COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team lost handle of the game in the middle of the first half and had to play catch up the rest of the night resulting in them just falling short, dropping this one 93-86.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final: UCCS 86, CSC 93
- Records: UCCS (9-10, 5-8 RMAC) | CSC (10-8, 7-5 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions have now lost three straight to the Eagles but maintain the all-time series advantage at 29-17. Jeff Culver holds a 17-5 record as UCCS head coach versus Chadron State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UCCS opened Friday night's game on a 7-0 run as they got started with a James Ellis three-pointer which was followed by two layups by Hannes Saar. Chadron State immediately responded and got themselves going for a 11-2 run over the next three minutes of play. Xavier Martinez would capture the lead on a pull-up mid-range jumper at the 11:13 mark but this would be the last lead UCCS would claim.
- Following that jumper, the Eagles began to roll and would go on a 27-15 run to close the final 11 minutes of play in the first half. Chadron State got whatever they wanted in the paint in this stretch as they shot 12-of-19 (63.1percent) from the field to close the first. The Eagles would carry a comfortable 42-31 advantage heading into the break.
- To get the Mountain Lions going on the first possession of the second half, Martinez connected with Saar on a back door cut for a dunk. This play ignited an excellent run from UCCS as they outscored the Eagles 15-8 and would find themselves down only four (50-46) with 15:16 to go in the game. As was the case for most of the night, CSC would reply with their own run and increase their lead back up to 11 (68-57) with 8:23 to go.
- Keen to not let this one slip away, UCCS would aggressively attack the rim and reach the line for four straight points from Shareef Jaudon and Saar, followed by a mid-range bucket from Saar to cut their deficit to seven with 6:53 remaining in the contest. With little defensive presence in the paint tonight, Chadron State would collect more easy looks at the rim and grow their lead to 15 points over the next two and half minutes.
- The Mountain Lions bid from a last-ditch effort over the next minute with a three-pointer from Martinez, a lay-in from David Jabedo, and a Saar floater on three straight possessions to see themselves only down eight with 3:32 to go in the game. But this push proved to be too little and too late as the Eagles made the plays down the stretch that they needed to pull away with an 93-86 road victory.
GAME STATISTICS
- Martinez led all scorers tonight with 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field. Along with his 27 points, Martinez collected six assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block.
- The Eagles were on fire tonight from beyond the arc as they shot 7-of-16 (43.8 percent) from deep compared to the Mountain Lions cold shooting of 5-of-19 (26.3 percent).
- Despite the loss, UCCS outscored CSC in points from turnovers (25-17). The Mountain Lions and Eagles drew even in points in the paint at 52-52.
- The Eagles dominated in points from their bench as they outscored UCCS' second unit 35-12.
- Saar, Noah Baca, and Jabedo all found themselves in the double-digits in scoring as they scored 19, 13, and 12 respectively.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Martinez' 27 points was a career high for the freshman and his 10 shots made and 19 shot attempted are both season highs for any Mountain Lion this season.
- Even with the high number of points allowed in the paint, UCCS recorded the most blocks they have in a game this season with six in tonight's game. Collecting blocks was Martinez, Baca, Jaudon, and Jesse Iweze who notched three tonight.
- Chadron State's 93 points in tonight's contest is tied for the most points that UCCS has given up in a game this year as they also allowed 93 points to Midwestern State University on November 11, 2023.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will face the Colorado Christian University Cougars tomorrow night with the coverage slated to begin at 7 p.m. at the 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.
