There's one game left on the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedule for Colorado Christian University Basketball…a win Friday night in the RMAC Tournament semifinals assured that. After beating the Mountain Lions of CU Colorado Springs in upset fashion, the Cougars are headed for the Saturday's championship game.
 
The visit to the finals marks the second in three years for CCU, and is surely impressive when one considers the squad's slow start to the season. In fact, the chance at an RMAC title hardly seemed a reality in December, when the blue and gold held a humble 0-8 record. Now, the Lady Cougars ironically sit on the verge of another eight-game streak – this one a streak of wins that has the potential for a much more memorable ending.
 
Though Colorado Christian won Friday's game against the second-seeded Mountain Lions 66-51, the contest didn't always belong to the Cougars. In fact, despite a late push to close out the opening half, CCU went into the halftime break down two.
 
"At halftime we recognized that we could play a better half than we did the first," explained CCU Head Coach Tim Hays, "we felt like we had a better half in us."
 
Indeed, though the score might have suggested otherwise, many of Christian's first-period numbers – including offensive execution - paled in comparison to those of UCCS. Were it not for a 20-12 advantage on the glass for the Cougars, the score at the break might've been much more lopsided. Fortunately, a second-half change was in the air.
 
Though they'd shot just 34% in the first, the Cougars found their stride in the final half. Though UCCS jumped out to a 37-30 lead with 17:09 to play, a patient and intentional CCU squad took their time wrestling control away from the Mountain Lions. Deliberately, Christian seized charge of the game's pace and quickly found themselves in the driver's seat.
 
With 9:58 left in the contest, UCCS capitalized on a CCU turnover, scoring two to go up 49-48. It was the last lead the Mountain Lions would own in the contest, and the final field goal for the Colorado Springs squad. Christian ignited for an impressive 18-2 scoring run to close out the night, punching their ticket into Saturday's finale.
 
"We were able to control the pace tonight because we had a mature team on the floor," continued Hays. "We have really mature guards like Bean (Whitelaw) and Tay (Torres) and Alyssa (Fressle) making decisions as to when we push and when we don't. They were very patient in shot selection tonight. That's something we've been challenged with in the games where we've lost control of the pace. I felt like tonight we didn't rush a lot. We wanted to make sure UCCS earned everything in the half court and the full court. The girls executed very, very well. We controlled the boards, controlled the possessions, and that'll really help you control the pace of the game."
 
Leading the way for CCU Friday was guard Christina Whitelaw. The senior from Colorado Springs dominated in nearly every area, scoring 17 points in addition to eight rebounds, four steals, one block, and an impressive seven assists. Whitelaw and freshman Ali Meyer accounted for almost half of CCU's 66 points in the win, and the two combined for 14 rebounds to help Christian win the battle on the glass (39-27). (Click here to see Whitelaw and Meyer reflect on the win)
 
"I felt like the girls came out, executed, played together, and got behind each other. It was incredible," Hays concluded. "I couldn't be happier for this group. We're really enjoying the process right now, and really, we're just happy to be here. We're happy to come from a season where we started 0-8, to now competing for an RMAC Championship. It's about the girls right now. They have earned it. They fought back tonight and did an incredible job, and I'm happy for them more than anything. I'm excited that we get an opportunity tomorrow night to do something really special."
 
CCU will face fourth-seed CSU Pueblo on Saturday night for the RMAC Championship. The Thunderwolves earned the trip after knocking of #1 Colorado Mesa on the Mavericks' home court. Game time is slated for 7 pm MST.