as he went 4-of-6 from the free throw line and two-of-two from the field.
BEYOND THE BOX:
• The Mountain Lions are 2-1 against Lone Star Conference Schools this season.
• UCCS will be tied for second in the conference standings with New Mexico Highlands University, Fort Lewis College and Regis University at 5-1.
UP NEXT:
• UCCS Men's Basketball is now headed into conference play as they hit the road back to Pueblo, Colo. to take on Colorado State University Pueblo at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 3.
SOCIAL:
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
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.
