COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team shot 47.6 percent from the field to lock up a 84-79 victory over Chadron State College.
INSIDE THE MATCH UP
- Final: UCCS 84, CSC 79
- Records: UCCS (6-4, 2-2 RMAC) | CSC (5-6, 2-2 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: UCCS moves to 30-17 in the all-time series against the Eagles.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Mountain Lions' shots were falling in the first half of action as they shot 52.9 percent from the field and sank nine three point shots including two in the first three minutes by sophomore forward Derik Pranger to take an 8-4 lead. The Eagles matched the energy of UCCS to find themselves down by just one point through the first five minutes after a three by Zy Wright made it a 13-12 game.
- After the three pointer by Wright, the Mountain Lions stepped on the gas as freshman guard Gavin Carter sank a floating jumper as well as a three to go up by six. Just a few minutes later, UCCS found themselves leading 24-22 until junior guard Jezza McKenzie sank two more threes in the same minute to kick start a 25-18 run featuring three point makes from Carter, Santiago Ochoa, and Xavier Martinez to take a 49-40 lead into halftime.
- The Mountain Lions' lead jumped from nine to sixteen in the blink of an eye with another three-pointer drained by Martinez followed by a transition slam and layup in back-to-back possessions from graduate forward William Becker. After the early second half offensive explosion by UCCS, their lead would not drop lower than 10 points through the first 10 minutes.
- UCCS maintained their lead for the rest of the second half but ran into a bit of trouble when the Eagles' Trey Ballard hit two threes in less than 40 seconds to make the score 80-72 in favor of the Mountain Lions with just one minute remaining. Chadron began to foul in order to make a final minute comeback, but UCCS was prepared, as Carter and Becker went 4-6 at the free throw line combined to ice the game and finish with an 84-79 victory.
GAME STATISTICS
- Becker, Martinez, Pranger, McKenzie, and Carter were the five Mountain Lions to finish in double figures on Saturday with Carter leading the team with 16 points.
- The Mountain Lions finished with 38 rebounds to the Eagles' 37 with Becker's 11 being the team leader.
- The Mountain Lions shot 47.6 percent from the field (30-of-63), 34.3 percent from the three-point line (12-of-35) and 60 percent from the free throw line (12-of-20).
- UCCS had 12 points off turnovers, 34 in the paint, nine second chance, 12 off fast breaks, and 27 from the bench.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Senior Guard Hannes Saar's seven assists were the most by any Mountain Lion in a game this season. The team also had a season high in assists with 24 total.
- The Mountain Lions' 12 made three pointers were the most in any game this season as Martinez finished with the most by any player in a game so far with four.
- Saturday's victory over Chadron was the first for UCCS since Jan. 3, 2023.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will play their next game at home on Friday, December 20 as they take on Bethany College with tipoff scheduled for 3:00 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 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
