LAKEWOOD, CO- A very exciting contest took place at the CCU Event Center on Tuesday as the Cougars battled MSU Denver. A back and forth affair went the way of the Roadrunners as they took a close fight 66-59.

HOW IT HAPPENED- MSU Denver got off to a hot start, scoring the game's first nine points. Ross Williams responded, scoring seven straight points on a three and several jumpers. Nic Zeil nailed a three-pointer as the Cougars clawed their way back, DJ McDonald hit another three as the gap slimmed to three. 

Andy Stafford connected from deep, and a Williams layup tied the game at 24. A Jason Gallant free throw and a Darius Henderson three-pointer gave the Cougars a 28-24 lead heading to halftime as they stormed back from the early deficit.

The Roadrunners came back to start the second half, regaining the lead before a McDonald three put the Cougars back ahead. A back and forth affair ensued from there as the two teams traded buckets. Williams tied it at 35 with 13:51 remaining, but a mini-run from MSU Denver put them ahead five. 

Back-to-back threes from Stafford and Zeil tied it up at 49 with a little under seven minutes remaining. The three ball kept the Cougars in the game, as McDonald drilled another to gain a one point advantage. The two teams continued to trade leads, but the Cougars could not get a shot to fall in the final minute as the Roadrunners held the lead for a 66-59 victory.

"They competed to the end. Metro is a good program, Coach Bahl does a really good job. I think we just ran out of options at the end in terms of how to score the ball. I thought Nic Zeil played extremely well… he showed a lot of toughness and character tonight," said Head Coach Liam Simmons.

COUGARS LEADERS:

Ross Williams led the Cougars with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Nic Zeil snagged 8 rebounds and put up 10 points. Williams and McDonald each had a steal.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• The Cougars had the advantage in points off turnovers 12-8
• Colorado Christian scored seven fast break points
• The lead changed 10 times and the game was tied six times