Change was in the air Saturday night in Gunnison. Though CCU Basketball averaged less than 64 points per game heading into the weekend, the Cougars found another gear against Western State. On their way to a heavy-handed 80-49 win, Christian erupted for a 55% clip from the field and 56% from deep.
 
With Claire Paxton leading the way, CCU dominated the home Mountaineers for more than 37 minutes. Paxton's hot 7-for-14 effort in the paint resulted in a 19 point showing for the junior from Edinburgh, UK. Three other Cougars also turned in double-digit scoring efforts, with guards Alyssa Fressle and Taylor Torres tallying 17 points apiece and Jennifer Lapp pitching in with 11.
 
Colorado Christian set the tone for the night right from the start. Midway through the opening half, the Cougars erupted with a 21-2 run that gave them a 30-11 lead with 7:10 left on the first period clock. The visitors would remain on the throttle the rest of the way, taking a 43-20 lead into the break.
 
The second half went just the same. Though the Cougars cooled a bit from three, they found their way to the foul line and extended their lead to as many as 34 points. Helping the Christian squad remain in control were Kate Louthan and Ali Meyer, who together brought down 24 boards in CCU's 40-rebound effort.
 
Louthan and Meyer also contributed to the hot Cougar offensive show, tallying five assists apiece. Torres and senior Christina Whitelaw followed suit, notching five and four respectively to help CCU finish the night with an impressive 22 assists.
 
Now 4-3 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play, Colorado Christian will return home for a pair of games against in-town rivals Metro State and Regis University. CCU lost both meetings with Metro last year, but beat RU both times the teams met.