The women’s basketball team battled through a closely contested matchup on Saturday afternoon, ultimately securing a 72-66 win over Colorado Christian.
The game started back-and-forth, with Colorado Christian holding a slim 16-14 advantage eight minutes into the first quarter. UCCS closed the period on a 5-0 run fueled by layups from senior forwards Amaya Snowden and Maison White, giving them a 19-16 lead.
Colorado Christian briefly regained the lead, 25-24, midway through the second quarter, but UCCS responded with a 7-point surge to reclaim control. With under a minute remaining in the half, redshirt junior guard Breelyn Robinson drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing and UCCS headed into halftime with a 40-33 lead.
The Mountain Lions were efficient in the first half, shooting 46.4% from the field and converting 78.6% of their free throws.
UCCS came out strong in the third quarter, igniting a dominant 16-2 run led by redshirt junior guard Amyah Moore Allen’s 6 points and White’s 5. The surge widened the gap to 56-35, putting the Mountain Lions firmly in control. However, the Cougars answered with a 10-4 run to close the quarter, trimming the deficit to 60-45 heading into the fourth.
The Cougars applied pressure early in the fourth quarter, opening on a 9-2 run to pull within eight points, 62-54. A Colorado Christian 3-pointer cut the UCCS lead further to just 6 points, 67-61, with 1:59 left, but Moore Allen quickly responded with a layup.
The Cougars continued to fight, knocking down another 3 to get within 4 points, 70-66, with just 14 seconds remaining. Robinson was fouled on the inbound and calmly sank both free throws. UCCS then forced a Colorado Christian offensive foul, sealing the win, 72-66.
White put in another double-double performance for her 27 points and 14 rebounds against Colorado Christian. Moore Allen added 14 points to the Mountain Lion scoreboard, while Robinson shot at 83% from the free throw line.
With another hard-fought win under their belt, the Mountain Lions look to carry their momentum into their next matchup at Adams State on Feb. 20.
Guard #5 Rylie Ottman scored 2 points against Colorado Christian. Photo by Taylor Villalpando.