The Cougars hit the road on black Friday as they hoped to pick up another victory on the year. The team faced off against the University of Tampa in the first game of the Eckerd College Thanksgiving Classic. The Spartans had the last laugh on the day, as they defeated CCU by a final score of 69-87.
 
Colorado Christian got off to a quick start in the game as they were able to jump out to an early 5-0 lead after the first minute of play. They continued their solid play and were able to hold onto the lead up until the halfway point in the first half when the Spartans jumped in front 23-20. From that point on, the talented Spartan squad took control of the game and never looked back. Heading into halftime, the Cougars trailed 32-48.
 
CCU had a better offensive approach coming out of the break, but Tampa was able to match them shot for shot and did not allow the Cougars to cut into their lead. When the final horn sounded, the Cougars had suffered their second loss of the season by a score of 69-87.

Head coach Kevin Lubbers on his team's efforts in the game, "We didn't play consistently on either end tonight. We didn't shoot, rebound, or defend consistently enough to earn a good result against a good Tampa team."
 
Dimitri Saliba was the only Cougar to score in double figures for the game, as he finished with 26 points on 9-15 shooting from the floor. Saliba also grabbed six rebounds, dished out three assists, and had one steal in the game. CCU finished the game shooting 42% (25-59) from the field, but were ice cold from beyond the arc as they only hit 27% (6-22) from three.
 
With the loss, the Cougars record now sits at 3-2 on the year. They will be back in action tomorrow night as they will face off against the tournament host Eckerd College. Tip will be at 5:30 PM MST.