COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team was stunned in the final second of the game as South Dakota Mines hit the game winning shot with .9 seconds to go resulting in UCCS dropping their RMAC opening game 70-68.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final: UCCS 64, South Dakota Mines 66
- Records: UCCS (4-3, 0-1 RMAC) | SDSM (3-4, 1-0 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: The Hardrockers cut into their all-time record against UCCS as the Mountain Lions still hold a 11-7 advantage over SDSM.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Hannes Saar got the night started for the Mountain Lions as he scored the first three points of the game after a free throw and a pull up jumper. Saar would then assist Will Becker for an easy look at the rim as the Mountain Lions grabbed an early 5-0 lead. SDSM would take the lead with a pair of three-pointers and the two teams would trade blows over the first 10 minutes of the first half.
- The first half was as close as the game could be as neither team could pull away with a lead. At the 5:12 mark, after being down four due to a Hardrockers three, Saar would nail a shot from beyond the arc assisted by Mac Stodart and on the very next possession Stodart would finish a layup set up perfectly by Xavier Martinez to give UCCS a 34-33 lead with a little under five minutes to go. The Mountain Lions were up five late in the half, but the Hardrockers would overcome this in the last two minutes resulting in UCCS having a 41-40 lead going into the break.
- The theme of this game was the amount of lead changes and ties and that didn't change to start the second half. Jezza McKenzie got the Mountain Lions scoring started with a three-pointer after UCCS was held scoreless for the first three minutes out of the break. UCCS looked as if they were pulling away in this game after a 10-2 run was capped off by a Saar three ball set up by Noah Baca to put the Mountain Lions up 55-49 with 12 minutes to go and momentum on their side.
- SDSM had different plans though as they weathered the storm and kept the game in striking distance. For every UCCS basket, the Hardrockers had a response. UCCS managed to gain a three point with two minutes and thirty seconds to go but SDSM would tie it right away with a tough bucket and a foul.
- Jesse Iweze put the Mountain Lions up two after a layup assisted by Saar with under two minutes to go but this would be the last points UCCS would score on the night. After the Hardrockers tied it up with a jumper with 48 seconds left in the game, UCCS would get another opportunity to retake the lead but just missed. After a missed SDSM three, the Hardrockers would retain possession and after a timeout, SDSM guard Cameron Cohn would drive past a UCCS defender and lay it in with .9 seconds left on the clock. The Mountain Lions drew up an inbound play to tip it in for the tie, but just fell short, leading to the Hardrockers pulling off the 70-68 victory.
GAME STATISTICS
- Tonight's opening RMAC game saw the lead change nine times while being tied 11 different times.
- UCCS held the lead for 22:34 seconds with their biggest lead reaching up to six points. Both were bigger then SDSM who led for 8:49 total minutes in this game and gained a four-point lead at their highest.
- South Dakota Mines outshot UCCS from deep as they went 12-of-30 (40 percent) compared to the Mountain Lions shooting 7-of-23 (30.4 percent) beyond the arc.
- UCCS struggled from the free throw line as well as they went 11-of-21 (52.4 percent) from the charity stripe.
- The Mountain Lions won the battle in rebounds (40-36), points in the paint (34-24), points from the bench (28-7), and in fast break points (5-4).
- Four different Mountain Lions reached double digits in points tonight with those being Saar (15), Iweze (13), Martinez (10), and Stodart (10).
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Despite the loss, UCCS turned the ball over the least number of times they have in a game this year, only losing the ball 11 times tonight.
- Freshman James Ellis recorded his first career points in tonight's contest ending the game with five points, two rebounds, one assist, and one three-pointer.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions take on Black Hills State University tomorrow night at 7 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.
