After an incredible fourth quarter come back, Colorado Christian came away with the upset win over #19 Colorado Mesa with a final score of 61-55. The Mavericks are currently first in the RMAC and before tonight had only lost once in conference. The team boasts many players in the top stat standings, but the Cougars played smart defensively to slow them down. The last time Colorado Christian defeated Colorado Mesa was in 2015.
HOW IT HAPPENED: At the end of the first quarter, the Cougars had the lead by one point with a score of 13-12. The second quarter the teams traded leads, and at one point Colorado Christian had one as great as 6 points. The Mavericks then went on a 5-0 run to shorten the difference. With slow offensive play for both teams, at the end of the quarter the teams were tied up at 24 apiece. Leading the Cougars at the half was Davenport Brantley with 8 points and Jordan Baer with 10 rebounds.
Coming out of the locker rooms, the teams were keeping the score close and playing neck and neck. With just two minutes left in the quarter, the Mavericks began to pull away and continued to push until they had a 7 point lead when the clock ran out. The score going into the final quarter was 43-36 in favor of Colorado Mesa.
However after a 25 point fourth quarter from Colorado Christian the Mavericks were unable to stop them. The first few minutes the Cougars slowly chipped away at the 7 point difference, until with just under four minutes they tied it up. Shortly after Sarah McGinley hit a momentum changing three pointer to take the lead. For two minutes the teams continued to hold each other from scoring, until another three from Sarah McGinley to break the silence. With 30 seconds left, the Cougars were up by 4 which forced the Mavericks to start fouling. Making all 6 of their free throws, Colorado Christian was able to seal the big win by 6 points.
GAME LEADERS: Leading the Cougars in offensively tonight was Davenport Brantley, who finished with 19 points. Jordan Baer was next in scoring with 15, also boasting 12 rebounds to mark her third game in a row where she has landed a double-double. Also in the double digits was Sarah McGinley with 10.
UP NEXT: The win gives the Cougars an overall record of 12-12 and an RMAC record of 10-8. Hosting their senior night, the team will play their final home game of the season on Saturday, February 16th against Western State at 5:00pm.
