COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Kylie Krise put up a career-high 25 points and Chadron State outscored UCCS in the second half, but a slow start proved too much for the Eagles to overcome as the Mountain Lions defeated the Eagles 82-66 Saturday afternoon in the Gallogly Events Center.

The Eagles (2-8, 1-3 RMAC) dropped their third straight RMAC game since winning their conference opener. UCCS improved to 5-4 overall and 3-1 in the RMAC with the win. 

Krise shot 6 of 9 from the field, 2 of 5 from deep and 11 of 14 from the free-throw line, spearheading an Eagles team effort that had 34 free throw attempts over the course of the game. She also led the team with seven rebounds. Her 25 points are two more than her previous season and career-high set in the RMAC opener against South Dakota Mines on December 5.

Megan Counts also had 15 points for the Eagles, more than doubling her previous season high of seven and three points off her career high of 18 and added four rebounds and two blocks. Liberty Line and Ashayla Powers scored seven points apiece and Kyra Tanabe had a team-high four assists.

The Eagles shot 40 percent from the field, 25 percent from three (5-20) and 74 percent from the line (25-34). UCCS finished the game 41 percent from the field, 34 percent from three (9-26) and 71 percent from the line (27-38), but the Eagles did a much better job in the second half as the Mountain Lions were over 50 percent from the field at halftime. 

UCCS hit six of their first eight field goal attempts, including three straight three-pointers, to build a 16-6 lead in the game's first four minutes. The Eagles went to Megan Counts for back-to-back layups, but another UCCS three made it 24-14 Mountain Lions after one quarter of play. 

The teams traded buckets for the first portion of the second quarter, but UCCS got to the line and continued to shoot well, making 54 percent of their field goal attempts and 6 of 8 free throw attempts. The Mountain Lions went on an 18-6 run before two CSC free throws made it 47-28 UCCS at the half. 

The third quarter saw the Eagles outscore UCCS 17-14, as CSC had seven different players score in the period. 

The fourth quarter began with a 10-3 run by the Eagles as Chadron State got to the line, making 5 of 6 free throws, outrebounded UCCS 6-1 and blocked two shots during that time frame, cutting the lead to single digits at 64-55. 

The Eagles took 14 free throws in the fourth quarter alone, hitting 12 to keep the game within 10 points. Kylie Krise forced a steal and hustled down the court for a fast-break layup to make it an eight-point lead, 74-66 with 45 seconds to play.

UCCS shot eight free throws in the final 39 seconds to put the game away at the line and push the lead back up to its final margin of 16 points. 

For UCCS, Maison White led the way with a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double. Three Mountain Lions finished in double figures. 

The Eagles are now off through Christmas break. They will take the court next against Colorado School of Mines on January 9 at 5 p.m. at home in the Chicoine Center.

Chadron State— Kylie Krise 25, Megan Counts 15, Ashayla Powers 7, Liberty Line 7, Kyra Tanabe 5, McKenzi Petersen 5, Camren Morris 2. Totals: 18-45 FG, 5-20 3PT, 25-34 FT. 66 points, 37 rebounds, 7 assists, 21 turnovers.

UCCS— Maison White 21, Amyah Moore Allen 15, Breelyn Robinson 13, Emily Vidal 9, Ellie Reynolds 8, Mya Wilson 4, Krystina Hagood 4, Ellen Silva 4, Jayla Jackson-Allen 3, Gia Bradley 1. Totals: 23-56 FG, 9-26 3PT, 27-38 FT. 62 points, 41 rebounds, 15 assists, 14 turnovers.

Eagles Finish Five Points Short Against UCCS

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Zy Wright scored 24 points, tying his career-high set earlier this week, and the Eagles shot 49 percent from the field, but the UCCS Mountain Lions hit enough shots from beyond the arc to defeat the Eagles 84-79 Saturday in Colorado Springs. 

UCCS (6-4, 2-2 RMAC) fired from three-point range at any opportunity, making 12 of 35 attempts, including nine makes in the first half. The home team led by as many as 16 in the second half before CSC closed the game on a 5-0 run to cut the final margin to five points.

Chadron State (5-6, 2-2 RMAC) shot 49.2 percent from the field (32-65), 35.3 percent from three (6-17) and 60 percent from the line (9-15), snapping an eight-game streak where the Eagles were 72 percent or better from the stripe. 

Behind Wright, who shot 9-for-16 from the floor and added six rebounds, three assists and two steals in addition to his 24 points, the Eagles received double-figure scoring from Julio Phipps (16 points, 8-11 FG) and John Jenkins (11 points). Wright, Phipps, Jenkins and Darrius Miles all tied with a team-high six rebounds.

The Eagles did have a season-high 19 assists against only 10 turnovers, but were outshone in that category by the home team, who put up 24 assists against just seven giveaways. 

UCCS took an early 8-4 lead, but the Eagles went to John Jenkins for back-to-back baskets to tie the score. Wright tallied 11 of CSC's first 22 points in the first half, including a three-point play to bring the Eagles within two points at 24-22. 

The Mountain Lions used an 8-0 run to open up a 10-point lead, but the Eagles answered with a back-cut layup from Jaylen Davis and a three from Darrius Miles. The Eagles continued to go to Miles, with the Texas native hitting a layup and a jumper to make it a three-point game, 36-33, at the under-four media timeout. UCCS responded, outscoring Chadron State 13-5 over the final two-and-a-half minutes to lead 49-40 at halftime.

The home team picked up where they left off at the end of the first half, opening on a 7-0 run before a pair of Wright free throws. The Eagles responded with a 6-0 run on an inbounds alley-oop to Phipps, a jumper by Zach Smith and a Phipps hook shot before the Eagles forced a 10-second violation. 

The Mountain Lions used a 15-8 run, including two threes, to open up a double-digit second half lead. As the Eagles pushed into a full-court press in a bid to create turnovers, UCCS used its ball movement and spacing to create several transition baskets.

Trey Ballard hit back-to-back threes to trim the UCCS lead to eight at 80-72 with a minute left, but the Mountain Lions made enough free throws down the stretch to close out the game. Zy Wright scored five points in the final three seconds of the game thanks to a jump shot and a UCCS technical foul that allowed Wright to hit one of two foul shots then make a basket as time expired when the Eagles retained possession.

UCCS had five players finish in double figures, led by Gavin Carter's 16. William Becker had a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double.

The Eagles will return home this Monday, December 16 to play Central Christian (NAIA) in a nonconference game at 1 p.m. in the Chicoine Center. 

Chadron State— Zy Wright 24, Julio Phipps 16, John Jenkins 11, Trey Ballard 8, Darrius Miles 7, Jaylen Davis 7, Jalen Thomas 2, Dalton Peterson 2, Zach Smith 2. Totals: 32-65 FG, 6-17 3PT, 9-15 FT. 79 points, 37 rebounds, 19 assists, 10 turnovers.

UCCS— Gavin Carter 16, William Becker 13, Jezza McKenzie 13, Xavier Martinez 12, Derek Pranger 10, Hannes Saar 9, Santiago Ochoa 7, Brady Jones 2, Joshua Ray 2. Totals: 30-63 FG, 12-35 3PT, 12-20 FT. 84 points, 38 rebounds, 24 assists, 7 turnovers.