Photo Courtesy of Vince Smith / CMU Athletics
GRAND JUNCTION - In the first game of the 2020-21 season Colorado Christian made the trek to Colorado Mesa to kick off the season.
A back and forth battle throughout, the Mavericks thwarted a battle from the Cougars to hold on for the win by a final score of 75-61.
HOW IT HAPPENED: Colorado Christian got out to an early 7-2 lead in the first quarter and led Colorado Mesa until the 3:04 mark in the first quarter. Colorado Mesa went on an 8-0 run late in the first quarter to finish with a 24-18 lead.
The Cougars responded with an 8-0 run of their own late in the second quarter, as they pulled within ten of the Mavericks and were down by 12 going into half, Brookelyn Hurlbut led the team at the half with nine points.
Coming out the half, Colorado Christian outscored Colorado Mesa in the third quarter 18-14 including two different 6-0 runs for the Cougars to pull within eight of Colorado Mesa heading into the final quarter, staying right with one of the best teams in the RMAC.
Colorado Mesa started to pull away in the fourth, highlighted by an 8-0 scoring run which gave them a 73-57 lead with less than a minute remaining in the game which was enough to bury the comeback hopes of the Cougars.
COUGAR LEADERS: Three Cougars scored in double digits with Olivia Christy leading the way with 16 and Hurlbut scored 11. Lourdes Gonzalez started her season off with a bang, recording a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Transfer Mara Kemmer was second on the team with 36 minutes in her first game in a Cougar uniform.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:
- Colorado Christian out rebounded Colorado Mesa 38-37
- More rebounds led to more second chance points to the tune of 15-5
- The Cougars size helped them in the paint as they outscored the Mavericks 26-24
- The Cougars shot 35.3% from three-point range
UP NEXT: Colorado Christian is currently scheduled to face Fort Lewis next Saturday, December 12 for their home opener.
