BURNABY, B.C. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team mounted a furious second half comeback but fell just short in a 87-84 defeat to Simon Fraser University.
INSIDE THE MATCH-UP
Final: UCCS 84, SFU 87
Records: UCCS (3-3, 0-0 RMAC), SFU (3-5, 0-0 GNAC)
Facility: West Gym | Burnaby, B.C.
All-Time Series: UCCS and SFU matched up for the first time this evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Mountain Lions dropped into an early hole thanks to some blazing three-point shooting from the Red Leafs. Over the first 9:39 of play SFU drained 7-9 from long range, as UCCS struggled with ball security early. Four steals all translated to SFU points, as the Mountain Lions were forced to take an early timeout to try and cool the hosts momentum.
- Just as things began to look dire for the Mountain Lions as the Red Leafs continued to drain shots at a high clip, the momentum finally began to shift. UCCS turned up the pressure up the court defensively, which began to pay off. UCCS forced back-to-back turnovers which both led to Xavier Martinez threes, as the Mountain Lions took a heavy chunk out of the SFU lead that had ballooned to 17. The quick swing in momentum took a toll on SFU's shooting as well, as a pair of missed shots translated into Mountain Lion points on the other end, as UCCS ended the half on a 13-0 run over the last 2:56 of the first half. UCCS went to the break with the momentum and a very manageable 47-43 deficit.
- The Red Leafs returned to their hot shooting to begin the second half as they commanded the first few possessions and built a 5-0 lead out of the break. The hosts continued to rely on their dialed in perimeter shooting, as 10 of their first 15 shots of the half were from deep, with six of them falling for points. It was a 24-15 run for SFU over the first ten minutes of half number two, as the SFU lead grew back to 13 at 71-58.
- UCCS begin to put the pressure back on the Red Leafs in the final minutes of the second half, just as they did in the final moments of the first half. The Mountain Lions would see progress as they whittled down the SFU lead to a single possession on several occasions, but the Red Leafs would not relinquish the lead. UCCS did cut the lead down to just one at 85-84, but just couldn't find the basket in the final minute. Despite the Mountain Lions' best effort, Simon Fraser escaped the late push with the 87-84 victory.
STATS FROM THE GAME
- Tate Christiansen kick started the Red Leafs offense and then some, beginning the game a startling 7-7 from the field including 5-5 from deep. Christiansen had an incredible 19 points just 12 minutes into play.
- Both teams were shooting well in the first half, as UCCS shot 51% from the field with SFU finishing the frame with a red-hot 66.7%
- UCCS took advantage of the SFU giveaways, scoring 24 points off Red Leaf turnovers.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Alex Hurr had his best game since joining the Mountain Lions from Adams State, tallying 19 points in B.C. this evening.
- UCCS was whistled for 13 fouls, which is the third time this season they have hit that total which is their second lowest on the season behind the 12 they committed at Cameron University.
UP NEXT
The Mountain Lions are back on the court on Thursday evening for their home opener at Gallogly Events Center. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. with the first 300 fans receiving a free T-Shirt as part of the annual Black Out Night games.
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.
