COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. –  The UCCS men's basketball team come up clutch late to complete a 17-point comeback and win 84-77 against the Colorado Christian Cougars.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: UCCS 84, CCU 77
Records: UCCS (12-6, 7-5 RMAC), CCU (5-12, 2-9 RMAC)
Facility: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions improve to a 20-35 record against the Cougars.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• From the tip-off, tonight's game had the appearance that Colorado Christian was going to run away with lights out three-point shooting. They knocked down each of their first four attempts from beyond the arc and got out to an early 12-6 lead.
• Three minutes passed and an eight-point run for the Cougars put them up 20-8. After a Devin Smith Jumper in the paint fell, Colorado Christian sunk two more from beyond the arc to give them a 16-point lead.
• The Mountain Lions would keep pace and slowly eat away at the lead down the stretch in the first half. On their final possession of the half, Alijah Comithier put up a last second shot to bring the Mountain Lions within seven down 40-33 going into halftime.
• The scoring would go back and forth to open the second half, withthe Mountain Lions trying to cut even more into the Cougar lead. But try as they might, Colorado Christian began to pull even further away as they took a 57-40 lead with a pair of free throws with 14:26 remaining in regulation.
• Despite the deficit, the Mountain Lions stayed resilient as Bobby Martin came alive with incredible three-point shooting while also weaving his way through defenders to put up shots in the paint and draw fouls. He capitalized on those shots by making his free throws and closing the gap little by little as time was winding down.
• A Wyatt Dolberry three-pointer brought the Mountain Lions within five with 9:11 on the clock. After the Cougars scored on their next possession, Martin got back to work with yet another three-pointer to cut the Cougar lead back to five at a score of 66-61.
• Shortly after, the Mountain Lions took their first lead of the game with a clutch three-point shot from Martin that brought the score to a 69-68 Mountain Lion lead with 3:39 on the clock.
• With the full court press in full effect, the Mountain Lions put immense pressure on the Cougars and limited their shooting in the final minutes of the game. They benefited off their stellar defensive play by forcing turnovers and turning them into points on the other end. The crowd erupted after a Jon'il Fugett shot from beyond the arc fell through the iron and broke a 71-71 tie with 2:26 remaining.
• A Bobby Martin steal gave Fugett another opportunity to extend the lead which he capitalized on with an acrobatic jump shot inside the paint that he managed to sink.
• After an Alijah Comithier basket put the Mountain Lions up seven, the Cougars started to foul to force the Mountain Lions to shoot free throws in hopes of getting the ball back to retake their lead. Jezza McKenzie was the first victim as he was fouled by a Cougar defender, and he sunk both of his free throws to cap an 11-0 run with 0:50 left in the game which increased the lead to ten points in favor of UCCS.
• While the Cougars would do well on the minimal opportunities they had left, it wasn't enough to overcome the Mountain Lion lead. As the final buzzer sounded, the Mountain Lions emerged victorious, winning by a score of 84-77.

 
STATS FROM THE GAME:

• Four Mountain Lions recorded double-digit points with Alijah Comithier leading the way with 24 shooting 78.6% from the field. Jon'il Fugett was second on the team with 17 points with Bobby Martin short behind with 14. Jezza McKenzie was the final Mountain Lion to reach the mark with 10 points of his own.
• When they needed it most, the Mountain Lions sunk bucket after bucket as they nailed 57.1% of their shots from the field in the second half. Their hot shooting down the stretch gave them a shooting percentage of 50% for the game.
• The Mountain Lions trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half.
• Comithier led the team with nine rebounds, four of which coming on the offensive side.
• The Mountain Lions dominated in the paint with 38 of their points coming from down low.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Bobby Martin scored 14 points tonight, all of them coming in the second half, giving him a season high for points in a game.
• The Mountain Lions collected nine steals in the game tonight, tied for second most in a game this season.
• As a team, the Mountain Lions shot an even 50% from the field. This marks the eighth time this season they have made at least half of their shots in a game this season.
• The Mountain Lions improve to 9-0 this season when they score at least 80 points in a game.
• With 11 made field goals tonight, Alijah Comithier sets a season high for field goals made in a single game.

 
UP NEXT:

• UCCS travels to Las Vegas, N.M. to take on the New Mexico Highlands Cowboys on Tuesday night, January 25^th, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

 
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.