COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team lose 79-78 to a last-second three-pointer against Midwestern State University men's basketball team.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: UCCS 78, MSU 79
- Records: UCCS (1-1) | MSU (2-1)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions are 3-4 all time against the Mustangs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Three early offensive rebounds by the Mustangs gave them a 6-5 lead in the first five minutes. Abel Hutchinson hit UCCS' first three of the game from Brody Hull to keep the Mountain Lions within striking distance. Trenton Pane entered the game at the fifth minute and immediately provided four points and a steal for Midwestern. An and-one from Dre Cole capped off a 9-1 run for the Mustangs. At the seventh minute, UCCS responded promptly by double-teaming Midwestern's point guard to force a jump ball. On the next two possessions, Jayden Washington sank two triples to spark a 10-0 UCCS run; 16-15 UCCS.
- For the next eight minutes, Cyrus Shaw and Charles McClennahan Jr combined for 13 points to give Midwestern a 35-29 lead over UCCS. Gunner Morinini's seven points and Washington's third three of the first half kept the Mountain Lions within two possessions. With one minute left in the first half, Morinini lobbed the ball from the three-point line to a crashing Josh Kotto for a fast-break alley-oop over a Midwestern defender. Morinini then dished a pass to Williams for an easy layup. However, the Mustangs ended the half with a 39-35 lead. Midwestern had 25 rebounds and 10 second-chance points in the first half. UCCS shot 50 percent from the field and 62.5 percent from three.
- UCCS began chipping away at Midwestern's four-point lead with layups from Morinini and Hull. Theo Grant cashed in the Mustang's first three of the game in the third minute, and Evan McKean responded with a three of his own. Vonte Sanders scored another Mustang three and then elevated for the put-back dunk to give Midwestern a 50-42 lead in the fourth minute. Washington and Sanders then went back-and-forth from three, with Washington highlighting their battle with a catch-and-shoot contested three over Sanders; 53-48 MSU. From there, the Mustangs got running, scoring 12 points in five minutes, supported by two threes from Levi Rutledge. Tre Lucia was fouled on his three-point shot and proceeded to make all three of his free throws; 65-59 MSU. Hull hit UCCS' eighth three of the game with eight minutes to play, but Shaw answered with a tough jumper.
- Shaw continued his scoring night by draining an open three in the 13th minute. Hutchinson then stole the ball from Theo Brannan and fed it to Hull, who euro-stepped around a Mustang for the fast-break layup; 70-64 MSU. Once again, Shaw found the basket, but two threes from McKean and Morinini cut Midwestern's lead to four; 74-70. Morinini then drew a charge on Cole, giving UCCS possession at the 17th minute. McKean split his proceeding free throws to decrease Midwestern's lead to three; 74-71. McKean's third triple of the second half, and a powerful jam from Williams tied the game at 76 points in the 19th minute. On the Mustang's next possession, Morinini denied Josiah Kirkwood's lead-taking layup attempt, and Kadon Jackson drew a shooting foul from his offensive rebound. The Mountain Lion crowd got loud to force two misses from Jackson. With six seconds left, Morinini called his own number and drove from the logo, through contact, to take a 78-76 lead, UCCS' first lead since three minutes into the first half. But Kirkwood stole Morinini's thunder as he drained a pull-up three-pointer from the top of the arc with half a second left. The Mountain Lions attempted to alley-oop the subsequent in-bound pass, but failed, giving Midwestern a 79-78 victory.
GAME STATISTICS
- Jayden Washington ended the game with 18 points and four rebounds, and Gunner Morinini filled the box score with 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists, and two steals.
- Cyrus Shaw scored 17 points on 11 field goal attempts and one three-pointer, leading the Mustangs. Kadon Jackson led all players with seven rebounds, three being on the offensive glass.
- On the night, Midwestern shot 43.9 percent from the field, 38.9 percent from three, and 56 percent from the free throw line. UCCS shot 54.2 percent from the field, 60 percent from three, and 58.3 percent from the free throw line.
- Both teams scored seven three-pointers in the second half.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Jayden Washington scored a career-high 18 points tonight, beating his previous record of 16.
- Gunner Morinini had a career-high seven assists on the night.
- UCCS has now fallen to Midwestern in its last four matchups, with the Mountain Lion's last win over the Mustangs coming in 2022.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions play Randall University at Gallogly Events Center on Friday, November 20th at 5 p.m.
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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.
