GUNNISON, Colo.  Five of Western Colorado's first six baskets were from 3-point range in lifting the host Mountaineers to an early six-point lead but visiting Adams State made a run over the second part of the opening half then held off a Western Colorado comeback in the Mountaineers' 104-93 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference loss Saturday at Paul Wright Gym.

JUST THE FACTS
Final score: Adams State def. Western, 104-93
Records: Western 3-19 (1-17 RMAC), Adams State (5-19 (3-15)
Location: Paul Wright Gym, Gunnison, Colo.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was a promising start for the Mountaineers as Robel Desta, Trevin Lieck, Kade Juelfs and Jaelan McCloud each dropped in a 3-pointers – McCloud with two – that helped push Western to a 17-11 lead in eight minutes of first-half action.
• Adams rallied to square the game at 19-19 but Grant Wilkinson joined the long-range act with his own trey to elevate Western back in front on the next possession.
• The teams were tied again at 24-24 and then at 29-29 before play tilted the Grizzlies' way.
• Adams State closed out the first half outscoring the Mountaineers 25-15 and Western was never able to recover from that 10-point deficit.
• The Grizzlies built their lead to as many as 21 in the second half but Western used an 11-2 spark to climb back into the game.
• Avery Rembao was the first to cut into the largest deficit Western had faced in the night, hitting a 3-pointer that cut the Adams cushion to under 20.
• Lieck and Mason Black also had 3-pointers during the run that further trimmed the Adams advantage to just 12, at 88-78 with 6:31 to play. Over those final six minutes, though, the Mountaineers would only get as close as 10 (100-90).

COURT POINTS

•  The 93 points scored was a season high for the Mountaineers, whose 15 3-pointers made were also a season best.
• The inside game at both ends hurt Western. Despite the Grizzlies going 11-for-17 from behind the arc, they did their greatest amount of damage from in close, scoring 42 points in the paint. And Western's game was a long-range game as it scored only 16 points from inside the key.
• The Mountaineers forced 16 Adams turnovers and converted those miscues into 22 points.
• After posting a season high 33 points Friday night, Western's Avery Rembao led the team again Saturday night with a game-high 31 points. He was joined in double figures by Juelfs (18 points, a season high), Jaelan McCloud (11) and Lieck (10).
• Adams pushed six players into double digits during the win, led by Isaiah Sampson's 30 points.
• Rembao's big points night came in part from his ability to draw fouls – 14 on the night – and get to the free throw line. He toed the charity stripe 15 times in the game and converted 13 of those shots.

UP NEXT
Western goes on the road for its next two games, heading to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs for an RMAC contest Friday night, then continuing the trip with a visit to Denver and Regis University on Saturday evening.