PUEBLO, Colo. – Emporia State University jumped to a 7-0 run over the University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team, and the Mountain Lions were unable to recover as they fell to the Hornets, 80-64, at the Colorado State University Pueblo Thanksgiving Classic.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final: UCCS 64, Emporia State 80
- Records: UCCS (1-5, 0-0 RMAC) | ESU (4-1, 0-0 MIAA)
- Facility | Location: Massari Arena | Pueblo, Colo.
- All-Time Series: Today's win by Emporia State ties the all-time series at 1-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Emporia State's Mary Lakes won the jump ball and tipped it to teammate Victoria Price for a quick 2-0 lead. The Mountain Lions struggled offensively to start the contest, with three of their first four possessions resulting in turnovers as the Hornets jumped to a 7-0 lead. Alexa Dominguez drew a shooting foul in the paint and made the second of two attempts to put UCCS on the board, 7-1. Maison White chipped in the first field goal for UCCS to bring the Mountain Lions within four points, 7-3. UCCS continued to chip away at the Hornets lead, starting with a steal from Sophie Abela who went coast to coast for the bucket. White added a fastbreak layup before Amyah Moore Allen stole the ball for another quick two points, bringing UCCS within two points of ESU, 11-9. The Hornets held off UCCS' comeback efforts in the first quarter, taking a 17-15 lead after the first 10 minutes of action.
- The Hornets netted four of the first five points to start the second stanza, but the Mountain Lions continued to draw fouls on ESU, putting the Hornets in foul trouble early in the period. Jessica Nation made three straight trips to the line, hitting 5-of-7 from the charity stripe. Nation put up a trey but was fouled at the 6:37 mark, making 2-of-3 attempts to bring UCCS within one possession of the Hornets, 21-18. ESU responded with a 9-2 run in less than a three-minute span to extend their lead to eight points, 30-22. Abela found a driving Farres who drew a shooting foul under the hoop and netted both free throws with 2:51 left in the half and put UCCS within six points, 30-24. Again, Emporia State responded, outscoring UCCS 9-2 to end the half, as all nine points came from downtown, giving ESU a 39-26 lead at halftime. Seven of the Mountain Lions 11 points in the second quarter came from the free throw line where they converted on 12 attempts.
- Abela registered the Mountain Lions first three-pointer of the game at 8:46 in the third quarter to bring UCCS within 12 points, 41-29, but ESU mirrored Abela's three on their next trip down the court. Both teams continued to trade baskets during the middle of the quarter that featured seven straight points by Moore Allen. Emporia State took their 13-point lead at halftime and extended it to 17 points, 57-40, after three quarters of action. Moore Allen accounted for nine of the Mountain Lions 14 points in the third stanza.
- Trailing 61-42 early in the fourth quarter, Breelyn Robinson hit her second three-pointer of the season and the second trey for UCCS with 8:11 left in the game to cut the lead down to 16 points, but the Hornets used a 7-2 run to push their lead to 22 points, 70-48, with just over six minutes to play. The Mountain Lions strung together a 10-2 run to take the lead down to 15. Moore Allen and Ines Latapia hit back-to-back shots, followed by another bucket from Moore Allen. Gracie Haneborg got into the action with a steal and took it to the rim for a fastbreak layup. Latapia capped off the run when she scooped up an offensive rebound from a missed free throw and put it back with 83 ticks left on the clock. Haneborg connected with Gaia Zimbardo for the final basket of the game as the Mountain Lions suffered an 80-64 setback.
GAME STATISTICS
- Moore Allen led UCCS in scoring with 19 points on 9-of-24 field goals. Five of her six rebounds came on the offensive glass. Moore Allen added two dimes, two steals and a blocked shot.
- Abela scored the second most points on the team after dropping in nine points, including one of UCCS' two three-pointers.
- White was good on 4-of-7 field goals for eight points to go with her six caroms and assist.
- Nation came off the bench to net eight points, six of which came from the free throw line.
- The Mountain Lions shot 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the floor in the final stanza and finished the game netting 40 percent on 26-of-65 field goals. Nation accounted for six of UCCS' 10 made free throws as they went 10-of-19 (52.6 percent).
- Three Hornets scored in double figures behind Faith Paramore's game high 20 points. ESU hit seven treys and made 17 free throws.
- UCCS out-rebounded Emporia State, 42-35, and netted 17 second chance points. The Mountain Lions outscored ESU on fast break points, 12-7, and points in the paint, 42-34, but ESU used 20 Mountain Lion turnovers into 24 points.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- White continues to lead the league in field goal shooting with 65.5 percent after knocking in 36-of-55 field goals.
- Abela ranks third in the RMAC in assist turnover ratio (3.3) and sixth in assists per game (3.3).
- Today's game marked the first time this season UCCS has not blocked at least four shots.
- Allen's six rebounds, nine field goals made and 24 field goal attempts are career highs.
- Nation tied a career high for made free throws (six) and added a career-high nine free throw attempts.
- The 42 rebounds are the second most in a game this season by UCCS.
- The 80 points allowed tied for the most points allowed in 2022-23 (Midwestern State).
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will open the conference season Dec. 2-3 on the road. UCCS will play at South Dakota Mines on Friday at 5:30 p.m., followed by Saturday's 4 p.m. contest at Black Hills State University.
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.
