GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado erased all but the final two points of a 17-point second-half deficit, but visiting Adams State University was able to hold off the finishing notes of that rally and push its slim advantage out to a seven-point victory, 81-74, in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men's basketball action Friday evening at Paul Wright Gym.

The Mountaineers trailed 68-51 with eight minutes remaining in the game, then clawed back to within a bucket, 69-67, over the next five minutes only to have the Grizzlies stop the bleeding and finish off the victory.

THE ESSENTIALS
Final score: Adams State def. Western Colorado, 81-74
Records: Western Colorado 3-13 (2-8 RMAC), Adams State 8-8 (4-6)
Location: Paul Wright Gym; Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• An 8-0 run ignited the Western comeback. A pair of Jaelan McCloud free throws got the ball rolling in the right direction, and a 3-pointer from Matthew Ragsdale following a defensive rebound by Elijah Davidson continues the momentum.
• Kade Juelfs dropped in a pair of free throws after he was fouled following a steal and a fast break layup attempt, and Will Willis hit the first of two free throws on an Adams foul to bring Western to within nine, at 59-68.
• The Grizzlies halted the run with one of two free throws, but Ragsdale tossed in a rainbow 3-pointer to cut the deficit to seven. Another Juelfs steal and, this time, an unencumbered layup put the deficit at just five, 69-64.
• Adams State turned the ball over on its next possession and Willis converted that turnover into a 3-pointer from the top, right of the arc to bring the Mountaineers to within two, 69-67, with 2:57 to play.
• A 6-0 streak by the Grizzlies, though, gave the visitors breathing room from where they could finish off the victory on the Mountaineers' home court.

COURT NOTES

• Adams State never trailed in the contest, scoring the first seven points of the game and finishing the first half with a 38-26 lead at the break.
• Western chipped into that 12-point deficit in the early going of the second half, getting to within seven, 43-36, following a Jaelen McCloud 3-pointer. Though Adams lengthened its lead over the next minutes, the Mountaineers battled back to within six, 50-44, four minutes later.
• An 18-7 burst by the Grizzlies created the 17-point deficit that proved to be to deep of a hole from which to dig out of.
• Ragsdale let the Mountaineers in scoring with 24 points, and was joined in double figures by Jaelan McCloud (12 points) and Avery Rembao (10).
• Tyrin Hollis' 20 points were a team high for Adams, which also got 19 from Kaelin Crane and 18 from Jordan Notch.
• Western got the better of the Grizzlies off the glass, finishing with a 40-35 edge in rebounding, but Adams countered with a 47 percent night from the field (25-of-53) and 15 points off Western turnovers.

NEXT UP

• Western squares off against visiting Colorado State University Pueblo on Saturday at 7 p.m. in an RMAC contest in Paul Wright Gym.
• Adams State heads to Fort Lewis College for a Saturday conference bout.