DENVER, CO- Colorado Christian headed to nearby Regis University for an RMAC quarterfinal matchup in Denver on Tuesday evening. In front of a largely CCU crowd, the Cougars fought tooth and nail to the final buzzer, but in the end fell to the Rangers by a tight score of 61-58.
Agnes Paul got the scoring started after several offensive rebounds to convert a layup.
Maggie Hutka and
Dasiya Jones drilled jumpers moments later as the offense started hot for a 6-5 lead.
Regan LoConte stepped into a three-pointer and knocked it down for a 9-7 lead a bit later, and Hutka made consecutive layups for a 13-10 advantage. A Hutka jumper sent the two teams to the second quarter with the Rangers leading by a slim margin of 18-15.
The second period saw a slow start from the Cougars, as they went nearly four minutes without a bucket to start. LoConte broke the drought with a three, and a
Victoria Perez layup got the offense going again. Trailing by 11 at one point, a Jones layup cut the lead to 7 for the Rangers, and a late jumper from
Nicole Bowlin sent the teams to the break with just six points separating them at 36-30.
CCu came out ready to level things in the third, starting with a free throw from Hutka and Bowlin jumper to make the deficit just three. A Paul layup made it 39-37, and moments later Perez hit a jumper to tie the game at 41-41. Regis closed the quarter strong with a 6-0 run to take a 47-41 lead into the final quarter.
The two teams battled back and forth in the fourth, but the Rangers threatened to pull away after gaining a seven point advantage. The Cougars were having none of that, immediately finding a three from LoConte and a three free throws to make it a one point contest. The teams traded baskets from there, and a three from Jones was huge to keep the game at a one point difference. A controversial call reversal with 56 seconds left played a huge role in the result as a jump ball going the direction of the Cougars changed to a Rangers timeout and possession for the home team. The Rangers converted a basket to take a five point lead with 27 seconds to go, and a late basket from LoConte was not enough as CCU dropped a heartbreaker by a final score of 61-58.
Hutka led her team with one more double-double, scoring 21 points and pulling down an incredible 16 rebounds. LoConte had 11 points and 9 rebounds while Jones had 8 points and 9 rebounds. Bowlin, Paul and Perez all finished with 6 points apiece.
With the hard fought loss, the Cougars tremendous season comes to a close. The team finishes with a record of 17-12 overall and 13-9 in the RMAC. The total is seven more wins overall than last season and seven more in conference play in Diane Thompson's third season at the helm. CCU made their first trip to the conference tournament in eight years, and they can hold their heads high with a bright future ahead of them.
