Paxton Ritchey-CSC Sports Information
ALAMOSA, Colo. – Chadron State maintained a slim lead for nearly the entire game, iced the game at the free throw line and held off Adams State on the Grizzlies’ home floor, coming away with a 91-86 road win on Thursday evening, the first time the Eagles have won in Alamosa since 2009.
Chadron State, which leads the RMAC with a .786 team free-throw shooting percentage, put those skills on display to clinch the victory. The Eagles finished 21-for-22 from the free throw line as a team, including 15-for-16 in the second half.
Jalen Thomas scored 22 points to lead the Eagles, shooting 7 of 11 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Zy Wright tallied 18 points and eight rebounds to co-headline on a night where five Eagles scored in double figures.
Julio Phipps (13 points), Dalton Petersen (12) and Trey Ballard (10) also had double-digit scoring nights, and those five players combined to go 20-for-20 from the line in Thursday’s game.
The win improves Chadron State to 7-8 overall and 3-4 in the RMAC. It also snapped a slight three-game losing streak, all of which came against teams in the top five of the conference standings (Colorado School of Mines, Regis and UCCS). Adams State fell to 6-9 overall and 1-6 in RMAC play.
The Eagles stormed out of the gate early in the first half, with Jalen Thomas recording steals and fastbreak layups on the first two possessions of the contest. Chadron State eventually led 10-2 after back-to-back baskets from Julio Phipps and led by as many as 13 points at 18-5, leading to an early ASU timeout.
The Grizzlies chipped away, cutting the lead to as little as one point with four minutes left in the first half at 35-34. Chadron State eventually went into halftime with a four-point lead at 45-41.
The second half was marked by Chadron State being unable to pull away from the Grizzlies. The Eagles led by no more than eight points through the early part of the second half, and although the Grizzlies cut the lead to one point on three different occasions, the home team couldn’t tie or take the lead until just under eight minutes to play, when a 4-0 run by ASU gave them a 68-66 advantage and their first lead of the night.
Chadron State was able to respond. Thomas hit two free throws to tie the score at 68 before Trey Ballard hit a jumper, Zy Wright hit a three that featured an ankle-breaking crossover and Julio Phipps nailed a three-point play to put the Eagles back up 76-70.
The Eagles were automatic from the free throw line, scoring 10 of their last 12 points from the stripe and not missing over the game’s final eight minutes.
Chadron State finished 46.4 percent from the field, 27 percent from three (6-22) and 95.5 percent from the line with its 21-for-22 mark. Dalton Petersen hit three of CSC’s six three-pointers.
The Grizzlies were 41.8 percent from the field, also 27 percent from three (9-33) and just 70 percent from the line (21-30). ASU also had five players in double figures, led by Wyatt Helming’s 24.
The Eagles outscored Adams State in bench points (23-17), fastbreak points (33-17), and points in the paint (40-36). CSC managed to win despite only five assists and no blocks.
After a day off, CSC plays next against New Mexico Highlands (7-8 overall, 0-7 RMAC) on the road Saturday at 3 p.m. NMHU lost 71-56 to Black Hills State on Thursday night.