COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball got off on the right foot to start their home schedule as they defeated Northern New Mexico College 69-64.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final: UCCS 69, NNMC 64
- Records: UCCS (2-1, 0-0 RMAC) | NNMC (1-6, 0-0 CAC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: This was the Mountain Lions fifth straight victory over Northern New Mexico College and now hold a 5-0 record against the Eagles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first home game for the Mountain Lions season began with UCCS grabbing the early lead as newcomers Xavier Martinez and Hannes Saar connected for a wide-open layup on the Mountain Lions first possession of the game. UCCS kept up the offensive push as they took an 11-4 lead with 16:47 to go in the first half. The Eagles made their own push to pull the lead closer over the next few minutes, but the Mountain Lions would be on the attack again as they went on a 6-0 run to put them up 18-9 with just under 12 minutes to go in the first frame.
- The Mountain Lions closed out the half strong thanks to three-pointers made from Joseph Dalton and Shareef Jaudon, both assisted by Martinez, and a pair of free throws sunk by former high school teammates, Will Becker and Kyle Cabs. UCCS would carry a 33-20 lead heading into the break.
- Out of the half, Martinez found Mac Stodart for a three that would give the Mountain Lions a 16-point lead. A few minutes later, Noah Bacca assisted Saar on a layup to give the Mountain Lions a 17-point lead and their biggest lead of the night. Despite the deficit, NNMC kept themselves in striking distance as they went on a 16-13 run for the next eight and half minutes of play, making themselves only down 10 points heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
- The two teams traded blows over the next 10 minutes, but the Mountain Lions were able to maintain the lead despite the aggressive full court defense the Eagles were displaying. With about two minutes remaining, Becker found Saar in transition as the junior transfer threw down an emphatic dunk in traffic to keep UCCS up 10. NNMC got themselves a few buckets with just a minute remaining, but eventually, with no time left on the shot clock, the Mountain Lions would end up holding the ball to secure the 69-64 victory.
GAME STATISTICS
- Saar led the team in scoring tonight with 12 points while Stodart added 11, Dalton contributed 10, and Becker produced eight to go along with a team high in rebounds with 10.
- The Mountain Lions held the advantage in field goal percentage (49 percent-38.5 percent), in total rebounds (39-36), bench points (28-8), and in assists (22-10).
- Neither team shot the ball particularly well from deep tonight as the Mountain Lions were 6-of-24 (24 percent) from beyond the arc while the Eagles shot 3-of-15 (20 percent) from long range.
- The Mountain Lions found a way to win tonight despite having more turnovers (19-10), less points from turnovers (25-8), less offensive boards (12-7), and less second chance points (11-6).
- The Mountain Lions had a ton of production from the bench tonight as they outscored NNMC's bench 28-8.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With six assists tonight, freshman point guard Xavier Martinez dished out the most assists he's had in a game on his young career.
- William Becker has had a strong start on the boards this year as he's had three straight games with 10 rebounds or more and is averaging 13 a game on the early season.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions take on Colorado School of Mines next time on the court on Saturday, November 18th at 3 p.m. at Gallogly Events Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
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 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
