The regular season has nearly come to a close for Mountain Lion Basketball. The men and women played their last two home games at the Gallogly Events Center over the snowy weekend of Feb. 20.
The home finale began Friday, Feb. 19 against Colorado Mines. The men came into the competition with a one-game lead over both Nebraska-Kearney and Chadron State for the fourth and final spot in the East Division of the RMAC playoffs. The Mountain Lions needed at least one win over the weekend to secure some leeway in the race for a playoff berth, and were able to do so.
Despite playing great defense, holding Colorado Mines to a stiff 40.8 field-goal percentage and just 16.7 percent from 3-point range, the defensive effort was not enough as UCCS fell 56-67. Junior Ben Feilmeier led the team in scoring with 12 points while junior Luke Hristou followed with nine points.
The lady Mountain Lions, coming off an explosive win against Nebraska-Kearney 101-93 just one week earlier, shared a similar fate, as they lost 60-79 against Colorado Mines on Feb. 19.
Contrary to the women's struggles this season, there was no shortage of competitive play or effort. UCCS led by as many as six points in the first half and kept the game in reach as they trailed by one point with 4:41 left in the half.
Colorado Mines finished the half with a 15-6 run and outscored UCCS 27-10 halfway through the second half which, ultimately, put the game away for good. Sophomore Ashley Miller's high output of 15 points led the team in scoring while junior Mallory Lowe added 12 points.
Saturday's games against Colorado Christian brought a little more success for Mountain Lion Basketball. The men defeated the Cougars 70-64 and play from the bench provided the spark that lifted the team to victory as they scored 30 points and shot 66.7 percent from the field.
For the second night in a row, Ben Feilmeier led the team in scoring with 14 points and junior Jordan McClung contributed with 12 points and five assists. The Mountain Lions (10-15, 8-9 RMAC) managed to get their must-win victory and are now tied with Colorado Christian (10-13, 8-9 RMAC) for third place in the East Division of the RMAC.
The men's team saw several players step up over the second half of the season, and their win over Colorado Christian may have been evidence of just that.
"Our junior college transfer Brent Jones has made some big strides as of late," head coach Russ Caton said. "Our freshman point guard Damar Hill is bringing us alot of energy and speed off the bench [and] junior Rob Howe has become instant offense and energy for us in the past few weekends."
The bitter-sweet weekend ended when the lady Mountain Lions (6-18, 2-14 RMAC) fell 58-84 tothe Colorado Christian. The powerhouse Cougars out-rebounded UCCS 48-26 and shot an impressive 52.5 percent from the field, compared to 32.1 percent from UCCS. Freshman Lauren Wolfinger and sophomore Payden Ackerman led the team in scoring with 16 points and 11 points, respectively. Immediately following the games, Janean Jubic and Lauren Holm were given honors as they completed their last collegiate home game on Senior Night.
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