Colorado Christian Basketball opened 2015 on the road Friday, taking a newly-bolstered squad to Grand Junction to battle the RMAC-leading Mavericks of Colorado Mesa University. Though the CCU squad made a game of it, Mesa held on to down the Cougars 55-50.
 
Playing for the first time with semester additions Alyssa Fressle and Christina Whitelaw, Colorado Christian turned in a tenacious defensive effort that amounted to 19 CMU turnovers. Unfortunately, the Cougar offense proved sluggish, as the visitors managed a meager 32% clip from the field and a 9% showing from three. Fressle, a transfer from Boston College, managed Christian's only trey on the night.
 
If not for a strong inside game and a perfect second-half effort from the foul line, CCU might not have managed the threat they mustered late in the contest. Down three with the ball and a minute and a half left to play, the Cougars had all the opportunity they needed to pull off the upset. Unfortunately, three straight misses stalled Colorado Christian's momentum and left CMU off the upset hook.
 
CCU bigs Claire Paxton and Kate Louthan led the scoring effort for the blue and gold, tallying 15 and 13 apiece in the loss. The two also brought down seven boards – as did freshman Ali Meyer. Despite their efforts, however, the Christian squad lost the battle on the glass 45-35.
 
Former CCU All-American and RMAC Player of the Year, Whitelaw turned in a balanced game in her return to play for the Cougars, finishing the night with four boards, three assists, and two steals.
 
Another road contest awaits the Cougars this weekend – they'll travel to Gunnison Saturday for a 5:30 match-up against Western State. CCU returns home next weekend for a pair of games against Metro State and Regis University.