It's been a tough season for Colorado Christian Women's Basketball. Injuries and losses have piled up, amounting to a heavy weight the remaining players have struggled to shed.
 
As of Friday night, the weight is a little bit lighter. Playing against the RMAC's fourth-ranked Black Hills State squad, the Cougars turned in an inspired performance that left fans on the edge of their seats. The result was a 61-57 Colorado Christian win – their first of the 2014-15 season.
 
"It was so exciting to come out and really play together," freshman Ali Meyer exclaimed after the game. "We had a rough start to the season, but I thought tonight we all brought the best energy that we could. We all did our part and worked hard, and it was just fun. We finally just played with joy and had fun and it was awesome."
 
Christian took advantage of a dismal BHSU shooting effort in the opening half, and flexed a strong inside game that eventually amounted for 34 CCU points in the paint. Though they led for most of the first 20, the Jackets surged late to take a 23-22 lead into the break.
 
"At halftime, Coach encouraged us to come out on top of our game, to come out like we started the game because we've been struggling to put two halves together this year. He reminded us that it would come from the heart, and I felt like we really played that way."
 
Though they trailed to open the second half, the Cougars had by then caught a glimpse of their potential in the contest. The Christian squad remained tough and resilient, standing up to BHSU threats while executing a tweaked system well-suited to the personnel they have left. Sharp ball-movement and timely buckets energized the blue and gold, and galvanized a defense that would be tested down the stretch.
 
Fortunately, the Cougars responded to every late Yellow Jacket threat – often scoring fast points off turnovers and earning trips to the line. Behind the play of their bigs, the six-person Christian rotation produced a clutch effort.
 
CCU's three post players – Meyer, Claire Paxton, and Kate Louthan – combined for 49 points, five steals, six assists, six blocks, and 21 rebounds – all while averaging 35 and a half minutes.
 
"The energy of my teammates kept me going (through a lot of minutes). Feeding off of Kate and Taylor (Torres) and Claire, and seeing them work hard made me work harder. It finally felt like a win was within reach and we could keep going. We played with a never-give-up mentality."
 
The Cougars finished the game with a 48% clip from the field, but didn't hit a single shot from three. Though Black Hills drained five long-distance shots, their offense struggled to connect in a 33% showing inside the arc. CCU limited Preseason All-RMAC guard Chelsey Biegler to just six points.
 
Hopefully, Saturday's win is a sign of things to come for the Cougars. The team will host Chadron State Saturday at the Event Center before wrapping 2014 with one last home game Thursday against Colorado Mines.
 
"This win gives us confidence to take it up a notch. To play Christian basketball, to protect our home court tomorrow, and to continue to play that way every game from here on out."