LAKEWOOD, CO – It was an offensive grind. A defensive game in which hitting field goal attempts was a challenge.

A tightly played defensive battle was broken-up in the third quarter, which played big role in Western's 60-49 win against Colorado Christian on Friday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Both offensives struggles from the floor as a defensive game took center stage. There were 29 combined turnovers and 13 total steals in the contest. Both teams made 18 field goals as each team converted 40 percent or less from the floor.

The third quarter was the pivotal 10-minute stretch. Western held a 17-6 scoring edge in that frame. The visitor's offense was in full effect in the frame as they went 6-for-11 from the floor while holding Colorado Christian to a 3-for-15 performance coming out of the locker room.

In the final quarter, the Cougars held Western without a made field as the visitors went 0-for-4 from the floor. However, the Mountaineers made 11 of their 16 free throws attempts to seal the victory.

A rough shooting night from behind the arc proved difficult to overcome as Colorado Christian made two of their 18 shots from deep.

COUGAR LEADERS: Taylor Ferris and Sam Nunez combined to score 27 of their team's points by notching 14 and 13 points respectively.

Lourdes Gonzalez did her best Dennis Rodman impersonation with a 14-rebound effort.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• Western went 17-for-29 from the charity stripe while Colorado hit 11 of their 16 foul shots
• Colorado Christian held a 39-34 rebounding edge
• The Cougars bench outscored the Western reserves by a 16-8 count

UP NEXT: The Cougars hosts Colorado Mesa at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening to conclude their RMAC weekend.