COLORADO SPRINGS, CO- Colorado Christian headed south on Saturday as they faced off with UCCS in a battle for the 8th spot in the RMAC. An intense and competitive contest went the way of the hosts as they found a way late for the 88-74 victory. 

The Cougars got off to a fast start as Schafer Reichart collected a steal and got the ball to Zachary Reed for a quick layup. Joshua Reid then got a jumper to go, and Pierce Bazil drilled a three-pointer. The teams traded baskets from there, and another steal and transition basket resulted in a dunk from Pierce as he tied the game at 15-15. Pierce continued his strong night with another three to put CCU up 20-17. 

Reid drilled a jumper as the teams continued to make shots at a high clip. The Mountain Lions surged to a lead of nine with two minutes to go till halftime, and despite a Jimmy House three the hosts led 48-38. 

Reid got an early layup to go, but UCCS continued to score right with CCU as they held their double digit lead. The lead grew to 16, but the Cougars rallied back with a layup from Pierce and consecutive threes from House. Pierce got a layup to fall as the lead was trimmed to just four at 68-64, but once again the hosts punched back.

Taking a 10 point lead with 5:18 remaining, the Mountain Lions grew the advantage to 15 to put the game out of reach, closing out the 88-74 victory. 

Reid had a stellar game with 25 points and 10 boards for a double-double. Pierce poured in 21 points and dished out five assists, followed by House with 11 points. 

CCU will return to the Denver area for a matchup at Regis on January 19 with tipoff set for 7 p.m. MST.