HILO, Hawaii – Despite a furious second-half surge and a standout 20-point performance from
Mario Williams Jr., the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team fell just short in an 87–83 defeat to Cal State Dominguez Hills on Sunday afternoon at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium.
INSIDE THE MATCH-UP
Final: UCCS 85, CPP 84
Records: UCCS (2-2, 0-0 RMAC), CSDU (3-2, 0-0 CCAA)
Facility: Afook-Chinen Civic Center | Hilo, Hawaii
All-Time Series: UCCS and CSDH met for the first time this afternoon in Hawaii.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- UCCS trailed early but stayed within one possession through much of the first 10 minutes, highlighted by a pair of strong finishes from Brody Hull and a transition three from Tre Lucia.
- Cal State Dominguez Hills, however, caught fire from deep as Jalen Brown knocked down back-to-back threes to fuel a 12–2 run. The Toros' physical interior defense also made an impact, blocking multiple attempts and holding the Mountain Lions without a field goal for nearly three minutes.
- Alexander Hurr and Jezza McKenzie combined for late buckets, including McKenzie's fast-break three with six seconds remaining, but the Toros closed the half with a 45–36 advantage.
- The Mountain Lions opened the second half with renewed energy, sparked by Williams Jr.'s paint attack and a rhythm jumper from Hurr. Williams then caught fire from the perimeter, drilling back-to-back threes to pull UCCS within two.
- A defensive stand led to a transition bucket by James Ellis, and moments later Williams buried another three to give UCCS its first lead of the second half, 54–51. Ellis continued the momentum with a three of his own and a mid-range jumper as the Mountain Lions stretched their advantage to six.
- The Toros shifted the tide behind standout performances from Josiah Sanders and David Cheatom, who combined for 32 points and scored key baskets to reclaim the lead entering the final stretch.
- Though UCCS continued to claw back, highlighted by offensive rebounds from Brody Hull and a deep three from Xavier Martinez, the Mountain Lions could not overcome Dominguez Hills' late-game execution. Two crucial scores from JJ Mitchell in the final ninety seconds extended the Toros' lead to nine.
- UCCS hit a pair of late threes, including Williams Jr.'s transition triple with 23 seconds left, trimming the deficit to five, but the Toros converted at the foul line to seal the four-point margin.
STATS FROM THE GAME
- UCCS totaled 47 second-half points, shooting nearly 47 percent from the field while knocking down seven threes after the break.
- Williams Jr. paced UCCS with 20 points, shooting 6–11 from the field and 4–7 from deep.
- Hull delivered a rugged all-around effort with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and an assist.
- Martinez orchestrated the offense with 10 points and 10 assists, recording a double-double.
- Hurr added a spark off the bench with 12 points, while Ellis contributed 8 points and two threes.
- UCCS won the bench scoring battle 29–22 and produced 16 points off turnovers.
- The Mountain Lions outshot the Toros from deep, 11–29 (37.9%) to 8–21 (38.1%), but free-throw disparities and points in the paint (44–36 Toros) proved decisive.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
UP NEXT
The Mountain Lions will head back on the road on Friday with a 6 p.m. MT tip off at Western Washington.
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.
