RAPID CITY, S.D. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball keeps the ball rolling as the Mountain Lions extend their winning streak to five straight games after handing South Dakota School of Mines a 69-61 loss on the road Saturday night.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
Final: UCCS 69, SD Mines 61
Records: UCCS (14-6, 9-5 RMAC), SD Mines (7-13, 5-9 RMAC)
Location: King Center | Rapid City, S.D.
Series: Under Head Coach Jeff Culver, UCCS extends their record to 9-5 against South Dakota School of Mines.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Saturday night's game got off to a slower start with four points scored between both teams in the first four minutes of play. That soon changed as the Mountain Lions then settled in to drain three consecutive three-pointers off the hands of Bobby Martin, William Becker and Mac Stodart to capture an 11-9 advantage at 14:04.
• As the Mountain Lions began to find the bottom of the net, so did the Hardrockers with the lead changing 11 different times throughout the first half, including a 17-13 lead off a 8-2 run from South Dakota Mines. Just a minute later, sophomore Alijah Comithier and junior Jon'il Fugett combined for UCCS' fifth and sixth lead of the game as Fugett assisted Comithier on a layup with Comithier dishing a pass to Fugett who hit back-to-back threes to make it 18-17 then 21-20 with 7:26 left to play.
• After the Fugett three, South Dakota School of Mines latched onto their largest lead of the game by riding a 51.6 shooting percentage from the field that helped push the SDSM to a 34-27 lead over the Mountain Lions, the Hardrockers' largest lead of the game.
• Trailing by seven with 3:08 left in the first half, UCCS' offense came back alive to go on a 10-2 run that consisted of four points from Fugett and six points off two treys from Jezza McKenzie to swing advantage in the Mountain Lions' favor heading into the half, 37-36.
• Out of the locker room, UCCS picked up right where they left as Fugett attacked the basket for a made layup and the and-one with McKenzie also driving in to lay one in for the 42-36 lead at 17:22.
• The Hardrockers continued to keep themselves in the game with the help of Kolten Mortensen and Alejandro Rama who combined to make eight of the team's nine field-goal attempts in the second half as SDSM forced a tied game at 10:22, 48-48. Both Mortensen and Rama matched made jumpers with Parker Gaddis and Comithier down the stretch to maintain a tie game before Rama completed the and-one play at 7:05 to give the Hardrockers a slight 55-54 advantage.
• Rama was able to hit another game-tying jumper at 5:46 shortly after Fugett put a quick end to the Hardrocker lead with a three-pointer, but Comithier and the Mountain Lions turned it up another notch by going on a 12-4 run that included eight points from Comithier down the stretch as William Becker registered a block that was heard throughout the arena to close out the game and seal the win, 69-61.

STATS FROM THE DAY:
• The Mountain Lions cooled off the Hardrockers' shooting from the first half by cutting their field-goal percentage from 51.6 percent to 30 percent for a final 41 percent from the field.
• Meanwhile, UCCS outshot SDSM with a field-goal percentage of 45.2 percent. UCCS also held the advantage board by out-rebounding the Hardrockers 37-31.
• Alijah Comithier went off for 13 second half points as he finished 7-of-11 from the field, 2-of-3 from the charity stripe, and tied for a team high seven rebounds to register 17 points for the game.
• William Becker continues to cause troubles for opposing shooters as he notches a game high three blocks while also recording seven rebounds, and six points, including 1-of-3 from three-point.
 • Jezza McKenzie shot an even 50 percent (5-of-10) from the field after making 2-of-6 from beyond the arc for 12 points and an added six rebounds.
• Jon'il Fugett put up a game high 18 points with 10 in the first half as he ended the night 7-of-13 from the field, 3-of-9 from three-point, and a team high two steals.
• Both Geoff Kelly and Fugett bagged a game high five assists with the Mountain Lions totaling 18 total assists to the Harrocker's eight.
• SDSM's Kolten Mortensen led all scorers by posting a double-double off 20 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 9-of-16 from the field.
• The Hardrockers held the advantage in points off turnovers (19-6) and points in the paint (38-36) with UCCS outscoring SDSM in second chance points (17-6).

BEYOND THE BOX:
• Both UCCS and South Dakota School of Mines each registered a season low seven free throw attempts tonight.
• The Mountain Lions extend their winning streak to five games where they are shooting an impressive 48 percent from the field in that time frame.
• Becker tallies his seventh game this season with three blocks or more.

UP NEXT:
• UCCS Men's Basketball will complete their four-game road trip on the Western Slope next weekend as they head to Western Colorado University on Feb. 4 and Fort Lewis College on Saturday, Feb. 5.
 
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.