LAKEWOOD, CO – When Jake Hornick converts a banked-in three-pointer in the first half then Spencer Hoffman hits his first collegiate shot from behind the arc late the final frame, it was destined to be the Cougars night.
Colorado Christian pulled away in the final stages of the contest to post an 86-77 win against Westminster on Saturday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED: A close game throughout, Colorado Christian finished the game on a 15-6 scoring spurt to seal their first RMAC home win of the season. During that critical run, the Cougars hit nine of their 11 foul shots and made both their field goal attempts.
The teams came out of the locker room tied at 37-37 but the Cougars trailed for under a minute during the entire second half because of a strong shooting output. Colorado Christian went 16-for-25 from the floor (64 percent) during the final frame to help seal the win.
NIP-IN-TUCK: While Colorado Christian led for nearly two-thirds of the game, there were 14 lead changes and 12 ties. The final score was the largest margin of a lead either team had.
COUGAR LEADERS: Braxton Tucker had a team high 19 points on the strength of a 9-for-16 shooting effort. He had grabbed a Cougar-best five rebounds. He wasn't the only one in double figures as Jeremiah Hanson scored 17 points while Collin Huun notched 12 points as he made all three of his shots from behind the arc.
Hornick went for 12 points while Justin Engesser (10 points) rounded out the double figure scorers.
QUOTABLE: "I am pleased that we were able to rebound from last night's game. If we can play with the energy we played with tonight we will be able to get positive results the rest of the season," head coach Jeff Hironaka said. "We got some key stops down the stretch and were able to knock down some key free throws that proved critical in the win."
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Colorado Christian hit 54.4 percent (31-of-57) of their shots; their second highest mark in an RMAC game this season
- The Cougars nailed 10 three-pointers which was their second most this year
- The home team went 14-for-16 from the charity stripe (87.5 percent)
UP NEXT: The Cougars continue their four-game RMAC home swing on Friday, Jan. 25 when they welcome Fort Lewis for a 7 p.m. contest.
