In the opening minutes of Saturday's contest against Chadron, it looked as though Colorado Christian would run away with the game and pitch a shutout in the process. While the shutout didn't happen, however, the Cougars did hang on for a 70-59 win over the Eagles to improve to 4-0 in conference play.
 
Swarming defense and an aggressive offensive approach had Christian off to a hot start. Before Chadron could register a basket, the score was 16-0 in favor of CCU. The Eagles finally got on the scoreboard after nearly eight minutes had passed.
 
Of course, in the RMAC, games are rarely that easy. The two teams played evenly the rest of the way, but CCU would never relinquish the precious lead.
 
Michael Brown led the team with 20 points, but it was a balanced attack throughout the night that allowed CCU to be successful on offense.
 
Zach McLemore and David Whitmore each had 11 points, and Andrew Squiers and Wayne McCullough contributed with nine and eight points, respectively.
 
Who got the baskets didn't matter so much as how they got them, and it was evident from Christian's effort on the glass. Fourteen offensive rebounds, five by junior Joey Trinkle, allowed the Cougars extra possessions and 18 second-chance points.
 
To the Eagles' credit, their slow start and 12 point halftime deficit didn't keep them from giving Christian all they could handle. Three consecutive three-point makes by CSC cut a ten point CCU lead to just a single point with seven minutes remaining in the game.
 
Just as Chadron believed they had the momentum, Christian snatched it right back, responding with big shots from beyond the arc by McLemore and Brown. The timely baskets, along with defensive stops at crucial moments down the stretch ensured that the Cougars would keep their unblemished record in the RMAC.
 
After nabbing consecutive home wins Head Coach Kevin Lubbers was satisfied by another solid outing by his team.
 
"This was a good weekend for us. I was pleased with our defense all night in particular to open and close the game," said Lubbers. "I thought we had another balanced attack on offense and limited our turnovers as well as we have all year."
 
Although Christian dropped three of their first four, they now appear to be hitting their stride and are winners of six straight. Four days now separate the blue and gold from a huge matchup with Colorado School of Mines next week. The 8-0 Orediggers visit Lakewood December 18 with tipoff slated for 8 PM.