UCCS men’s basketball
The UCCS Mountain Lions men’s basketball regular season has come to a close, with the squad reaching their highest win total in eight seasons, finishing at 20-8 to round out the winter season going into the RMAC tournament.
Contributing heavily to their success this year was the backcourt guard duo of sophomore Alijah Comithier and junior Jon’il Fugett, the Mountain Lions’ two leading scorers and recording the only double-digit point per game averages this season.
Comithier’s 20.7 points per game was good enough for third in scoring in the RMAC conference, while Fugett’s additional 3.5 assists per game ranked him seventh in the league. Redshirt senior guard Parker Gaddis was also among the top 20 in assists with 2.9 a game despite only playing 14 minutes each game off the bench.
A key contributor to the Mountain Lions’ success this season was their above-average forward play in the starting lineup, with freshmen such as guard Jezza McKenzie and forward Mac Stodart making the most of their college basketball debut seasons.
McKenzie, a transfer student from Victoria, Australia, started all 28 games for UCCS, grabbing the second-most rebounds on the team behind Comithier, recording 19 steals as well. Stodart, a New Zealand native, scored a season-high 23 points on Jan. 17 against Adams State, shooting over 70% from the field and hitting a team-high five three-pointers.
Five days after Stodart’s breakout performance, redshirt sophomore guard Bobby Martin recorded his season-high 14 points off the bench on 75% shooting from behind the arc, propelling them to victory over Colorado Christian University.
Four forwards who also shared the spotlight were redshirt sophomores Wyatt Dolberry and William Becker, redshirt senior Geoff Kelly and redshirt junior Cameron Underwood.
Becker and Kelly were everyday starters for the Mountain Lions, with Becker shooting the second-best field goal percentage among qualified team leaders and leading the team in blocks. Kelly’s 56 assists ranked him fourth on the team in the playmaking stat.
UCCS’ longest win streak of the season was six games. The team won 11 of their last 13 games to propel them into a top-three position in the RMAC standings. Their wins included a 38-point blowout over Adams State, an overtime victory against CCU on Feb. 18, and defeating top-ranked Black Hills State by nearly 30 points.
UCCS women’s basketball
The UCCS women’s basketball team wrapped up the 21-22 season with an overall record of 13-15 and 11-11 in their conference, finishing seventh in school rankings in the RMAC.
With COVID-19 affecting the previous two seasons, the women’s team has accepted four graduate students who proved their place on the team this year. Most of the graduates have been listed as a game leader for at least one game.
Graduate student Jasmine Jeffcoat earned a lot of season highs against MSU Denver and Chadron State. Jeffcoat has a season high of 25 points against MSU and 11 rebounds against Adams State. Jeffcoat also made three assists, four blocks and three steals over the course of the regular season.
Shelby Megyeri is another graduate student who had a successful season. Megyeri had season highs of 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and six steals. Megyeri played a strong game against Chadron State on Feb. 12 and continued to be a game leader throughout the season in most of her appearances.
Graduate student Bo Shaffer has also been consistently highlighted as a game leader. Shaffer has a season high of eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The fourth and final graduate on the team is McClain Walker. Walker made a season high of 10 points against Chadron State, three rebounds, three assists and one steal. Most of Walker’s season highs were against Chadron State at either their home or away games.
Freshman forward Maison White scored a season high of 24 points against South Dakota Mines and earned season highs of nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals. White continued to be a game leader in points and rebounds consistently throughout the season.
Freshman guard Ines Latapia proved to be a key player on the court with season highs of nine rebounds, three assists, one block and five steals. These season highs came from a variety of games throughout the season.
Before their season-ending loss to South Dakota Mines, the Mountain Lions went on their longest win streak of the season, a four-game stretch that saw blowout wins against New Mexico Highlands and Colorado Christian, while also defeating MSU Denver in an overtime match.
