GUNNISON, Colo. – Motivation was easy to come by for Western State Colorado University men's basketball on Saturday night. With conference tournament implications on the line, facing a rival, and four seniors playing their final home games, Adams State University stood little chance in defeating the Mountaineers. Western blew past the Grizzlies, winning 98-87.
 
Western (10-15, 8-11 RMAC) honored four graduating seniors prior to the start of the game, but it was those seniors that honored the crowd with their performances against ASU (14-11, 12-7 RMAC).
 
Senior Collin Smith dropped a career high 28 points, while putting on a superb defensive performance with fellow senior Branden Cosby-Lee on the Grizzly big men.
 
Senior Ben Beauchamp scored 16 points, while senior point guard Will Duggan ran the Mountaineer offense, distributing the basketball in key situations.
 
These four seniors helped guide the Mountaineers to a 15-point lead over ASU in the first half. Western went into the break leading, 46-38.
 
Western maintained a 10-point lead for much of the game, thanks to a great defensive performance, while minimizing turnovers. The Mountaineers led the entire second half, taking a 12-point win over rivals Adams State.
 
Along with Smith and Beauchamp, Quincy Harding and Brady Subart also scored in double figures for the Mountaineers. Subart added 15 points, while Harding scored 14.
 
With the win, Western is now just one game out of the final conference tournament spot. The Mountaineers have three games remaining, with the next coming against South Dakota School of Mines and Technology on Friday in Rapid City, South Dakota.