CCU Women's Basketball opened their season with a huge victory against the University of Northern Colorado 61-58. This hard fought battle was not just luck for the Cougars. The coaching staff and squad have been preparing, practicing, conditioning, and planning for wins like this all pre-season long. The RMAC champions are working hard to keep that title and right now they are off to a good start.
               
The first quarter was controlled by the Bears, and it looked like the next three quarters were going to be really rough for Christian. Just six minutes into the game, UNC led by 14 points 2-16, but blue and gold rallied and were able to make some threes which helped bridge the gap 13-18 by the end of the quarter.
 
Even though CCU struggled in the beginning of this game, there was no hint of it at all from the players on the court. They were determined to work together and make plays happen. Half way through the second quarter Colo. Christian tied it up at 22-22. They out-scored Northern Colorado 17-8 and were up at half 30-26. This strong and steady comeback is a great example of the CCU Women's Basketball team.
 
The Lady Cougars sailed through the rest of the game, never giving up the lead, and playing great defense. The UNC Bears had 10 steals and five blocks, but went 1-22 on the 3-point line, which really hurt them. CCU Senior, Taylor Torres, had 12 points on the day, and made some critical three pointers in the beginning of the game that helped the Cougar squad gain momentum. Forward, Claire Paxton also contributed to the win with 11 points and eight rebounds.  
 
Center Ali Meyer, a CCU sophomore from Monument, CO, played a hard 33 minutes in this game and had 13 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Colorado Christian Women's Basketball head coach Tim Hays had some words after the game. "This was a great chance for us to see where we are as a team. UNC is coming off one of their best seasons in school history, so we knew this would be a huge test for us. I think our depth and maturity was incredible for this early in the season. With a couple of our top players not having their best nights, I think we still have room to improve. All in all this is definitely a great start and sets the tone for the year."
 
The depth mentioned by Coach Hays consist of some exciting new faces like Alex Nelson, Leisha Crawford, Paige Canty, and Chandler Sturms. Cougar Basketball will be traveling to Pocatello, ID to take on the Idaho State Bengals on November 13^th. Tip-off is set for 6 PM.