CCU finished play in the RMAC/Heartland Conference Tip-Off Classic on Saturday night as they faced off against the University of Arkansas Fort Smith. UAFS proved to be too much to handle on the night, as they defeated the Cougs by a final score of 66-79.
 
Defenses ruled during the opening minutes of the game as neither team could sustain any momentum on the offensive side of the ball. The first quarter was a back and forth affair, as the game remained close throughout. After the first, the Lions held a five point advantage 20-15 over CCU.
 
In the second quarter, UAFS put together an offensive run early in the quarter, which pushed their lead into double digits, which is where the lead stayed heading into halftime with the score in favor of UAFS 42-32.
 
Kaitlyn Hinch led the Cougars in scoring at the half with ten points. Hinch also dished out three assists. Gabriella Odom and Chandler Sturms provided a defensive spark off of the bench. Odom had three steals in the first half, and Sturms had two.
 
Facing a double digit deficit starting the second half, the Cougars refused to give up and battled hard coming out of the break. Their efforts were rewarded as they were able to cut the Lions lead down to just five points heading into the final quarter of play as the score was 53-48. Colorado Christian continued to battle in the fourth quarter, but UAFS came up with big shots when they needed them which kept them with a comfortable lead. The Cougs still had a shot with just under three minutes left, but the Lions then went on a 9-1 scoring run which iced the game and earned them the victory by a final score of 79-66.
 
Kaitlyn Hinch had a game high 24 points in the game as she hit 6-10 shots from the floor. Hinch took advantage of her chances at the charity stripe, as she hit 11-14 from the line. Alex Nelson was two rebounds shy of her second consecutive double-double as she finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. Senior point guard Leisha Crawford also had a strong game as she had nine points and also led the team in assists with five, and steals with four.
 
Head coach Corey Laster spoke after the game saying, "The girls played hard tonight, but we still need to improve on the defensive end. We were dealing with a few injuries to some of our key players this weekend which prevented them from playing, but we are hoping to get our depth back next time we take the floor. We are doing a great job of taking care of the ball, and also getting to the free throw line. We just need to clean it up a bit on the defensive side."
 
Colorado Christian will remain at home for their next game as they take on the University of Nebraska at Kearney on Saturday Nov. 19^th. Tip is scheduled for 2PM MST at the CCU Event Center in Lakewood.