LAKEWOOD, CO – Closing out their season with a senior celebration and a sweet victory, the Colorado Christian University Men's Basketball team defeated the Hardrockers of South Dakota School of Mines in overtime on Saturday afternoon with a final score of 79-78.
 
The Cougars had a quick jump over the Hardrockers, starting the game with a 10-2 lead. The momentum however then shifted to South Dakota Mines, who closed the gap and took a lead of their own after a media timeout. Shifting the momentum once more, CCU went on an 8-0 run to help edge them forward and give them the advantage  by 10 going into the locker rooms at 41-31.
 
Colorado Christian held onto their lead until the eleven-minute mark in the second half, when SDSM hit a 3-pointer to put them ahead by 1. From there the Cougars took the lead until the very end, when a 3-pointer with under 30 seconds left from the Hardrockers sent the game into overtime.
 
Jason Gallant was the first to score in the extra minutes after hitting a 3 to put CCU ahead. From there the two teams traded offensive blows and fouls, and found themselves tied up at 75's with 1:18 left to play. A Hardrocker 3 put SDSM ahead by 1, but Isaiah Alonzo was fouled with 30 seconds left and made both shots from the charity stripe to put the Cougars back up by 1. Holding on for just long enough, Colorado Christian came away with the win 79-78.
 
Leading both teams in scoring was DJ McDonald, who finished with 31 points, 6 boards, and 4 assists. Also in the double digits was Isaiah Alonzo who had 22 points and 8 rebounds. Jason Gallant tallied 15 points and 3 steals in the victory.
 
The Cougars close out their 2022-2023 season with a 10-18 overall record, and 6-16 in the RMAC.