With the final buzzer sounding off the season for men’s and women’s basketball, attention is quickly shifting from what was to what’s next.
Both teams will be looking at key roster decisions that could define their success next season.
So, let’s take a look at how the season ended, who is graduating, and what both teams need to address in the offseason.
Women’s Basketball
UCCS women’s basketball finished the 2025-26 season with a 22-11 record, three more wins than last season. They went 15-5 in conference play, giving them the No. 2 seed going into the postseason.
They kicked off their RMAC tournament by hosting Fort Lewis College (FLC). The Mountain Lions gained a 10-point lead in the first quarter which they would not give up for the entire game. The Skyhawks tested the Mountain Lions down the stretch, but it seemed that for every bucket FLC scored, UCCS kept pace.
After defending their home court by defeating FLC 75-65, they headed for Grand Junction to play in the semifinals of the RMAC tournament.
UCCS took on Adams State University (ASU) in the second game of the tournament, with the Grizzlies seeking revenge after the Mountain Lions took them down just a week earlier.
This game saw 18 lead changes in total, nine for each team. Redshirt senior guard Amyah Moore Allen had a standout game scoring 35 points in this affair. Her final points came on a three-pointer with 39 seconds remaining to recapture the lead for UCCS.
After a huge stop and a layup by junior forward Brynae Stewart, the Mountain Lions capped off a 74-71 win over ASU.
They advanced to play the No. 1 seeded Mavericks of Colorado Mesa University (CMU) in the championship game.
Despite the Mavericks taking an early 13-point lead in the first quarter, the Mountain Lions were able to rally and outscore CMU 23-13 in the second to give themselves a 38-35 lead going into the half.
A back-and-forth third quarter with eight total lead changes left CMU with a one-point lead going into the final quarter of the game.
The Mountain Lions lost their touch in this quarter, shooting just 2-16 from the field. The Mavericks on the other hand caught fire, shooting 7-10 from the field and 3-5 from beyond the arc.
These numbers ultimately led to CMU outscoring UCCS 34-10 in the fourth quarter, as the Mountain Lions couldn’t complete the championship run, losing 92-67.
Their season would not end there, as their efforts secured them the No. 4 seed in the south-central region of the NCAA tournament.
They found themselves playing a familiar opponent as they would take on Adams State for the third time in three weeks, the game being ledby a scoring trio of Moore Allen, sophomore guard Jayla Jackson-Allen and senior guard Rylie Ottman, who all had in the double-digits of points.
The Mountain Lions got off to a 10-point lead in the first quarter which they wouldn’t give up until the final quarter of the game. The Grizzlies gave the Mountain Lions all they could handle as the fourth quarter featured six tying scores and four separate lead changes, but UCCS was able to hold off ASU 67-62 with the help of their three leading scorers, advancing to the second round.
In their season, UCCS drew the No. 1 seeded Texas Women’s University (TWU) who they would take on for the second time this season. In their first meeting, TWU walked into Colorado Springs and stole one from the Mountain Lions on their home court.
This meeting played out similarly as UCCS always seemed to be just out of reach. Even with another stellar game by Moore Allen, the Mountain Lions fell 70-59 to close out their season.
UCCS will be graduating five seniors going into next season, including Moore Allen who was their leading scorer and selected to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) Women’s Basketball All-South Central First Team. The team will also be losing guards Ellie Reynolds, Gia Bradley, Breelyn Robinson, and Rylie Ottman, who all gave the team north of 20 minutes a game this season.
The Mountain Lions will have to heavily recruit guards to fill their roles and luckily for them, they carry a guard duo of Jackson-Allen and junior Mya Wilson, who will likely step into full-time starting roles next season.
The other good news for UCCS, their stellar front-court play juniors Aiyanna Johnson and Brynae Stewart, as well as sophomore Brooklyn Hurtado who are all sticking around.
Head coach Misty Wilson has now led the Mountain Lions to three straight RMAC tournament appearances. Even with the loss of five key pieces, UCCS will likely be competing for another title at this time next year behind that kind of leadership.
Men’s Basketball
On the men’s side, UCCS held a record of 15-14, going 10-10 in conference play, which earned them the No. 8 seed going into the RMAC tournament.
For the opening game of the tournament, they took on the no. 1 seeded and #13 ranked Black Hills State (BHS) Yellowjackets in South Dakota.
UCCS punched BHS in the mouth, building a 12-point lead through the first 10 minutes of the game.
They efficiently scored behind the play of junior point guard Xavier Martinez and redshirt sophomore forward Marzouq Abdur-Razaaq, who had 12 and 10 first half points respectively. The Mountain Lions exited the first half with a 41-26 lead.
The Yellowjackets came out of the second half and went on a 25-12 run through the first 10 minutes of the second half to cut the Mountain Lion led to four at 55-51.
UCCS was able to hold off BHS until the two-minute mark when the Yellowjackets hit a three-pointer to take their first lead of the game.
UCCS were able to bring their deficit to just one with a chance to take the lead on a buzzer-beater but were not able to get a clean look off as time ticked off the clock, marking a 74-73 loss for the Mountain Lions.
The Mountain Lions will be graduating three seniors in guards Alex Hurr and Jezza McKenzie, as well as forward Jayden Washington. Mckenzie will be the only starter that UCCS will be losing.
This team will have close to the exact same makeup next year as they did this year and will be a very experienced group going into next year so fans could expect success coming to Colorado Springs.
Mountain Lions cheer each other on. Photo by Anysia Hovel.