COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  Western Colorado women's basketball played with the opportunity to strengthen its hold atop the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference standings, but a cold shooting night and turnovers led to an upset by host University of Colorado Colorado Springs, as the Mountain Lions escaped with a 54-45 win over the Mountaineers. 

JUST THE FACTS 
Final score: UCCS def. Western, 54-45 
Records: Western 13-5 overall (8-3 RMAC), UCCS 11-7 (7-4) 
Location: Gallogly Events Center, Colorado Springs, Colo. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

• Whether it was the chill in the air or the four inches of snow that fell Thursday in Colorado Springs, Western had its coldest shooting night of the year, hitting just 26 percent from the floor while UCCS, which was matching that figure through three quarters, finally warmed up in the final quarter. 
• The Mountaineers closed the low-scoring first quarter leading 9-8, getting 7 of their 9 from Ivey Schmidt. 
• A 6-0 UCCS run in the second quarter changed the lead on the scoreboard, but Jayda Maves drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner to knot things up at 14-14. 
• The Mountain Lions scored the opening basket in the third quarter to improve their one-point halftime lead, but Maves struck again from long range, dropping in a triple from the left wing to square things at 20-20. 
• Penelope Urquhart added a 3-ball minutes later to put Western up by five, 30-25, but the quarter ended with a steal and layup from UCCS to beat the buzzer and cut the Mountaineers' lead to just a point, 32-31, heading into the final frame. 
• Western was leading by a basket early in the quarter, but UCCS finally found its range, reeling off a 9-0 scoring run to build a 43-36 advantage. 
• Yet another trey from Maves would eventually inch Western to within a point at 43-42, but UCCS would close out the quarter on an 11-3 string to finish off the upset. 

COURT NOTES 

• Schmidt led all scorers with 15 points and tied for the team lead in rebounds with Rachel Cockman, each pulling down 7. 
• Maves also reached double figures with an 11-point night, 9 of which came from behind the arc. 
• Western won the battle off the glass, finishing with a 45-33 edge in rebounding, but 17 turnovers that UCCS turned into 14 points proved costly. 
• The Mountaineers entered the night tied for first in the RMAC standings with Colorado Mesa, which defeated third-place Colorado State Pueblo on the night. 
• Black Hills State had been tied for third with CSU Pueblo, but it, too, lost on Thursday night, leaving Western in sole possession of second place, trailing Colorado Mesa by just a game. 

UP NEXT 
A trip north to Denver is next on the schedule for Western, which will play at Colorado Christian University Saturday afternoon at the Cougars' CCU Event Center.