LAKEWOOD, CO- The Cougars celebrated Lourdes Gonzalez's senior night on Thursday, and they put on a show for the fans. In an excellent overall performance, Colorado Christian won their second straight RMAC competition, beating South Dakota Mines 77-75 in a thriller. 

HOW IT HAPPENED- The scoring started 11 seconds into the game for the Cougars as Gonzalez quickly drew a foul and nailed a pair of free throws. Colorado Christian fed the ball into the paint early and often, resulting in layups from Agnes Paul and Sophia Karasinski to snag the lead by four. The Cougars midrange game was on fire all night, as jumpers from Christen Curry and Paul stretched the lead to 11. Curry closed the first quarter with another jumper for a 20-13 lead heading to the second. 

Mia Guest got her team going in the second quarter with a quick three. India Cole made an immediate impact as she entered the game to grab a quick rebound and score on the other end. Karasinski followed that up with a shot from deep to bring the lead to 14. Another layup from Cole made the margin 16 with only three minutes played in the second quarter. The Hardrockers fought back however, closing the gap with several made threes to trail 37-31 going into the break.

The third quarter went back and forth to begin, as Gonzalez and Jordyn Brown hit jumpers to bring the lead to eight. South Dakota Mines hung around with efficient shooting, but a layup by Grace Field widened the margin to 12. Tessa Hauser got her first points of the game to close out the third quarter with a 62-50 lead.

Gonzalez converted a layup early in the final frame to take the lead to 14. Consecutive threes from the Hardrockers made the gap seven. The lead widened back to 12 with a pair of free throws from Haley Hanson. A jumper from Field stopped the South Dakota Mines momentum as the lead tightened to six. A three and jumper on consecutive possessions made the game come down to the final seconds with a single point separating the two teams. A massive steal from Hanson on the potential game-winning possession sealed it for the Cougars and she hit a free throw for the 77-75 victory. 

COUGARS LEADERS:
Lourdes Gonzalez posted her third straight double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Grace Field had an excellent game with 13 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Agnes Paul dropped 12 points and snagged seven boards.

 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• The Cougars dominated in the paint, outscoring the Hardrockers 52-24

• Colorado Christian pulled down 43 rebounds on the night

• The Cougars never trailed with the game being tied just once

UP NEXT- Colorado Christian will head to winter break before hitting the road to take on CSU Pueblo on December 31 at 5:30 p.m.