Box Score COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's basketball team scored 56 second half points, shooting 60 percent from the field to claim an 89-77 victory over South Dakota School of Mines.
INSIDE THE MATCH UP
- Final: UCCS 89, SDM 77
- Records: UCCS (12-9, 7-6 RMAC) | SDM (9-12, 6-7 RMAC)
- Facility | Location: Gallogly Events Center | Colorado Springs, Colo.
- All-Time Series: UCCS moves to 13-8 in the all-time series against the Hardrockers.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first half of Thursday night's action featured six tied scores and five lead changes, as the Mountain Lions shot 40 percent from the field and just 11.1 percent from the three-point range. Through the first media timeout of the half, both teams held eight points apiece as Gavin Carter notched four points of his own, while the Hardrockers' Jason Lee led his team with six.
- The majority of the first half was a back-and-forth battle despite the Mountain Lions' struggles from behind the arc, as Marzouq Abdur-Razaaq made the team's only three-point shot. SDM would pull away to go up by nine with just over three minutes left until halftime before two free throws apiece by Evan McKean and Brody Hull, and a jumper from Abdur-Razaaq brought the UCCS deficit down to three. The Hardrocker's Lee would finish the first half with three free throws of his own as SDM took a 39-33 lead into halftime.
- The Mountain Lions' offense woke up drastically in the second half, shooting 60 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range. Brody Hull led the second half in scoring with 18 points while UCCS out-rebounded SDM 23-8. The half started with Hull converting a three-point play after getting fouled on a layup attempt to ignite a 17-6 run, taking a five-point lead with just under 15 minutes left in the game.
- UCCS would pull away quickly, holding a lead for over 16 minutes in the second half. Tre Lucia would contribute with a double digit point second half performance to go along with Hull, as he tallied 13. The Mountain Lions held the second half lead by dominating in the paint, scoring 30 points to go along with their 23 rebounds. UCCS would go on to take an 89-77 victory to move back above a .500 winning percentage in conference play.
GAME STATISTICS
- Abdur-Razzaq, Carter, Hull, and Lucia were the four Mountain Lions to finish in double figures on Thursday as Hull led the team with 22 points.
- The Mountain Lions finished with 41 rebounds to the Hardrockers' 27 with Abdur-Razaaq leading the team with 11.
- The Mountain Lions shot 50 percent from the field (30-of-60), 20 percent from the three-point line (3-of-15) and 89.7 percent from the free throw line (26-of-29).
- UCCS had 12 points off turnovers, 50 in the paint, 16 from second chances, 19 off fast breaks, and 26 from the bench.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Lucia's 15 points were the second most that he has scored this season.
- Abdur-Razaaq's 11 rebounds tied for the most he has grabbed this season, occurring three times before.
- Abdur-Razaaq notched his fourth double-double of the season.
UP NEXT
- The Mountain Lions will stay home on Saturday, Feb. 7th to take on Black Hills State University with tipoff scheduled for 3 p.m.
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 16 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.
