HONOLULU, Hawaii – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter Saturday afternoon against University of Central Missouri, but a fourth quarter comeback by the Jennies saw the Mountain Lions lead disappear. UCCS was able to fend off the Jennies and regain the lead in the final minutes of the Hoops in Hawaii Classic matchup, posting a 54-53 win and snapping a three-game losing streak to close out the non-conference portion of their schedule.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: W, 54-53
- Records: UCCS (2-3, 0-0 RMAC) | UCM (7-3, 0-0 NSIC)
- Facility | Location: HPU The Shark Tank | Honolulu, Hawaii
- All-Time Series: Today's game is the first time both programs have played each other.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Led by Amyah Moore Allen's hot hand, UCCS came out firing in the opening stanza. Gia Bradley turned defense into offense when she stole the ball and fed it to Maison White for the first bucket of the game. After the Jennies tied the game on the next possession, White grabbed an offensive rebound that led to a three-pointer from Moore Allen, who then added two free throws on the next trip down the court. White netted her second hoop of the game three minutes into the action, before Moore Allen added her seventh point on a layup. Emily Vidal capped off a 7-0 run with a three-pointer to push UCCS' lead to 10, 14-4 and forcing UCM to call a timeout. The scoring cooled off by both teams after the timeout in the final four minutes of the quarter, as UCCS added four points to their lead, but the Jennies hit three free throws with one second left in the quarter to cut into the Mountain Lions lead, 18-9.
- Both teams traded baskets in the opening minutes of the second stanza but a basket from UCM's Reese Schaaf brought the Mountain Lions lead down to seven, 20-13. With opportunities to cut the lead down more, the Mountain Lions defense held UCM at bay and a traditional three-point play from Krystina Hagood pushed the lead back to 10. Amaya Snowden and Moore Allen then made four straight free throws followed by a jumper from Ellie Reynolds with 3:18 left in the half to give UCCS a 29-13 advantage. White closed the half draining a layup as time expired, giving the Mountain Lions a comfortable 34-22 lead at the break. Moore Allen and Schaaf led their respective teams with an impressive 15 points each, as the two combined to go 11-for-11 at the stripe.
- UCCS started the second half with the ball at halfcourt and it took just 11 seconds for Gia Bradley to drain a three-pointer. On the ensuing possession for Central Missouri, Reynolds stole the ball and laid it in as UCCS netted five points in the first 30 seconds. Just over two minutes into the quarter, White recorded her 10th rebound of the game and put it in the hoop to cap off a 7-0 run by UCCS and 41-22 lead at 7:57. The Jennies started to mount a comeback, outscoring UCCS 18-3 in nearly a seven-minute span to shrivel the Mountain Lions lead to four points, 44-40, but UCCS had the last say of the quarter with a jumper from Moore Allen to give UCCS a 46-40 lead after three complete quarters.
- Leading by as many as 19 points in the third quarter, the Mountain Lions lost their lead for the first time of the game when Central Missouri scored the first seven points of the final stanza. Jolie Bonderer scored five of the seven points in UCM's run and gave the Jennies their first lead, 47-46, with 7:19 on the clock. After a UCCS timeout, Moore Allen gave the Mountain Lions their lead back with a three-pointer and layup before Mya Wilson scored her first points of the game on a three-pointer, pushing UCCS' lead to five, 54-49, with 3:55 remaining. The Jennies had a chance to tie the game but made one of two free throws with 37 seconds left in the game as the Mountain Lions preserved their lead to win the final game of the non-conference season, 54-53.
GAME STATISTICS
- For the second straight game, Moore Allen scored a game high, netting 22 points on 3-of-7 field goals and making all six of her free throw attempts.
- Nine of White's game high 16 rebounds came on the defensive end of the court where she also blocked one shot and added a steal to go with nine points.
- Reynolds chipped in seven points and a game high three steals
- The Jennies were paced by Schaaf's 17 points and seven rebounds. She made 5-of-5 from the line and tallied two steals.
- UCCS made 30.6 percent of their field goals (19-of-62) and 19.4 percent from downtown (6-of-31) while missing only one free throw (10-of-11).
- The Mountain Lions outrebounded UCM, 40-35, and outscored the Jennies off of turnovers, 20-7, on second chance points, 10-2, and on the fastbreak, 11-6.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The nine points allowed in the first quarter ties UCCS season mark for the fewest points allowed in a quarter. Conversely, the Mountain Lions eight points scored in the fourth quarter are the second fewest scored this season.
- Reynolds recorded career highs in steals (three) and made three-pointers (three).
- Moore Allen's 6-of-6 free throws are a season high as are White's 16 rebounds.
- UCCS' six three-pointers on 31 attempts are both season highs.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will open the conference season this Thursday, Dec. 5 at Colorado Mesa University. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. inside Brownson Arena.
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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.
