GOLDEN, Colo. – Down 10 at the break and battling on the road, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs women's basketball team delivered a gritty second-half comeback Thursday night, holding off Colorado School of Mines in the final seconds for a 72–70 win.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: UCCS 72, CSM 70
- Records: UCCS (16-9, 12-5 RMAC) | CSM (13-15, 8-9 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Lockridge Arena | Golden, Colo.
- All-Time Series: UCCS moves to 26-22 all-time against the Orediggers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Redshirt senior guard Amyah Moore Allen sparked UCCS early, scoring the team's first six points and giving the Mountain Lions a 6–5 edge on her third bucket. Gia Bradley came off the bench and knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 9–9, but Mines' Olivia Campbell answered with a layup to put the Orediggers back in front, 11–9. Moore Allen continued to pace UCCS, scoring five straight points to even the score at 14–14. After her three-pointer from the left wing, Sofia Baldessari responded with a deep three of her own to push Mines ahead 17–14. The Mountain Lions closed the opening quarter on a 6–2 run, however, taking a 20–19 lead into the second period.
- Both teams came up empty on their first two possessions of the second quarter before Brooklyn Hurtado scored her first points of the night to extend UCCS' lead to 22–19. Campbell quickly tied the game at 22–22 with a three-pointer, but Moore Allen converted a pair of free throws to reclaim the advantage. Baldessari answered with a three-point play on the next possession to give Mines a 25–24 lead, igniting an 18–2 Orediggers run. The surge pushed the home team's advantage to 40–26 with 1:28 remaining in the half. UCCS responded with four straight points from Hurtado and two free throws from Mya Wilson, trimming the deficit to 40–30 at halftime.
- On UCCS' fourth possession of the second half, Moore Allen knocked down a jumper to ignite a 6–0 run. She followed with a driving layup, and Jayla Jackson-Allen turned a steal into a fast-break jumper to pull the Mountain Lions within six, 42–36. Mines answered with four straight points, but senior guard Breelyn Robinson drained a three-pointer from the left baseline to keep UCCS within striking distance. Coming out of the media timeout, Moore Allen came up with another steal that led to Bradley's second three-pointer of the night, cutting the deficit to 46–42 with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Bradley later added another clutch three, but Baldessari continued to pace the Orediggers, scoring seven of their next points as Mines maintained a 53–47 advantage. After Baldessari recorded her 22nd point of the night, Moore Allen answered with a Euro-step finish in the lane before UCCS called timeout, trailing 53–47. Mines closed the quarter strong, as Baldessari knocked down a three-pointer off an out-of-bounds play with seven seconds left to give the Orediggers a 57–50 lead heading into the final period.
- The Mountain Lions stormed into the final stanza, dismantling Mines' defense with an 11–2 run. Moore Allen ignited the surge with a traditional three-point play, and moments later, an Ottmann steal set up another Moore Allen jumper. Robinson and Bradley stayed hot from beyond the arc, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers to give UCCS a 61–59 lead just 90 seconds into the quarter. Mines briefly reclaimed the advantage with a three-pointer, but Moore Allen answered with one of her own. She was fouled on the ensuing box out and converted the free throw to put UCCS back in front, 65–62. Brynae Stewart split a pair at the line to stretch the lead to 70–64, but the Orediggers capitalized on UCCS's foul trouble, scoring four straight points to trim the deficit to 70–68 with 2:53 remaining. After more than two scoreless minutes for both teams, a UCCS foul sent Baldessari to the free-throw line, where she tied the game at 70–70 with 70 seconds left in regulation. Moore Allen delivered the final blow. Driving down the left side, she spun into the lane and knocked down a turnaround jumper from eight feet with three seconds on the clock. Mines called timeout and advanced the ball, but a tight UCCS defense denied the Orediggers a clean look at the buzzer, sealing a 72–70 Mountain Lions victory.
GAME STATISTICS
- Moore Allen scored a game-high 34 points on 12-of-22 field goals while sinking all eight free throw attempts. She added four dimes and four rebounds.
- Bradley was a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor, with all four field goals coming from downtown as she finished the night with 13 points.
- UCCS made 41 percent from the floor (25-of-61), 33.3 percent from downtown (8-of-24), and 14-of-16 free throws.
- Baldessari, the RMAC's leading scorer with 20.8 points per game, finished the night with a team high 31 points, making 12-of-12 from the line.
- UCCS scored 17 points off of 14 CSM turnovers, and outscored the home team in the paint, 28-18, and on second chances, 10-4.
BEYOND THE BOX
- Tonight's win was the Mountain Lions' first win in Lockridge Arena since Feb. 24, 2017 (W, 74-63), snapping a five-game losing streak on Mines' home court.
- Moore Allen scored a season high 34 points tonight, marking her third game this season with at least 30 points. She also made a season-high 12 field goals.
- The Mountain Lions' 87.5 percent from the free throw line (14-of-16) was their best shooting percentage of the season from the charity stripe.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will take on Regis University in Denver, Colo. on Saturday at 1 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.
