COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team fell victim to a hot shooting Metropolitan State University Denver team that shot 55.0% from the field over the first three quarters of action to defeat the Mountain Lions by a score of 65-51 on Friday evening at the Gallogly Events Center.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final: UCCS 51, MSU Denver 65
- Records: UCCS (5-11, 4-6 RMAC) | MSUD (7-8, 5-4 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 12-43 all-time against the Roadrunners.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After MSU Denver's Tosjanae Bonds got the scoring started with a two-point jumper, sophomore Gracie Haneborg would notch the game's next five points off a three-pointer and a pair of free throws to put the Mountain Lions ahead 5-2 with 8:23 remaining in the first period. An ensuing 9-2 run gave the Roadrunners their largest lead of the opening quarter at 11-7, but UCCS would respond with a 9-2 run of their own that included points from five different players to regain a 16-13 lead at the 1:57 mark. The final four points of the initial quarter would fall in the favor of the visitors as MSU Denver claimed a one-point lead at 17-16. UCCS shot just 26.7 percent (4-15) from the floor in the first quarter but took advantage of Roadrunner foul trouble by hitting 7-of-10 free throws.
- The Roadrunners continued their momentum after the break, knocking down the first six points of the second quarter and extending their lead to 23-16. After a jumper from Alexa Dominguez with 6:36 on the clock cut the UCCS deficit to five points, MSU Denver continued to pull away as they rattled off eight of the next ten points to push their advantage to 31-20. The teams would trade buckets for the remainder of the period until MSU Denver's Kendra Parr hit a pair of free throws with just four seconds left on the clock to give the Roadrunners a 13-point lead, 37-24, heading into the intermission.
- The first two minutes coming out of halftime belonged to MSU Denver as they claimed the first four points of the third quarter to make it a 17-point game, but UCCS followed with a 7-0 scoring run that was capped by a short jumper off the fingers of Maison White to bring the deficit to just ten points, 41-31, with 5:20 left in the period. The Roadrunners, however, continued to flash their offensive potential for the remainder of the third period, going 5-of-5 from the field as they ended the quarter with a 53-37 advantage.
- Trailing by 16 points at the start of the final period, the UCCS defense went to work as they held the Roadrunners without a score until the 5:23 mark while four points from freshman Emily Hovasse helped the Mountain Lions get within 12 points at 53-41. A late run of six unanswered points from UCCS would make it an eight-point game with 1:52 remaining, but the Roadrunners were rock solid in the free throw game down the stretch, going 6-of-6 from the line as they closed out a 65-51 victory.
GAME STATISTICS
- Haneborg was the leading scorer for the Mountain Lions, notching 13 points while adding seven rebounds and three steals.
- White recorded her ninth double-double of the season after scoring ten points and pulling down a team-high 11 boards.
- In just 14 minutes of action, Hovasse tied her career-high with eight points while going 4-of-9 from the floor.
- The Mountain Lions outrebounded the Roadrunners 38-31, with 17 of their 38 boards coming on the offensive end.
- UCCS shot 31.6% from the field after making 18 of their 57 shot attempts. At the charity stripe, they made 13-of-18 free throws for a 72.2% clip.
- Parra scored a game-high 28 points for the Roadrunners, sinking 9-of-17 shots from the field with a trio of three-pointers.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Today marked the third consecutive game that White has recorded a double-double and was the seventh time in the last eight games that she has reached the mark.
- With 13 points, Haneborg has tallied at least ten points in five of her past six games while averaging 12.5 points per game in that span.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will be back on the court tomorrow evening to take on No. 9 nationally ranked Colorado School of Mines for a 5 p.m. tip off at the Gallogly Events Center.
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.
