GUNNISON, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball closed out the 2022 portion of their schedule on a high note Friday night as the Mountain Lions defeated Western Colorado University on the road after leading for over 39 minutes in the 79-63 win.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: UCCS 79, WCU 63
Records: UCCS (10-3, 4-2 RMAC), WCU (2-8, 0-6 RMAC)
Location: Paul Wright Gym| Gunnison, Colo.
Series: The Mountain Lions lead in the all-time series against WCU, 27-18, with the Mountain Lions having won the last six matchups.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The Mountain Lions came out rested and ready to go against Western Colorado as a strong display of defensive play resulted in the first points of the game for UCCS as
Jezza McKenzie came up with a steal which turned into two points for
Mac Stodart whose night was just getting started in the 2-0 lead.
• UCCS challenged the Mountaineers in the paint early with
Beni Fungula working his way to the charity stripe four different times leading into the 11:16 media timeout with Fungula knocking down six of them before McKenzie showed his smooth work under the basket for a reverse layup to make it a commanding 24-11 lead at the break.
• Stellar play on both sides of the ball continued through the first half for the Mountain Lions as WCU didn't find their first three-pointer until the 9:17 mark with UCCS following it up with some ore offense of their own that included an 11-2 run and 18-point lead into the 4:43 mark, 37-19.
• Stodart helped close out what was a dominant opening 20 minutes by posting nine more points for 18 first half points to boost a 55.6 field goal percentage for the Mountain Lions while shutting WCU down to 22.6 percent from the field for a 46-31 lead at halftime.
• Out of the intermission, WCU found an offensive spark and proceeded to hit back-to-back three-pointers leading to an 8-0 run to bring the game back within a single-digit deficit at 46-39 just 90 seconds into the half.
• But the Mountain Lion defense quickly cooled off the Mountaineers as they went the next five minutes and 24 seconds scoreless with Becker answering a knock-down jumper and Fungula notching his first steal of the game then slamming it home for the dunk at 17:15 to maintain a 13-point lead, making it 52-39.
• WCU was able to climb back to seven points once again with just under 11 minutes remaining, but the UCCS offense ignited and answered with a 22-8 run that lasted over six minutes as the Mountain Lions shot lights out with 7-of-8 from the field, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
William Becker started the run with a layup and ended the run with a dunk to give UCCS their largest lead of the game at 75-54 with 4:46 left to play.
• UCCS managed to keep a firm grasp on the lead and maintain the double-digit lead as the Mountain Lions ended 2022 with the 79-63 lead.
STATS FROM THE DAY:
• UCCS was efficient from the field shooting 48.2 percent as the Mountain Lions limited the Mountaineers to minimal 29.7 percent. WCU took the advantage in free throw percentage by outshooting UCCS 75.9 percent to 73.1 percent. From three-point range, UCCS shot 35.3 percent with WCU shooting a low 15.0 percent.
• UCCS outrebounded WCU 42-40 in the win with
William Becker notching a team-high eight rebounds, and WCU's Robel Desta recording a game-high 12 rebounds.
• Pacing the Mountain Lions in points Friday night was
Mac Stodart who shot 6-of-9 from the field, 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, and 8-of-8 from the charity stripe for 22 points.
• Fellow sophomore
Jezza McKenzie was impressive in all facets of the game as he shot a perfect 4-of-4 from the field including two treys for 10 points while also notching a game high seven assists, two blocks, and three steals.
• Beni Fungula broke double-digits in points with 13 on the night as he went 7-of-12 from the charity stripe and added four rebounds.
• UCCS held the lead for an incredible 39 minutes and 18 seconds in the game.
BEYOND THE BOX:
• Mac Stodart set a new career high in free throws made and free throw attempts in his third 20-point game of his career.
• Jezza McKenzie tied his career high in assists, steals, and blocks on Friday night.
• UCCS held WCU to their lowest three-point percentage of the season.
• The Mountain Lions posted a 16-point win over the Mountaineers for the second straight time (Feb. 4, 2022).
• UCCS committed a season-high 23 personal fouls.
UP NEXT:
UCCS Men's Basketball is back inside Gallogly Events Center Tuesday, Jan. 3 as they host Chadron State College at 3 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.
