GOLDEN, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball four-game winning streak came to an end Saturday night. The Mountain Lions fell on the road to No. 7 Colorado School of Mines, 77-68.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: UCCS 68, #7 Mines 77
- Records: UCCS (11-7, 8-4 RMAC) | CSM (15-2, 10-1 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: CSM Lockridge Arena | Golden, Colo.
- All-Time Series: UCCS is 23-22 all-time against Mines.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Facing an early 8-3 deficit, Maison White drew a foul and netted both from the charity stripe but the Orediggers answered with a three-pointer. Back to a six-point deficit, Rylie Ottmann found Emily Vidal for a bucket followed by two free throws from Syndey Nilles, bringing UCCS within two points, 11-9. Down by no more than two possessions the rest of the quarter, Jessica Nation hit two free throws with 45 seconds left, putting UCCS within three points of the Orediggers, but a UCCS foul with one second left put the Orediggers at the line for two more free throws and a 22-17 advantage.
- Mya Wilson started the second quarter and put two points on the scoreboard from the free throw line before Krystina Hagood lobbed a pass over the top of the defense to White for a bucket in the paint. Wilson then gave the Mountain Lions their first lead of the game, 23-22, after pulling an offensive rebound and making a reverse layup with 6:53 left in the half. Briana Knabe kept the scoring going for the Mountain Lions, driving in for a layup and then a three-pointer from downtown for a 28-24 UCCS lead. Knabe's trey would be the last bucket of the half for UCCS and Mines ended the quarter on an 11-2 run, going 3-of-4 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
- Both teams combined for 26 free throw attempts in the first half. The Mountain Lions netted 13-of-16 while CSM was successful on all 10 attempts.
- On the Orediggers first possession of the second half, Hagood drew an offensive foul that led to a three-pointer from Nilles on the other end of the court. Nilles' three was answered by an 8-0 run from Mines, as their lead grew to 10 points, 43-33. The home team kept at least an eight-point lead for most of the third quarter, but a driving layup from Wilson sparked a 7-2 UCCS run that featured five points from White. Knabe ended the third quarter driving the length of the court and hitting a layup before time expired as the Mountain Lions finished three quarters of action down by seven points, 58-51.
- The final stanza started with a three-pointer from Wilson who drained a three-ball from the top of the key after Knabe snagged a defensive rebound and fed it to Wilson. On the next trip down the court, Wilson exchanged the favor and assisted Knabe for a layup as UCCS trailed by only four, 60-56. The Mountain Lions continued to inch toward the Orediggers lead as Hagood and Wilson combined for two jumpers and two free throws from Breelyn Robinson. Another free throw from Hagood capped a 7-2 run and brought UCCS within one point of CSM, 67-66, but the home team closed out the game on a 10-2 run to notch a 77-68 win over UCCS.
GAME STATISTICS
- White netted a team high 19 points after making 7-of-10 field goals and 5-of-10 free throws. She was one rebound shy of a double-double and added an assist, block, and steal.
- Wilson and Knabe each poured in 12 points. Wilson finished the night making 4-of-8 from the floor and 3-of-4 free throws. Knabe came off the bench to hit on 5-of-7 field goals and added four rebounds, two assists and three steals.
- The Mountain Lions made 23-of-52 field goals for 44.2 percent, 3-of-10 from behind the arc and 19-of-30 free throws (63.3 percent).
- Ashley Steffeck of Mines led both teams with 35 points. Steffeck recorded 9-of-18 field goals, 3-of-5 three-point field goals and made all 14 free throw attempts.
- Mines made all but two of 26 free throw attempts and 23-of-51 from the floor.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- White moved into the top 10 all-time list in rebounds. She has pulled in 543 rebounds and is ranked 10th all-time.
- Knabe and Wilson each set new career highs with 12 points each. Knabe also notched career bests in rebounds (four) and steals (three).
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions return to Gallogly Events Center next weekend, playing host to Chadron State College and Colorado Christian University on Jan. 26-27, respectively. Both games will tip-off at 5 p.m.
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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.
