LAKEWOOD, CO – With one team looking to finish its season on a high note and the other looking to build its postseason resume, the Colorado Christian men's basketball team is hoping it just built quality momentum for its final two games.
The Cougars used a solid second half to pull away from Westminster for an 85-75 victory on Friday evening. The Griffins, with aspirations for an NCAA Tournament berth, came into the contest ranked 10th in the NCAA Division South Central Regional rankings.
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Cougars held the Griffins to just a 33.3 shooting clip in the first half as the home team took a 34-32 edge into the locker room. During the opening 20 minutes neither team held an advantage bigger than four point as the lead changed hands seven times with the score tied on three occasions.
The tightly played contest continued during the second half. When Aidan Cantwell nailed a corner three-pointer with just under 10 minutes left in the game, the Cougars grabbed a 56-49 lead. The seven-point spread was the largest of the game up until that point. Colorado Christian got their lead to double digits (63-52) when Spencer Hoffman connected on a pair of free throws with 7:55 left.
Westminster got their deficit down to 71-67 on an Alec Monson three-pointer with just under four minutes left in regulation. The visitors would not get any closer. Down the stretch Colorado Christian went 4-for-6 from the floor and 6-for-7 from the charity stripe to seal the win.
QUOTEABLE: "The defensive effort was our best we had all season. Westminster shoots the three-pointer well but tonight we held them in-check." head coach Jeff Hironaka. "It was a great team effort as evidence by our 18 total assists and we really cut down on our turnovers in the second half. Collin coming off the bench and hitting shots was a huge lift for us."
COUGAR LEADERS: Five players scored in double figures led by Collin Huun's 22-point performance. With just a small handful of games left in his collegiate career, he went 8-for-11 from the floor, including making four of his five three-pointers, in nearly 29 minutes off the bench.
Hoffman nearly registered a double-double with 17 points and nine rebounds. Justin Engesser added a 12-point effort while Cantwell and Elijah Oliver each notched 10 points.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
- Colorado Christian's bench held a 37-14 scoring advantage
- The Cougars went 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) from behind the arc in the second half
- Westminster shot 38.6 percent from the field; the second best defense effort for the Cougars this year
- Colorado Christian lead for just over 27 minutes
UP NEXT: The Cougars conclude their weekend with a home contest on Saturday against #13 Dixie State. Prior to the 7:00 p.m. the program will honor its two seniors – Collin Huun and Jack Hornick.
