With five players scoring in the double-digits, UCCS men’s basketball blew out Barclay College 104-55 this weekend.
The Mountain Lions took a 33-point lead at halftime at the Nov. 23 game. Their 49-point victory over Barclay College was their most dominant performance of the season so far.
Graduate student forward William Becker kicked off the first half for the Mountain Lions with a fastbreak score through the paint, dunking the ball as the crowd rose to their feet, subtly foreshadowing the momentum UCCS held for the rest of the game.
The whole first half consisted of heavy pressure from both teams, but Barclay were making offensive mistakes, committing 11 turnovers in the first half and connecting few shots.
UCCS capitalized off the mistakes and took many opportunities to score. Six minutes into the game, Becker once again handled the ball through multiple Barclay defenders and slammed the ball through the net for his third dunk in the first half.
Under pressure, the Bears took a timeout, trying to piece together anything they could for more scoring opportunities, but it was no use. The Mountain Lions ended the half with 50 points to Barclay’s 17.
In the second half, Barclay showed a little more fight than before, making more shots, but it wasn’t enough.
UCCS sophomore point guard Xavier Martinez was open in the right corner just behind the 3-point line and made the triple to start what would become another devastating half for Barclay. Martinez added nine points on 80% shooting as a high-level contributor to the big lead that UCCS maintained the whole game.
The biggest team player, however, was freshman guard Gavin Carter, who scored 15 points on 6-11 shooting, adding a pair of steals on the defensive side of the ball.
Once again, the turnovers for the Bears were crucial, as Barclay turned over the ball 9 times in the second half.
This period was a close copy of the first half, with the Mountain Lions keeping a consistent gap in points between them and Barclay until the game ended with a UCCS victory, 104-55.
Carter and Becker, as well as redshirt point guards Tre Lucia and Santiago Ochoa and redshirt freshman forward Brady Jones scored in the double-digits. Martinez and junior forward Jayden Washington just missed the threshold with nine points each.
In total, UCCS shot 60% from the field and 32% from three. The Mountain Lions also forced 10 steals and added 8 blocks over the course of the game.
UCCS improved to a 4-1 overall record before RMAC play.
The Mountain Lions’ next game will be against the Colorado School of Mines Orediggers at the Lockridge Arena on Nov. 26. They are back home in the Gallogly Events Center on Dec. 12 at 7 p.m.