DENTON, Texas – Facing the Adams State University Grizzlies for the third time in 15 days, the No. 4 seed University of Colorado Colorado Springs completed the trifecta sweep over fifth-seed ASU Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA South Central Regional tournament, 67-62. No. 1 seed Texas Woman's University is hosting the eight team tournament in Denton, Texas.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
- Final Score: UCCS 67, ASU 62
- Records: UCCS (22-10) | ASU (22-11)
- Facility | Location: Kitty Magee Arena | Denton, Texas
- All-Time Series: After winning the last four meetings over the Grizzlies, UCCS is now 31-20 all-time against Adams State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Playing in the fourth and final game of the opening day of quarterfinals, UCCS controlled the tempo early. Mya Wilson opened the scoring with a driving layup and split a pair of free throws before an Adams State turnover led to a spin-move finish from Rylie Ottmann, giving the Mountain Lions a quick 5-0 advantage. A second straight Grizzlies turnover sent Amyah Moore Allen to the free throw line, where she converted two more points to extend the run to 7-0. Adams State's Taijhuan Hill put the Grizzlies on the board four minutes into the game, but UCCS continued to build its lead as Ayianna Johnson added her first basket of the night and Moore Allen knocked down a pull-up jumper for an 11-2 edge at the first media timeout. Moore Allen added another basket out of the break before Gia Bradley drilled a deep three-pointer, helping the Mountain Lions take an 18-8 lead into the end of the first quarter.
- UCCS continued its momentum early in the second quarter as Moore Allen connected from the right wing to push the lead to 21-10. Bradley then found a wide-open Jayla Jackson-Allen for a three-pointer before Moore Allen grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed the ball ahead to Bradley, who finished the transition with a layup to give the Mountain Lions their largest lead of the night at 29-12. Adams State responded late in the quarter, closing the half on a 15-1 run to trim UCCS' 17-point advantage down to just three at the break, 30-27.
- The Mountain Lions regrouped after halftime and opened the third quarter with back-to-back driving layups from Ottmann and Wilson. Moore Allen added a basket on an out-of-bounds play before hitting another jumper to extend the lead to 38-29 at the media timeout. Following the break, Adams State was called for an offensive foul that quickly led to a three-pointer from Ottmann, stretching the margin to 41-31. The Grizzlies again chipped away at the deficit, using a three-pointer from Ashiian Hunter and free throws from Hill to pull within two points heading into the final quarter, 45-43.
- The back-and-forth battle continued in the fourth quarter. Adams State tied the game for the first time at 45-45 on its opening possession, but Moore Allen answered with back-to-back baskets before Ottmann found Jackson-Allen in the left corner for a three-pointer that pushed UCCS ahead 52-47. The lead was quickly erased after Wilson was whistled for a shooting foul and assessed a technical foul, sending Adams State to the line for four free throws. The Grizzlies converted three of the four attempts and added a layup from Kiiyani Anitielu to tie the game at 52-52 before taking their first lead of the night, 53-52, on a free throw with 5:46 remaining. Breelyn Robinson responded on the next possession with a clutch three-pointer to put UCCS back in front, 55-53. Late in the game, Moore Allen extended the lead to 65-60 with just over a minute remaining, but Adams State answered with two free throws to cut the margin to three. On the Mountain Lions' final possession, Ottmann patiently worked the left side of the arc before making a hesitation move and driving to the basket for a layup that sealed the 67-62 victory.
GAME STATISTICS
- Moore Allen, who played all 40 minutes tonight, scored a game high 17 points on 7-of-16 field goals. She added 10 caroms, three assists and three steals.
- Jackson-Allen scored six of her 12 points from behind the arc, while Ottmann finished the night with 11 points, making 5-of-6 field goals.
- Wilson chipped in six rebounds and seven points as Johnson came off the bench to pull in six rebounds and score five points.
- Hill led the Grizzlies with 16 points and seven rebounds.
- UCCS shot 43.3 percent from the floor (26-60), 38.9 percent from long range (7-18), and 53.3 percent from the charity stripe (8-15).
- UCCS dominated in the paint, outscoring the Grizzlies, 34-22, off of turnovers, 18-7, and on second chance points (13-10).
BEYOND THE BOX
- The Mountain Lions are now 4-4 all-time in NCAA Tournament games and won their first NCAA playoff game since 2017.
- Head coach Misty Wilson improves to 64-30 all-time at UCCS.
- Tonight's win is the second straight win over ASU on a neutral court.
- UCCS is 3-0 this season against the Grizzlies, with two wins coming in the last week in playoff games.
- Ottmann's 83.3 field goal shooting percentage is the best by any Mountain Lion this season.
- Moore Allen secured her fourth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds. She moves to seventh all-time in assists with 225.
UP NEXT
- UCCS will face No. 1 ranked Texas Woman's tomorrow night on their home court at 6:30 p.m. (MT).
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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.
