Eagle Hit 9 Of 10 FTs In Final 80 Seconds To Clinch Victory Over UCCS

By Con Marshall BOX SCORE

The Chadron State Eagles and the Colorado Springs Mountain Lions had an interesting shooting contest down the stretch of their men’s basketball game in Chadron late Sunday afternoon.
             
The Eagles were leading 82-71 with 80 seconds to play after Jarrett Taylor had made a pair of free throws.  Here’s a summary of what happened next: The visitors scored 13 points on their final five possessions by making a trio of 3-pointers, plus a layup and a short jumper.
             
After each of those baskets, the Mountain Lions immediately fouled to stop the clock and put a Chadron State player at the line.  The Eagles made nine of the 10 free throws and won the shootout 91-84.
             
The Eagles have now won four games in a row and enter the Christmas break with a 7-4 season record.  At 5-1, they are tied for third place in the RMAC with Colorado Mines. Both Fort Lewis and Colorado Mesa are 5-0 in league play.   
             
The Lions’ late surge saw James Ellis sink a trey and a layup before Max Stodard and Hannes Staar each hit long threes and Noah Bach closed the stretch run with a short jumper as time was expiring. 
             
CSC’s Taylor was one of two at the line following the sting of intentional fouls. Bryce Latimer sank a pair of free shots and Dalton Patterson made the final six.
             
Both teams played hard and shot well. The Eagles led for 33 of the 40 minutes and were ahead 41-32 at halftime after Taylor nailed a trey at the buzzer. 
 
Chadron State led by as many as 18 points twice in the second half, but the Mountain Lions’ never gave up and used their hot shooting down the stretch to make things intriging.
             
The Eagles, who were 34 of 62 from the field and 18 of 12 at the free throw line, put five players in double figures. 
Martin Poznanovic, the native of Serbia who has become a big-time force in the middle recently, led with a team-high 21 points on 10 of 13 shooting from the field. Latimer had just two points at halftime but finished with 16 and also was credited with eight assists. Josh Robinson was the game’s leading rebounder with nine and added 13 points, Peterson had 12 and Taylor 11. 
             
Just six players scored for Colorado Springs, but each reached double-digits. The pacesetter was the 6-foot-8 Stodart, a New Zealand product whose 23 points included three treys. Another stout frontline player, Jesse Iweze, was next with 18, while Ellis scored 12, Martinez 11 and both Baca and Saar 10. 
             
The Lions were 30-60 from the field and 17-22 at the line. Each team had 11 steals.
             
UCCS is now 5-7 overall and 1-5 in the RMAC.
             
Colorado-Colorado Springs—Max Stodard 23, Jesse Iweze 18, James Ellis 12, Xavier Martinez 11, Noah Baca 10, Hannes Saar 10. Totals: 30-60 (7-21) 17-22 84 points, 28 rebounds, 11 turnovers.
             
Chadron State—Martin Poznanovic 21, Bryce Latimer 16, Josh Robinson 13, Dalton Peterson 12, Jarrett Taylor 11, Raul Nunez 9, Julio Phipps 4, Jalen Patterson 3, Akene Agee 2. Totals 34-62 (5-15) 18-22 91 points, 35 rebounds, 11 turnovers.
              Colo-Colorado Springs           32             52          —-84
              Chadron State                          41            50          —-91
              3-pointers: UCCS—Stodart 3, Ellis 2, Martinez 1, Saar 1. CSC—Peterson 2, Taylor 2, Latimer 1.