WICHITA FALLS, Texas – First year head coach
Misty Wilson led the University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team to an 83-65 win at Midwestern State University Friday afternoon, kicking off the Mountain Lions 2023-24 season with a 1-0 start.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: UCCS 83, Midwestern State 65
- Records: UCCS (1-0, 0-0 RMAC) | MSU (0-1, 0-0 LSC)
- Facility | Location: D.L. Ligon Coliseum| Wichita Falls, Texas
- All-Time Series: Today's meeting marked the third straight year the two teams have faced each other. UCCS has now evened the all-time series against MSU, 2-2, snapping a two-game winning streak by the Mustangs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Trailing 5-0 to start the game and after three turnovers on their first three possessions, the Mountain Lions settled in after Amyah Moore Allen hit a left-handed layup to give UCCS their first points of the season. Maison White followed suit with a bank shot in the paint to cut into MSU's lead, 4-5. Moore Allen added another bucket off a back door cut as White capped off an 8-0 run when Emily Vidal found her for a lob pass under the basket on an out-of-bounds play to put UCCS on top, 8-5. White's layup with 5:59 would be UCCS' last field goal of the quarter but the Mountain Lions netted three free throws to end the first stanza trailing MSU, 14-11.
- UCCS quickly warmed up from the floor in the second quarter, making 12-of-16 field goals (75 percent) and 5-of-6 from long range (83.3 percent). Rylie Ottmann found Jessica Nation that broke more than a seven-minute span by UCCS without a field goal. The Mountain Lions defense then forced a turnover on the next trip down the court that led to Krystina Hagood's first three-pointer of the afternoon. Hagood and Vidal hit back-to-back treys as the defense continued to lead to points on the offensive end. Vidal grabbed a defensive rebound and found Mya Wilson down on the right side for another three-pointer before Ottmann connected with Robinson for the Mountain Lions fifth straight three-pointer. A steal by Robinson with a minute left in the half led to Vidal finding White for a bounce pass under the basket as UCCS took a 41-31 lead into the locker room after outscoring the home team, 30-17 in the second quarter.
- Leading by 10 points to start the second half, the Mountain Lions grabbed a 17-point lead, 61-44, with 2:49 left in the third quarter. Coming out of a media timeout, White snagged one of her two blocks in the game after blocking MSU's Kerisa Amos' shot. White brought in the defensive rebound to find Moore Allen who dished the ball to Ottmann for a layup. The Mountain Lions outscored the Mustangs, 14-7, in a five-minute span as White, Moore Allen and Ottmann made three straight layups. With less than three minutes to go in the third quarter, Wilson blocked her first career shot at UCCS, grabbed the rebound and then fed Breelyn Robinson for a fastbreak layup, giving UCCS a 61-44 advantage after their final field goal of the third period.
- UCCS kept the lead in the final 10 minutes, hitting 7-of-16 field goals for 43.8 percent while holding the home team to just 3-of-12. Fourteen of MSU's 20 points in the final stanza came from the free throw line.
GAME STATISTICS
- White led all scorers with 22 points behind 9-of-12 field goals and 4-of-7 free throws. Four of her 10 rebounds came on the offensive glass for her first double-double of the season.
- Ottmann and Moore Allen each chipped in 10 points. Ottmann finished the season opener making 4-of-8 from the floor and stealing a game high three balls. Moore Allen dished out a career high three assists as she was near perfect in shooting, netting 4-of-5 and making both free throw attempts.
- All nine of Vidal's points came from long range. She added a game high five assists and pulled down three rebounds.
- Jessica Nation came off the bench to make four of her five field goals for eight points and added six rebounds, a steal and a block.
- Amos paced MSU's offense with 16 points on 6-of-17 field goals while her teammate, Zarria Carter, tallied a game high 15 rebounds.
- UCCS outscored the home team in the paint, 44-20, on fast breaks, 11-4, and the Mountain Lions' bench netted 32 points to the Mustangs' 19 bench points.
- As a team, UCCS shot 55.4 percent from the floor (31-of-56), including 75 percent in the second quarter (12-of-16). The Mountain Lions were solid from behind the arc, sinking 8-of-16 while making 13-of-22 from the free throw line.
- MSU finished their home opener making 25 percent in field goals (17-of-68), 16.7 percent from downtown (16.7 percent) and they made 29 of their 48 free throws for 60.4 percent.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Wilson chartered her first win as a Mountain Lion after winning 146 games at Tarleton State University.
- The Mustangs also had a head coaching debut with Brenita Jackson coaching in her first game at Midwestern State.
- Six Mountain Lions saw their first action for UCCS this afternoon: Vidal, Wilson, Hagood, Desiree Smith and Carrah Davis.
- White's 22-point, 10-rebound performance marks her 16th career double-double.
- Wilson is now 10-3 all-time against Midwestern State.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will head to Lawton, Okla. to take on Cameron University tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. (MT).
SOCIAL
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
