COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team has won six straight games at home and is 6-0 on their home court against RMAC opponents after their 66-58 victory over Chadron State College.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final: UCCS 66, CSC 58
- Records: UCCS (12-7, 9-4 RMAC) | CSC (5-11, 3-9 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: UCCS improves to 30-16 in the all-time series against Chadron State and increase their win streak to five games over the Eagles dating back to February 12, 2022.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Friday night's contest was a sluggish start for the Mountain Lions as they only managed six points in the first six minutes of the game. Luckily for UCCS, their defense kept them afloat as the Eagles only had a 10-6 lead with 3:47 to go in the first frame. The closing minutes of the first would see the Mountain Lions go on a tear as they went on a 14-3 run that was capped off by a corner three-pointer from Emily Vidal with the assist coming from Mattie Busby. This push would give UCCS a 20-13 lead going into the second quarter.
- The Mountain Lions would grow their lead up to 11 in the first few minutes of the second, but the Eagles would respond by going on a 12-7 run to cut their deficit to just six with 1:54 to go before the break. UCCS responded well as Vidal nailed another three with the assist coming from Briana Knabe. Then with under a minute to go, Breelyn Robinson would hit a three of her own as Knabe assisted with this one as well. The Mountain Lions would go into the halftime with a 39-27 lead.
- The first five minutes out of the break saw the Eagles pull their discrepancy to under double digits but they'd quickly lose this momentum as Vidal and Amyah Moore Allen would splash back-to-back threes as they positioned UCCS up 51-36 with 3:32 to go before the final frame. Chadron State would remain in striking distance, but the Mountain Lions would take a comfortable 56-42 lead heading into the fourth.
- The Eagles would keep UCCS modest but were never that close to threatening the Mountain Lions lead. UCCS had a tough time shooting the ball in the fourth, but their defense remained steady as they forced six Chadron State turnovers in the final quarter. Jessica Nation would find Robinson for an easy midrange jumper with a little over a minute remaining to the seal the game and the Mountain Lions would hold on to win 66-58.
GAME STATISTICS
- The Mountain Lions forced 28 turnovers in tonight's contest and claimed 20 of their points off turnovers. UCCS' defense was extremely disciplined as they drew a handful of these turnovers on Chadron State offensive fouls and charges.
- UCCS saw big contributions from their bench tonight as all six players from the second unit would post a positive +/- with Vidal leading the charge as a game high +13. The Mountain Lions bench also outscored Chadron State's 30-11.
- The three-ball was hitting tonight for UCCS as the went 6-of-14 from deep with Riley Ottmann, Moore Allen, Robinson, and Vidal all contributing for a combined percentage of 42.9 percent from beyond the arc.
- UCCS maintained control of tonight's match as they lead the game for a total of 33 minutes and 48 seconds compared to Chadron State who only led for a total three minutes and six seconds.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Knabe's six assists tonight was a career high in a game as the freshman also notched six points to go along with two steals.
- With six rebounds tonight, Maison White has tied Valerie Romero for ninth place in total rebounds in program history with a total of 548 rebounds.
- Tonight's 28 turnovers forced is the second most that UCCS has forced in a game this season with highest coming against Chadron State on December 17, 2023, where the Mountain Lions forced the Eagles to cough up the ball 30 times. It is also the fifth time that UCCS has forced 25 turnovers or more in a contest this year.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions take on Colorado Christian University tomorrow night at the Gallogly Events Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The coverage is set to begin at 5 p.m.
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.
