COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team jumped out to an 18-point first quarter lead against No. 9 nationally ranked Colorado School of Mines and managed to hold on down the stretch for a 67-64 upset win over the Orediggers on Saturday evening at the Gallogly Events Center.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final: UCCS 67, Mines 64
- Records: UCCS (6-11, 5-6 RMAC) | #9 CSM (13-3, 9-2 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: With the win, UCCS improves to 23-21 all-time against the Orediggers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Facing off against the No. 9 ranked team in the country, sophomores Gracie Haneborg (sox points) and Maison White (four points) ignited the UCCS offense for 10 quick points to help the Mountain Lions claim an early 10-2 advantage with 7:01 remaining in the opening quarter. After trading buckets for the next few minutes, UCCS continued to add to their impressive offensive effort as Sydney Nilles hit from beyond the three-point line and sophomore Alexa Dominguez converted a successful three-point play on a layup to extend the lead to 14 points, 22-8, at the 2:42 mark. With 1:38 left on the clock, redshirt freshman Breelyn Robinson hit on the team's second trey of the period to make it an 18-point lead at 27-9, and after Mines tallied the final four points of the quarter, UCCS carried a 27-13 lead into the second stanza.
- After four straight Mountain Lion points off two points each from Haneborg and White brought the UCCS lead back to 18 points, the tide began to turn in the favor of the Orediggers as their offense found a rhythm for a 14-2 run that cut the UCCS lead to just six points at 33-27 with 4:27 left in the first half. The Mountain Lions ended the half with a five-point scoring run capped by a three-pointer from Nilles that got the advantage back to 11 points, 44-33, going into the break. For the half, UCCS shot an impressive 15-of-27 from the field (55.6%) while making four of their seven three-point attempts.
- The Mountain Lions and Orediggers came out of the locker room trading buckets, with a two-point jumper from Agar Farres helping UCCS maintain an 11-point lead, 48-37, at 7:40. After Mines' Megan Van de Graaf scored four straight points to cut the lead to seven, freshman Rylie Ottmann got into the action with her first points of the evening as she sunk a three-pointer, getting the advantage back to double-digits. CSM would continue their comeback bid in the closing minutes of the third period, however, notching the final five points of the quarter to make it a five-point differential, their closest margin since early in the first stanza.
- Redshirt junior Jessica Nation got the Mountain Lions started out on the right foot to begin the final quarter with a bucket that pushed their lead to seven points, but Mines would not go away easy as they put together an ensuing 9-2 scoring run to bring the game even at 55 with 4:43 left in the game. On the very next possession, Robinson would find her stride for a strong driving layup that put UCCS back in the lead, and the next four points would also go in the favor of the Mountain Lions to put the lead back up to six points at the 3:24 mark.
- Once again, the Orediggers continued to show their resolve, battling back to gain a one-point lead, 64-63, on an inside layup with just 35 seconds remaining in the game. After UCCS called a pair of 30-second timeouts before the ensuing inbound, sophomore Farres received the incoming pass and drove to the paint for an acrobatic layup while also drawing a foul. With a successful free throw by Farres giving UCCS a two-point lead with less than 30 seconds on the clock, the Mountain Lion defense clamped down to get a stop and complete the upset victory.
GAME STATISTICS
- Haneborg was the leading scorer for the Mountain Lions with 14 points, while adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal in 17 minutes of action.
- Nilles joined Haneborg in reaching double-digit scoring as she contributed 12 points with four rebounds and a team-leading three assists.
- As a team, UCCS made 24-of-55 shots from the field (43.6 percent) and were 5-for-11 from three-point range (45.5 percent).
- Defensively, the Mountain Lions allowed the Orediggers to shoot 40.0 percent from the field (24-60) but were disruptive from deep as they held Mines to just 20.0 percent (4-20) shooting from beyond the arc.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The 12 points from Nilles was her second largest output of the season and marks the second time she has scored double digit points.
- The Mountain Lion's 27 points in the first quarter is tied for the team's second most in a single quarter this season, trailing only the 28 points that they scored in the first quarter of a 72-64 victory over Colorado Christian on Dec. 16.
- UCCS' made five three-pointers tonight and shot 45.5 percent from behind the arc, both of which are season highs. The five treys are the most UCCS has made in a game since Feb. 22, 2022 when they sank nine against New Mexico Highlands.
- Tonight's victory is the first win for UCCS over a ranked team under head coach Lynn Plett.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions head back out on the road next weekend as they get set to take on Chadron State College on Friday, Jan. 20 before battling Colorado Christian University on Saturday, Jan. 21. Friday evening's game is set for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off and Saturday's contest will begin at 5 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.
