The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Double OT victory
It took two overtimes but the Western State Colorado University (WSCU) men’s basketball team earned their first conference victory of the season Friday night in South Dakota. WSCU defeated the Black Hills State University (BHSU) Yellow Jackets by a score of 93-89. The Mountaineers had five players score in double-figures, led by junior Joseph Charles with 21 points.
Both teams traded baskets in the early minutes of the game. After an 11-2 run, the Mountaineers took control of the game and went into the half ahead 40-30. WSCU hit five three-pointers in the first half and were shooting 50 percent (5-of-10) from beyond the arc.
BHSU, making their Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference debut, came out from the break and went on a 26-13 run to take a 56-52 lead with a little over 10 minutes to play.
Neither team could gain control of the game and the lead went back and forth. With 34 seconds left in regulation, the Mountaineers brought the ball up the court with a 77-75 lead. BHSU intercepted a WSCU pass and drove to the middle of the key for a difficult bank of the glass to tie the game 77-77 with 21 seconds. The Yellow Jackets forced a turnover on the next Mountaineer possession, but the WSCU defense held strong and forced an overtime period.
WSCU took a lead out of the gate in the first overtime but the Yellow Jackets would come back and tie the game at 85 to force another overtime period. BHSU’s Austin Maag scored a game and career high 30 points but fouled out of the game in the first overtime.
With Maag out of the game, the Mountaineers knew they had gained an advantage. The WSCU defense held strong and junior Terrence Boyd helped put the Mountaineers over the top, scoring five of the seven WSCU points in the second overtime.
Boyd (18), Jordan Adams (16), Charles Joseph (16) and Steve Aldridge (15) all scored in double-figures for WSCU.
The Mountaineers were tested down the stretch for the second straight game and for the second straight game, the Mountaineers came out on top. WSCU held off the Chadron State Eagles to remain perfect in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference winning by a score of 69-66 on the road at Chadron State. WSCU is now 2-0 in the RMAC and return home to Paul Wright Gym for their next two games this weekend.
The Mountaineers will face New Mexico Highlands on Friday, December 7 at 7:30 p.m. Friday’s game is an “Operation Red” event, so all fans attending are encouraged to wear red. WSCU will then host Western New Mexico at 7:30 p.m. in Paul Wright Gym on Saturday, December 8.
