COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – It was a physical battle inside the Gallogly Events Center, as the University of Colorado Colorado Springs Mountain Lions squared off against Eastern New Mexico University. While both teams were grappling for position during the majority of the game, a huge fourth quarter elevated the Greyhounds to a 57-48 victory.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: UCCS 48, Eastern New Mexico 57
- Records: UCCS (3-3, 0-0 RMAC) | ENMU (4-2, 0-0 LSC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions are now 2-2 all-time against the Greyhounds of Eastern New Mexico.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Following a disappointing outing in their previous game, Eastern New Mexico came out hungry, turning defense into offense, scoring the first five points of the game. Following a turnover, the Greyhounds jumped out to a seven point lead with under two minutes to go in the first period. The Mountain Lions would respond, as Breelyn Robinson laced a three, coming off a great inside-out feed from Desiree Smith. Robinson would continue to put pressure on the Greyhounds defense, as the redshirt sophomore knocked down a pair of free throws to cut the lead to just two. With under 30 seconds to play, Robinson found Krystina Hagood for a three pointer of her own, as UCCS went into the first intermission, leading by one.
- The pace slowed down in the second quarter, as both teams attempted to find some rhythm in their half court sets. The Mountain Lions kept attempting to find Maison White in the post, but two quick fouls sent the all-conference forward to the bench with 7:39 remaining in the first half. Trailing by just three, Rylie Ottmann collected a long offensive rebound, and drilled a long range jumper to even the score at 20 points a piece. Neither team was able to find a flow, as they combined for 15 turnovers in the second quarter, landing the score at 22-22 going into halftime.
- Coming out of the break, the Mountain Lions ramped up the pace of play. White scored two straight baskets, including one in transition, to give UCCS their largest lead of the game, which prompted a Eastern New Mexico timeout. Both teams seemed to benefit from the higher pace, as the Mountain Lions shot 63.6% in the quarter, compared to 53.3% by the visiting Greyhounds. Two straight turnovers by UCCS lead to two easy buckets on the other end, as the Greyhounds found themselves up one going into the final frame.
- Despite forcing six turnovers in the fourth quarter, the Mountain Lions never got into a rhythm in the half court. UCCS shot a poor 2-10 from the field, with only two points scored in the paint. Meanwhile, the Greyhounds continued to attack the rim, scoring eight points in the paint and converting seven of their eight attempts from the free throw line. An 8-0 run late in the quarter buried UCCS, as the Mountain Lions fall to their in region foe, 57-48.
GAME STATISTICS
- Hagood lead the game in scoring for the second straight night, as the junior poured in 14 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. She knocked down a pair of three pointers, while adding one steal and one assist.
- White contributed 10 points of her own, as she also hauled in a game high eight rebounds.
- Robinson provided a spark off the bench, as she scored eight points on 2-3 shooting, to go along with a season-high and game-high three assists.
- The Mountain Lions shot 34.0% from the field, as the went an impressive 6-16 (37.5%) from behind the arc.
- UCCS forced 22 Greyhound turnovers, that lead to 14 points.
- Eastern New Mexico was lead by Deja Adrian, who scored 11 points, going 5-6 from the charity stripe.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Mountain Lions three non-conference wins are the most since the 2016-17 season, where they also won three non-conference games.
- UCCS had their second best shooting game from beyond the arc, as their six makes and 37.5% percentage were the second most in a game this year.
- Ottmann recorded a career-high two blocks, as the sophomore has equaled her block total from last year (3) in just six games.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will open the conference portion of their season this weekend at home. The Mountain Lions will take on South Dakota Mines on Friday, Dec. 1 and Black Hills State University on Saturday, Dec. 2. Friday is UCCS' annual Black Out night. The first 1,000 UCCS students to the games on Friday will receive a free Black Out t-shirt.
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.
