GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team weathers a late push from the Colorado Mesa Mavericks to begin Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play with a 63-58 win in Grand Junction.
INSIDE THE MATCH-UP
Final: UCCS 63, CMU 58
Records: UCCS (5-2, 1-0 RMAC), CMU (4-3, 0-1 RMAC)
Facility: Brownson Arena | Grand Junction, Colo.
All-Time Series: UCCS continues to chip away at the CMU hold of the all-time series, moving to 11-45 all-time vs CMU. Coach
Jeff Culver has five of the eleven victories in his 13 seasons.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- From the jump UCCS came out swinging on the Mavericks as they caught Colorado Mesa sleeping for the first few minutes of the contest. Opening the game with ten unanswered points before the Mavericks were able to find the scoreboard.
- UCCS continued to add to the lead, pushing the advantage to as much as 16 points when they led 22-6 ten minutes into the first half of play.
- Colorado Mesa began to push back in the final ten minutes of the first, finally breaking out of the shooting rut that they found themselves in to begin the game. Ty Allred led the effort of the comeback with 11 first half points, just shy of the 23 the Mavericks knocked down in the first 20 minutes, but UCCS maintained a comfortable 32-23 lead at the break.
- The Mountain Lions continued to assert their will over the Mavericks as they got a stop to begin the second half of action, followed by a William Becker slam on the other end of the floor just seconds later. The Mountain Lions continued the march to begin the second frame, with the lead growing to a peak of 22 with 14:35 to play at 49-27.
- As the half began to come to a close, the Mavericks went on the attack themselves, as they tried to take advantage of the Mountain Lions cold streak from the floor. As the half ticked under two minutes, CMU had battled back to a seven-point deficit at 61-54. At that point UCCS had gone over two minutes without a basket, and CMU had scored five straight, including a three-point play from Ty Allred who closed in on thirty points for the game.
- UCCS called a time out with just over ninety seconds to go, but could not find the nylon out of the break as Xavier Martinez tossed an airball for a shot clock violation, and yet another turnover for UCCS during the scoreless stretch. The Mavericks then took advantage of the free possession with a Harvey White basket on the other end. Cutting the lead to just five.
- The Mountain Lions would turn the ball over again down the floor, and again CMU would translate it into points, forcing Jeff Culver to call a timeout as his team led by just three points with 33.1 seconds to play in regulation.
- Forced to foul after the Mountain Lions navigated the full court press, Xavier Martinez hit both free throws of the one-and-one in the clutch. UCCS would hold on and finish the night as they escape the late push 63-58 in Grand Junction.
STATS FROM THE GAME
- Both William Becker (11) and Derek Pranger (10) hit double digits before halftime for UCCS. Becker also held 6 rebounds and three assists in the first frame.
- Allred (11) and Will Mortimore (8) scored 19 of the Mavericks 23 first half points.
- Both Becker and Jezza McKenzie just fell shy of a double-double as Becker scored 20 with eight assists and Mckenzie knocked down 13, also with eight helpers.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- James Ellis made his first appearance of the year after suffering an injury in the UCCS preseason.
- Ty Allred finished the night with a career-high 27 points for the Mavericks, just shy of half of the CMU total of 58.
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.
