GUNNISON, Colo.  Western Colorado pushed four players into double figures in scoring Friday evening, but visiting University of Colorado Colorado Springs equaled that fete in a 78-62 defeat of the host Mountaineers in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference men's basketball action.

Western led for the opening 10 minutes of the first half but lost the lead when the Mountain Lions went on an 11-2 run to pull ahead, 24-23, for the remainder of the contest.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: UC Colorado Springs def. Western Colorado, 78-62
Records: Western Colorado 5-16 (4-11 RMAC), UC Colorado Springs 15-6 (10-5)
Location: Paul Wright Gym; Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Mountaineers earned the immediate lead with Avery Rembao's layup off the opening tip.
• Rembao pulled down the defensive rebound at the other end on UCCS' first possession, and the transition turned into a Gino Corridori layup for a quick 4-0 lead.
• Scoring was at a slow pace early on – a total of eight points in the first three minutes – however the Mountaineers began to find the range soon after, building a nine-point advantage, 18-9, after a Jonathan McCloud 3-pointer.
• Almost eight minutes in it was still Western leading, 21-13. The Mountain Lions finally got in gear, though, embarking on that 11-2 run to wrest the lead away.
• UC Colorado Springs wasn't able to pull away across the next seven minutes or so, holding off the challenges by Western that trimmed its deficit to one at 33-32, again at 35-34, and then at 37-36 with two minutes left in the half.
• An 8-1 run by the Mountain Lions to close the first frame built back some breathing room as UCCS took a 45-37 advantage into the halftime break.
• Western broke out of the gate after recess, cutting the UC Colorado Springs lead to just a basket, 46-44, on an Elijah Davidson steal and Rembao fastbreak layup.
• Again, though, a Mountain Lion run would flip momentum, this time for good as UCCS used a 13-1 streak to reach a double-digit cushion for the first time, then finished off the victory for a 16-point win.

COURT NOTES

• Rembao led Western with 11 points, while Matthew Ragsdale, Corridori and Will Willis each contributed 10 points. UCCS was paced by Alijah Comithier's game-high 15 points.
• The Mountaineers, while keeping things close during first-half action, shot 44 percent from the floor. The second half was a different story as they dropped in more free throws, nine, than shots from the floor, seven, in shooting just 26% in the second half.
• The difference in rebounding, in which the Mountain Lions owned a 46-39 edge, came off the defensive rims. UC Colorado Springs pulled down 38 defensive rebounds, to 32 by the Mountaineers, to eliminate second-chance points. Western scored only two second-chance points in the game.
• Davidson did lead all players off the glass, finishing with 10 rebounds. It was his second consecutive game with 10 boards and his sixth double-digit rebounding game this season.

UP NEXT

• Western hosts New Mexico Highlands University Saturday at 7 p.m. in a league contest at Paul Wright Gym.
• UC Colorado Springs heads to Fort Lewis College for a Saturday RMAC game in Durango, Colorado.