Box Score COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. –  The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team lands big win in regular season finale as they take down the visiting South Dakota School of Mines Hardrockers 80-61 on senior night.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: UCCS 80, SDSM 61
Records: UCCS (20-8, 15-7 RMAC), SDSM (9-18, 7-14 RMAC)
Facility: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
All-Time Series: UCCS improves to 9-5 in the history of the matchup against SDSM and have now won five of their last seven against the Hardrockers.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• It only took five seconds for the Mountain Lions to get on the board tonight as the opening tip found Jezza McKenzie on the move towards the basket. He lobbed one up for an alley-oop but instead found himself sinking a three-point shot to give UCCS the early lead.
• The Hardrockers would keep pace with the Mountain Lions as the lead did not favor either side by more than five points through the first nine minutes of the game. Wyatt Dolberry hit his first three of the night at 11:10 in the first half to put the Mountain Lions up one.
• Near the end of the first half, Geoff Kelly was driving to the hoop on a fastbreak when Jon'il Fugett fired a beautiful pass to Kelly in stride as he finished the play with a layup with just over two minutes remaining in the half. The two sides would trade buckets and then the scoring was capped after Fugett nailed an open three-point look off the feed from Parker Gaddis to give the Mountain Lions a 35-24 lead at halftime.
• The Hardrockers would not allow UCCS to get further ahead than they already were to open the second half. The momentum started to swing in the Mountain Lions' direction after Bobby Martin intercepted a pass while defending the paint and was able to get the ball moving down the court which resulted in three points from the hands of Mac Stodart.
• Dolberry heated up after Gaddis found the forward driving towards the hoop who then layed one in off the backboard with his left hand and drew the foul for the and-one chance, which he converted with 13:55 on the clock.
• While the offense was putting on a show in the second half, the defense also stepped up as Devin Smith blocked a shot in the paint. The ball was picked up by the Mountain Lions and led to another fastbreak bucket which had Fugett finding Cameron Underwood down low for an easy bucket to put the Mountain Lions up 65-48 with almost nine minutes left in regulation.
• The defense would continue to lock it down for the remainder of the game. In the final minutes of the half, both Parker Gaddis and Geoff Kelly each got a proper send off as the only two graduating seniors were subbed out to standing ovations from the fans. The Mountain Lions would emerge victorious as the buzzer sounded with the scoreboard reading 80-61.

 
STATS FROM THE GAME:

• All but two Mountain Lions on the roster recorded at least one bucket in tonight's match. Alijah Comithier led the way with 15 points, with Jon'il Fugett closely behind with 13, and Wyatt Dolberry also eclipsing the double-digit mark with 12 points of his own.
• Fugett dished the ball around well tonight as he registered a team high six assists. Parker Gaddis also found open men consistently as he collected five assists.
• The Mountain Lions protected the ball well in the second half. After turning the ball over seven times through the first 20 minutes, they only committed one turnover in the second half and did not let the Hardrocker defense gather any points off the blunder.
• Dolberry tied for the team lead in three point makes tonight with three shots made from beyond the arc. Mac Stodart was the other Mountain Lion to tie for team lead in three-pointers.
• Geoff Kelly was outstanding on the boards as he led the team with six rebounds, the second most he has recorded in a game this season.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• The Mountain Lions shot 50.8 percent from the field as a team in tonight's game. This improves their record to a perfect 12-0 on the season when they shoot at least 50 percent in a game from the field as a unit.
• UCCS stays hot as they improve to 11-2 in their last 13 games dating back to January 17^th, 2022, and currently sit it in fourth in the RMAC standings.
• Alijah Comithier has now scored at least 15 points in a game 22 times this season. His 558 points in the regular season currently ranks second in the RMAC as he now averages 20.7 points per game.
• With six tonight, Jon'il Fugett now ranks fourth in the RMAC with 98 assists on the season.

 
UP NEXT:

• The Mountain Lions next game is to be determined. They have qualified for the RMAC playoffs and await the final standings to solidify to draw their first opponent. The RMAC conference office is expected to release the final standings over the weekend. Stay tuned to GoMountainLions.com for any postseason updates.

 
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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.