DURANGO, Colo. – Trailing by 13 at halftime, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team authored a stunning comeback Saturday afternoon, rallying past Fort Lewis College for a 75–68 conference win in Durango, Colo.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: UCCS 75, FLC 68
- Records: UCCS (11-7, 7-3 RMAC) | FLC (12-6, 5-5 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Whalen Gymnasium | Durango, Colo.
- All-Time Series: UCCS trails the Skyhawks in the all-time series, 30-29, and is now 10-20 when facing FLC in Durango, Colo.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Mya Wilson opened the scoring for UCCS, but the Mountain Lions' early lead was short-lived as Fort Lewis' Claudia Palacio Gamez beat the shot clock buzzer with a three-pointer. After back-to-back blocks on both ends, Palacio Gamez connected from deep again before Rylie Ottmann went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line on two trips, pulling UCCS within two, 11–9. Katie Lamb drilled her second three of the quarter to help the Skyhawks build a 17–9 advantage at the 4:05 media timeout, as FLC opened the game shooting 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. Ayianna Johnson snapped a three-minute field goal scoring drought with a hook shot, but a late Fort Lewis layup sent UCCS into the second stanza trailing 21–14.
- Ashten Martinez opened the second period with a layup for FLC before Moore Allen answered with two free throws. Ottmann then set up Breelyn Robinson for a deep three at the top of the key and followed it with a steal and an and-one layup on the ensuing inbounds play to cut the deficit to 25–22. Brynae Stewart added a layup at the 6:15 mark, while Jayla Jackson-Allen scored her first points at the line after trading bonus free throws with the Skyhawks. Jackson-Allen later assisted Moore Allen on a fastbreak basket, but back-to-back Fort Lewis three-pointers extended the gap. A late UCCS turnover led to a Skyhawks bucket with two seconds remaining, sending the Mountain Lions into halftime trailing 44–31.
- Neither team scored for the first two and a half minutes of the second half before Ottmann jump-started UCCS by finding Moore Allen on a backdoor cut for a layup. Breelyn Robinson followed with a steal in the paint and fed Moore Allen for a turnaround jumper, while free throws from Wilson and Bradley pulled the Mountain Lions within seven, 46–39. Moore Allen capped an 8–2 run with a driving layup at the 3:26 mark, forcing Fort Lewis to call a timeout as its lead was trimmed to five, 48–43. UCCS continued to apply pressure, closing the quarter on an 8–0 run highlighted by two Bradley free throws after a Skyhawks technical foul. The Mountain Lions' defense dominated the period, forcing 10 Fort Lewis turnovers and holding the Skyhawks to just four points on 2-of-13 shooting with no free throw attempts.
- The teams traded baskets to open the final stanza before Moore Allen took control, completing an old-fashioned three-point play and burying a three from the right baseline. She then found Johnson on a drive to extend UCCS' lead to 67–55. Fort Lewis answered with a 9–1 run to trim the margin to 70–66, but the Mountain Lions stayed composed down the stretch to secure the 75–68 victory and cap a monumental comeback.
GAME STATISTICS
- The Mountain Lions were led by Moore Allen's 28 points. The redshirt-senior guard poured in 28 points on 9-of-20 field goals and 8-of-11 free throws. She also notched a game high eight caroms and six blocks, to go with three assists and two steals.
- Wilson chipped in 16 points, three steals, and four rebounds, and Ottmann was perfect from the free throw line on all seven attempts, finishing the game with nine points.
- UCCS netted 32-of-40 free throws and 20-of-48 field goals, while draining 3-of-10 from downtown.
- Three Skyhawks scored in double digits, with Katie Lamb notching a team high 16 points, 12 of which were three-pointers.
- The Skyhawks held the advantage over UCCS on the boards (37-34), in the paint (34-32), on second chance points (21-4), and points from the bench (22-18). The Mountain Lions dominated the game from the free throw line, making 32-of-40 free throws on 33 FLC fouls, while the Skyhawks made 13-of-21 free throws for 61.9 percent.
BEYOND THE BOX
- The four points allowed in the third quarter are the fewest UCCS has held its opponent to this season.
- Misty Wilson is now fourth all-time in most wins by a UCCS women's basketball coach (53).
- The Mountain Lions' eight blocked shots, 32 made free throws, and 40 free throw attempts are all season highs.
- Several Mountain Lions posted career highs this afternoon, including Bradley's 7-of-8 free throws, Moore Allen's six blocks, Ottmann's 7-for-7 free throw line performance, and Wilson's 16 points.
- Moore Allen moved to eighth all-time in steals with 164.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will continue its four-game road trip next Thursday, Jan. 29 at Western Colorado University in Gunnison, Colo.
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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.
