LAKEWOOD, CO- Colorado Christian faced off against the Mountaineers from Western Colorado on a brisk Thursday evening and rolled to a win to start off home RMAC play. Key players were Maggie Hutka, Nicole Bowlin, and Agnes Paul with 27, 21, and 6 points, respectively. The Cougars battled to a strong win by a final score of 80-73.

The Cougars and Western Colorado started battling immediately, with the Cougars pulling ahead slightly in the first quarter 11-7. After some clutch three-pointers from Maggie Phipps and Victoria Perez, and a couple of steals from Dasiya Jones and Phipps, CCU went on a big run, pulling ahead 18-7. The Mountaineers called a timeout, gaining back a little momentum, but the first quarter was run by the Cougars, ending 26-15. 

The second quarter proved more of the same for the Cougars, with a commanding start plus a couple of early fouls and a ten-second backcourt violation for Western.  Paul and Perez led in scoring for the second quarter with a couple more threes and some well-orchestrated offensive plays. The Mountaineers got a few good shots up, but it did not matter for the Cougars, and the half ended in favor of Colorado Christian, 43-32. 

The Mountaineers started off stronger coming out of halftime, cutting the score to 49-44 early in the third quarter. A big three from Western cut the Cougars lead to 4, but an aggressive and-one from Hutka gave the momentum back to Colorado Christian. At the end of the third, CCU barely escaped with the lead, 57-53.

The fourth quarter was a relentless battle between the two teams, with the momentum shifting with every shot that went up. With four minutes left, the Cougars were up 65-60, but a couple of free throws and a layup brought the score within one. But the Cougars responded with composure, going on a run and ending the game 80-73. 

Bowlin led the team well, and was able to make things happen offensively with 21 points and 10 assists for the double-double, while Hutka shined in the paint with 27 points. The Cougars played a great game, taking the win from Western in their first home RMAC matchup.

Colorado Christian are back in action on December 12 with an away matchup against Chadron State at 5 p.m. MST.