Box Score COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team took care of business Saturday night against Colorado Christian University after shooting a staggering 81 percent in the second half to carry them to the 81-69 victory.


INSIDE THE MATCHUP 

• Final: UCCS 81, CCU 69
• Records: UCCS (10-10, 6-8 RMAC) | CCU (8-11, 4-9 RMAC)
• Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.  
• All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions improve their all-time record against CCU to 24-37 all-time and capture their first win against the Cougars since December 16, 2022.

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• UCCS' David Jabedo opened Saturday night's contest by nailing a corner three-pointer coming from a slick pass from Noah Baca which would kickstart a 9-5 run to open the game. The Cougars kept things close though and would only be down a point (16-15) at the 12:43 mark. The next five minutes would see the Mountain Lions find their stroke from beyond the arc as Shareef Jaudon and Xavier Martinez would hit a combined three threes to help UCCS grow their lead to 29-18 with 7:22 to go in the first half.
• In response to this run, CCU would score eight unanswered as the Mountain Lions cooled off. Hannes Saar and Baca would close the half with a pair of baskets around the rim and UCCS would hold a 33-26 lead entering the break.
• Martinez would get things cooking on a floater to begin the second half and Saar would score seven of the next 11 points for the Mountain Lions as they grew their lead to 44-32 with a little under 17 minutes to go in the game.
• Like they had much of the night, the Cougars turned up the intensity and would outscore UCCS by nine points over the next eight minutes and thirty seconds of play. With their margin shrinking to just three (58-55), Jesse Iweze, Martinez, Saar, Baca, and the rest of the Mountain Lions would surge to replenish their lead back up to 10 with 3:15 left in the game.
• The two teams traded buckets back and forth to close the game, but UCCS did everything they needed to protect their home court. Sinking all of their free throws in crunch time, the Mountain Lions would finish the night on top with a 81-69 victory.

GAME STATISTICS 

• The Mountain Lions couldn't be bothered by the CCU defense in the second half as they shot an unconcise 81 percent (17-21) from the field. On the night, UCCS shot 63 percent from the field, 53.3 percent from deep, and 71.4 percent from the charity stripe.
• Leading the way for UCCS in scoring was freshman Martinez, who tabbed 24 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. Martinez couldn't be stopped from range either as he shot 4-of-6 from beyond the arc tonight.
• Four of the five starters tonight were in double-digit figures as Martinez (24), Saar (19), Jabedo (14), and Baca (10) all made big impacts tonight. Iweze was just about there as he contributed nine while shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field.
• Despite capturing the win, CCU outscored UCCS in points from turnovers (22-18), points in the paint (40-38), second chance points (10-3), fast break points (14-3), and points from the bench (22-5).
• Efficiency would be the key difference between the two teams tonight as the Cougars shot just 46.4 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from range.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE 

• 63 percent from the field is the most efficient shooting performance for the Mountain Lions this season. Nearly 10 percent better when they shot 53.5 percent in a win against Navajo Technical University on November 11, 2023. Tonight also marks the first time this season that UCCS has shot above 50 percent from deep this year.
• After a career scoring game last night, Martinez' 24 is the second most points scored in a game for him this season. Martinez tabbed 27 points against Chadron State College on January 26, 2024.
• Saar's 19 points is also the second most points that he's notched this year as he scored 22 against Metro State University at Denver on January 19, 2024.  
• Jabedo's 14 points marks as a new season and career high for the redshirt senior.

UP NEXT 

• The Mountain Lions will now head to Las Vegas, N.M. on Friday February 2^nd to face New Mexico Highlands University at NMHU John A. Wilson Complex. The action is set to begin at 7 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.