UCCS Mountain Lions men’s basketball looks to finish season strong

With the basketball season coming to a close, the UCCS men's basketball team aims to go out with a bang. Despite a current eight-game losing streak, players are still optimistic about finishing the season successfully.

"I think we as a team have been taking larger strides towards success and are getting better as time goes on," said freshman guard Darius Pardner.

On Feb. 11, the Mountain Lions suffered their latest setback, a 66-60 defeat at the hands of Fort Lewis.

"I thought as a team we played really well," said Pardner. "It was one of our better games lately, but it came down to us doing the small things and we didn't get it done. Plus, it's hard to win when a guy almost hits you for 40," he continued.

An exciting game unfolded as Fort Lewis Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) offensive player of the week, Matt Morris, dissected the Mountain Lion's defense to the tune of 35 points. At one point, UCCS held an eight-point advantage, but were not able to hold the lead.

Leading the team with 13 points, Darius Pardner also had a game high seven steals, which was also a season high for the Mountain Lions. Kyle Clark and Alex Koehler also scored in double digits with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

With four games left in the season, the Mountain Lions are not giving up yet. The next two games on the road at Chadron State and Nebraska-Kearney, where the team hopes to come home with a pair of wins. The final two games of the season will be at the Gallogly Events Center.

"Fans should still support us and look forward to the team finishing out the season strong," Pardner said.