GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – In game two of the Holiday Inn-Airport Thanksgiving Classic, nothing mattered before the fourth quarter for Western Colorado University Women's Basketball. The Mountaineers poured on 34 points in the final frame to beat Arizona Christian University 78-61.
 
Western (2-0 0-0 RMAC) lived up to their potential in the fourth after three tight quarters of play with Arizona Christian (5-3 0-0 GSAC). Entering the fourth with the score knotted at 44, Western blew it wide open in the final frame. 
 
Despite only leading for just 13:37, Western made the time worth it in the fourth quarter, shooting a remarkable 77.8%. Western's 14-18 shooting including going 4-4 from behind the arc. In the process the Mountaineers tallied 34 points burying the Firestorm in a barrage of buckets.
 
Western's Samantha Coleman led all scorers with 19 points on 62.5% shooting, including going 3-4 from behind the arc. Additionally, Coleman dragged down six rebounds, tied for the game high. 
 
Three other Mountaineers posted double-figures for Western as Katie Dalton put up 14 points and six rebounds while Jessie Erickson and Chandler Willis both finished with 10 points. 
 
While Western's offensive flourish fueled the finish, it does not tell the whole story. The Mountaineers also laid claim to the glass, outrebounding the Firestorm 38-27. Western's tally included 15 offensive rebounds that yielded 14 second chance points. 
 
Additionally, Western had 15 assists on 29 made baskets managing the flow of the game. Tammarrah Gothard led all players with six assists alongside six rebounds, three steals, and eight points. 
 
Having won out at the Holiday Inn-Airport Thanksgiving Classic, Western returns home to begin Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play against Colorado Mesa University at Paul Wright Gym on Saturday December, 1 at 5:00 p.m.