SPEARFISH, S.D. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball made a furious second-half push on the road Thursday night, but the comeback effort came up short as the Mountain Lions fell to Black Hills State, 97–92.
INSIDE THE MATCH UP
Final: UCCS 97, #19 BHSU 92
Records: UCCS 5-4 (2-1 RMAC), #19 BHSU 8-1 (3-0 RMAC)
Location: Donald E. Young Center | Spearfish, S.D.
Series: The Mountain Lions slide to 11-19 all-time vs. the Yellow Jackets.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Senior guard Brody Hull paced UCCS with 21 points, knocking down five three-pointers and adding eight rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes.
- Junior point guard Xavier Martinez delivered another standout performance, finishing with 24 points, six assists, and three steals, including 16 points after halftime to spearhead the comeback push.
- Forward Marzouq Ibn Abdur-Razaaq contributed 11 points and six rebounds, while Jezza McKenzie added nine points and four rebounds, and Alexander Hurr provided 10 points off the bench.
- The Yellow Jackets opened the game with a blistering shooting stretch, hitting 52.8 percent of their field-goal attempts in the first half and nine three-pointers to take a 47–38 lead at the break.
- Despite UCCS trimming the margin to as few as one point at 35–34, BHSU countered with a 12–0 run to close the half.
- UCCS responded after the break by shooting 47.2 percent from the floor and getting to the line 20 times, converting 16 free throws to fuel a 54-point second half. Hull and Martinez combined for 34 of the team's post-halftime points.
STATS FROM THE DAY
- Points: Martinez 24; Hull 21; Abdur-Razaaq 11; Hurr 10
- Rebounds: Hull 8; Abdur-Razaaq 6; McKenzie 4
- Assists: Martinez 6; Hull 3
- Shooting: 47.8% FG (32–67), 34.8% 3PT (8–23), 66.7% FT (20–30)
- Points in the Paint: 40
- Bench Points: 23
- Points off Turnovers: 15
BEYOND THE BOX
- UCCS trailed by as many as 17 points midway through the second half before storming back behind efficient offense and timely defensive stops.
- The Mountain Lions outscored the Yellow Jackets 54–50 after halftime and had multiple chances to cut the deficit to a single possession in the final minutes.
- Xavier Martinez earned his highest point total of the season with 24. Shooting 8-13 from the field including 1-4 from 3FG.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will remain to the east with a match up with Chadron State College on Saturday at 3 p.m. in Nebraska.
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.
