HONOLULU, Hawaii – After not playing a Division II contest in 13 days, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball nearly overcame a 16-point deficit Friday afternoon, but fell short to Minnesota State University Moorhead, 62-55. The Mountain Lions, who never led against the Dragons, came within three points of tying MSU in the fourth quarter in their first game of the Hoops in Hawaii Classic.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: L, 62-55
- Records: UCCS (1-3, 0-0 RMAC) | MSUM (2-4, 0-0 NSIC)
- Facility | Location: HPU The Shark Tank | Honolulu, Hawaii
- All-Time Series: Friday's contest was the first ever between the two programs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Dragons of MSU Moorhead came out firing in the opening stanza Friday afternoon, starting the contest with a 13-0 lead. The Mountain Lions turned the ball over twice on their first four possessions leading to a 5-0 MSU lead. After going 0-for-8 from the floor, including 0-for-3 from behind the arc, Amyah Moore Allen gave the Mountain Lions their first points of the game on two free throws with 3:21 left in the quarter. Jayla Jackson-Allen hit the first and only field goal for UCCS in the first quarter with 1:49 remaining. One last free throw from Moore Allen gave the Mountain Lions five points as they closed the quarter trailing 20-5 after making 1-of-12 field goals and 3-of-4 from the line.
- The Mountain Lions started to claw back in the second quarter as Ellen Silva scooped up an offensive rebound and put it back in for two. On the ensuing possession, Moore Allen netted her fifth point of the game with a bucket before the Dragons rattled off five straight points to extend their lead to 25-9. Coming out of a media timeout, Breelyn Robinson found Gia Bradley who recorded her first field goals as a Mountain Lion when she hit back-to-back treys to cap off an 8-0 run and bring UCCS' deficit down to eight points, 25-17. MSU Moorehead responded and took advantage of miscues from UCCS, turning in two turnovers and two fouls from the black and gold into eight points. The Dragons closed out the first half outscoring UCCS 8-2 to take a 33-19 lead into halftime.
- UCCS came out of halftime and immediately put on the defensive pressure. Robinson nabbed a steal and fed it to Ellie Reynolds for a layup right before Reynolds snagged her own steal and found Moore Allen for another layup. Moore Allen then grabbed a defensive rebound and took it down the court to cap off a 6-0 run by the Mountain Lions just less than two minutes into the second half. Maison White joined in on the scoring action and netted her first bucket of the game after pulling down an offensive rebound and putting in back for two, bringing UCCS' deficit down to six points, 35-29. The Dragons quickly brought their lead back to double digits, 48-32. MSU made 5-of-6 field goals and turned two UCCS turnovers into four points over the course of three and a half minutes. However, the Mountain Lions closed out the third quarter on a strong effort as Moore Allen tallied three points on an old-fashioned three-point play before Bradley sank her third three-pointer of the game, bringing UCCS within 10 points, 50-40.
- Nearly two minutes ran off the clock in the final stanza before White grabbed an offensive rebound off her own miss and put it for a deuce. Moore Allen followed with a three-pointer as the duo scored the first nine points for UCCS. White's layup with 5:23 left in regular brought UCCS within three points, 52-49, but a 5-0 run by the Dragons put the Mountain Lions down by eight points with 1:39 left in the contest. Vidal sank her third three-pointer of the game when Robinson snatched an offensive rebound and found Vidal behind the arc that made it a two possession game, 57-52, but time ran out on the Mountain Lions as they were forced to foul and send MSU to the line where they sealed the game, 62-55.
GAME STATISTICS
- Moore Allen netted a game high 20 points on 7-of-17 field goals and 5-of-7 free throws. She chipped in four caroms, one steal and blocked one shot.
- White notched her eighth straight game with double digit rebounds after pulling down a game high 12 boards today to go with her eight points and two blocks.
- All nine of Bradley's points came from downtown where she sank 3-of-7.
- The Dragons were led by Abby Berge's 17 points, nine of which came from the charity stripe (9-of-11). Natalie Jens added 15 points after making 3-of-7 from three-point range.
- The Mountain Lions finished the contest making 21-of-63 field goals for 33.3 percent, and 5-of-23 from beyond the arc (21.7 percent).
- Free throws affected the Mountain Lions as they shot just one fewer than Moorhead but made 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) while the Dragons converted on 12-of-18 (66.7 percent).
- UCCS' bench outscored MSU, 22-10, and outshot the Dragons on second chance points, 23-9.
- The Dragons edged the Mountain Lions with points in the paint, 32-20, and points off turnovers, 22-12.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Mountain Lions 21 made field goals and 63 field goal attempts are a season high, as well as their 40 rebounds.
- Bradley tallied career highs today in points (nine) and made three-pointers (three). Her three treys are also an individual season high for UCCS.
- Reynolds also posted career highs in points (seven) and made field goals (three).
- Moore Allen's 20 points and seven made field goals are the second most by any Mountain Lion this season.
- White was two points shy of recording her sixth straight double-double, dating back to last season.
UP NEXT
- In their second game of the Hoops in Hawaii Classic, UCCS will take on the University of Central Missouri Saturday evening at 5:30 p.m. (MT).
SOCIAL
X –
@GoMountainLions
Instagram –
@gomountainlions
Facebook – /
GoMountainLions
For everything UCCS Athletics, follow the Mountain Lions on social media and stay tuned to
gomountainlions.com.
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.
