COLORADO SPRINGS – After 10 minutes things were looking optimistic for the Cougars. However, the positive vibes were halted.

Aided by a strong finish in the opening half, UCCS notched a 92-67 victory on Thursday evening. 

HOW IT HAPPENED: The Cougars were hitting 50 percent of their shots as they held a 20-16 lead just past the midway point of the first half. However, the home teams defense began to lock down as their offense started hitting shots. UCCS finished the period on a 22-7 scoring spurt as they built an 11-point (38-27) lead at intermission. During that critical scoring run, UCCS limited the Cougars to a 3-for-14 shooting effort. 

Unfortunately for Colorado Christian the Mountain Lions continued their scoring spurt during the early phases of the second half. With just over 12 minutes left in the stanza, UCCS built their lead to 61-40 – their largest lead of the contest at that point. Colorado Christian shot the ball well over the closing minutes but couldn't get their deficit into the single digits.

After both teams shot 36 percent in the first half, each squad had little problem finding the bottom of the net in the second half. Colorado Christian hit 53 percent of their attempts while the home team registered a 64 percent mark; including making 9-of-11 from behind the arc.

COUGAR LEADERS: Ross Williams scored a team high 21 points as he also grabbed a Cougar best six rebounds. Andy Stafford continued his strong scoring of late with a 15-point effort. DJ McDonald had 13 points and three assists.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

• The Cougars outscored UCCS 34-24 in the paint
• There were only 15 total turnovers in the contest
• UCCS had 39 points come from their bench players

UP NEXT: The Cougars conclude their road slate for the season with a Monday contest at Regis. Tip-off against the Rangers is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.